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IMDbPro

The Rainmaker

  • 19971997
  • PG-13PG-13
  • 2h 15m
IMDb RATING
7.2/10
73K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
2,196
197
Matt Damon and Danny DeVito in The Rainmaker (1997)
Trailer
Play trailer0:30
1 Video
34 Photos
  • Crime
  • Drama
  • Thriller
An underdog lawyer takes on a fraudulent insurance company.An underdog lawyer takes on a fraudulent insurance company.An underdog lawyer takes on a fraudulent insurance company.
IMDb RATING
7.2/10
73K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
2,196
197
  • Director
    • Francis Ford Coppola
  • Writers
    • John Grisham(novel)
    • Francis Ford Coppola(screenplay)
    • Michael Herr(narration)
  • Stars
    • Matt Damon
    • Danny DeVito
    • Claire Danes
Top credits
  • Director
    • Francis Ford Coppola
  • Writers
    • John Grisham(novel)
    • Francis Ford Coppola(screenplay)
    • Michael Herr(narration)
  • Stars
    • Matt Damon
    • Danny DeVito
    • Claire Danes
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 184User reviews
    • 96Critic reviews
    • 72Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 2 wins & 10 nominations

    Videos1

    The Rainmaker
    Trailer 0:30
    The Rainmaker

    Photos34

    Matt Damon in The Rainmaker (1997)
    Matt Damon and Mary Kay Place in The Rainmaker (1997)
    Matt Damon in The Rainmaker (1997)
    Matt Damon in The Rainmaker (1997)
    Matt Damon at an event for The Rainmaker (1997)
    Matt Damon at an event for The Rainmaker (1997)
    Danny DeVito and Rhea Perlman at an event for The Rainmaker (1997)
    Andy Garcia and Marivi Lorido Garcia at an event for The Rainmaker (1997)
    Dennis Hopper and Victoria Duffy at an event for The Rainmaker (1997)
    Mickey Rourke at an event for The Rainmaker (1997)
    Mickey Rourke at an event for The Rainmaker (1997)
    Mickey Rourke at an event for The Rainmaker (1997)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Matt Damon
    Matt Damon
    • Rudy Baylor
    Danny DeVito
    Danny DeVito
    • Deck Shifflet
    Claire Danes
    Claire Danes
    • Kelly Riker
    Jon Voight
    Jon Voight
    • Leo F. Drummond
    Mary Kay Place
    Mary Kay Place
    • Dot Black
    Dean Stockwell
    Dean Stockwell
    • Judge Harvey Hale
    Teresa Wright
    Teresa Wright
    • Miss Birdie
    Virginia Madsen
    Virginia Madsen
    • Jackie Lemancyzk
    Mickey Rourke
    Mickey Rourke
    • Bruiser Stone
    Andrew Shue
    Andrew Shue
    • Cliff Riker
    Red West
    Red West
    • Buddy Black
    Johnny Whitworth
    Johnny Whitworth
    • Donny Ray Black
    Wayne Emmons
    • Prince Thomas
    Adrian Roberts
    Adrian Roberts
    • Butch
    Roy Scheider
    Roy Scheider
    • Wilfred Keeley
    Randy Travis
    Randy Travis
    • Billy Porter
    Michael Girardin
    • Everett Lufkin
    Randall King
    • Jack Underhall
    • Director
      • Francis Ford Coppola
    • Writers
      • John Grisham(novel)
      • Francis Ford Coppola(screenplay)
      • Michael Herr(narration)
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The scene where Danny DeVito wakes up Matt Damon on the bench was filmed hurriedly, surprising Damon, who had actually fallen asleep after a scene.
    • Goofs
      The supposed Luxor Hotel claimed in a previous entry is erroneous; in some background shots the building is actually the Pyramid in downtown Memphis.
    • Quotes

      Rudy Baylor: What's the difference between a lawyer and a hooker? A hooker'll stop screwing you when you're dead.

    • Crazy credits
      There is a credit for "Poet in Residence".
    • Alternate versions
      Original theatrical and VHS releases had the 1987 Paramount logo, while the DVD and Blu-Ray prints as well as later TV prints had the 2003 Paramount logo.
    • Connections
      Featured in At the Movies: The Jackal/Anastasia/The Man Who Knew Too Little/One Night Stand/The Tango Lesson/Kiss or Kill (1997)
    • Soundtracks
      Woman You Must Be Crazy
      Written by T-Bone Walker

      Performed by Big Joe Turner

      Courtesy of Fantasy, Inc.

    User reviews184

    Review
    Top review
    Forget about the book, enjoy the acting
    Readers of John Grisham's book will find this film rather less of a thriller and more of a courtroom drama, albeit with a curious flat feel to it. The story is that of a legal action on behalf of a teenage boy denied coverage for an expensive bone marrow transplant by his family's medical insurer. Changes to the plotline to accommodate the story to the demands of film drama have removed the unique feature of the book – a largely successful attempt to make the details of legal civil procedure interesting. Francis Coppola is a very innovative yet conventional director (you could credit him with authorship of several current movie clichés) and his storylines develop according to convention. Thus the love affair, which is completely extraneous to the main storyline in the book, is pumped up, and the fascinating battle of wits between the lawyers played down. As in the book, Rudy is the tyro David up against the experienced Goliath, Drummond, but Rudy's inexperience is played up to the point that you wonder how he got this far. The trial judge, who in the book is extremely helpful to Rudy, is replaced in the film by a sympathetic but much more impartial figure. In Hollywood conventional courtroom drama, His Honor or Her Honor doesn't take sides.

    That said, there is much to enjoy. Danny de Vito, playing Deck the paralegal (or `paralawyer' as Rudy names him) who can't seem to pass the bar exam, is just brilliant. His Deck is a disheveled, unimpressive little guy who is nonetheless good at what he does, `rainmaking' or finding new business. His strengths are his intelligence, his energy and his lack of pride; he is quite happy to chase ambulances and give cops backhanders for information. His ethics are simple: fight for your client, don't steal and try not to lie. While the Deck of the book verges on the grotesque, De Vito makes him less of an oddball and hence more sympathetic. Matt Damon as Rudy is wetter behind the ears and not such a quick learner as the Rudy of the book, but every so often he connects and we understand how he feels. Mickey Rourke is a bit too elegant as Bruiser, Rudy's erstwhile mentor, (who wears cufflinks on a tropical beach?) but it's also an enjoyable performance. Although the script tones down his role, John Voight is nastily urbane as superlawyer Drummond.

    Once again we have a courtroom drama filmed in a grand but gloomy courtroom, in fact the lighting people seem to have been absent. We hardly get a glimpse of the face of one important minor character, Cliff the wife-beater, (Andrew Shue) yet there is no apparent reason for this. The way some of the scenes were strung together, and started and finished were vaguely familiar, and half way through it hit me - ` The Godfather', where scenes just seem to begin and end without any particular reason.

    One thing the film does almost as well as the book is send the message (sorry Mr Goldwyn) that America needs to do something about its medical insurance system, if the present chaotic mess can be so described. The court system, while not perfect, comes out of it a bit better (David is able to beat Goliath fair and square) but as for lawyers…well, let's just say things would be a lot better if they stuck to Deck's minimal ethics. The story also might explain why John Grisham (who has a walk-on role as a lawyer at an al fresco deposition) gave up the law to write books, thus bringing pleasure to millions instead of (hopefully) winning retribution for a few.
    helpful•72
    9
    • Philby-3
    • Sep 21, 2000

    FAQ4

    • Why did Danny Glover not receive a credit for his performance?His part was hardly a cameo, it was substantial, and he was nominated for an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture.
    • What does the title "The Rainmaker" mean?
    • What is this movie based on?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • November 21, 1997 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • United States
      • Germany
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • John Grisham's The Rainmaker
    • Filming locations
      • Memphis, Tennessee, USA
    • Production companies
      • Constellation Entertainment
      • Douglas/Reuther Productions
      • American Zoetrope
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $40,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $45,916,769
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $10,626,507
      • Nov 23, 1997
    • Gross worldwide
      • $45,916,769
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 15 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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