Rain Man - Movie Review

INTRODUCTION

The film Rain Man was released in 1988 and won the Best Picture academy award that same year. I chose the film because it represented a wonderful mix of story, filmmaking, acting and comedic timing. It is my assertion that acting was the most powerful element of this film and crucial for the emotional arc required from the lead actor Tom Cruise.

STORYTELLING

The story of Rain Man is presented in a way that keeps the viewer in the dark as the story develops; delivering surprises and plot twists along the way. Writers Barry Morrow and Ronald Bass provide an excellent framework for the actors to really shine in their portrayal of the two main characters: self centered, smooth street-smart Charlie Babbit and his institutionalized autistic savant older brother, Raymond Babbitt. We are introduced to Charlie at the start of the film and quickly understand that he is a successful import automobile broker and willing/able to do whatever is necessary to deliver his product- this even includes paying off EPA officials, if necessary. Charlie is unrelenting in his quest to accomplish his goal. When he finds out that his long estranged father has passed away, he is expecting to inherent a portion of his late father’s $3 million dollar estate; only to uncover that he has an autistic brother who has received all of the inheritance money from their late father, the irony is almost too much for Charlie. This is pure genius from a storytelling perspective as it helps to humanize Charlie. As important as the storytelling is, this film would never have reached it’s level of achievement without the powerful and stirring acting by Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman.

ACTING

As stated in the introduction, I assert that the powerful and unpredictable acting exhibited by namely Tom Cruise, was essential in the development of the emotional arc for his character. From the initial scene we quickly understand that Charlie is a no-nonsense young man who sees what he wants and works in a linear fashion to reach his goal, no matter how ruthless or callous he is to those around him. We see this in his scowl, his minimal use of language, and his supreme impatience. One example of this is the way that he directed Susanna to move the car to the end of the driveway at the mental institution and walked Raymond out to meet her, essentially kidnapping him from his home. Conversely, by the end of the film, he displays such tenderness and caring for Raymond, we fully believe that he has changed in the course of the 140 minutes. The last scene, in which he tells Raymond that he will be coming to visit him back in Ohio, conveys that fact that Charlie has nothing to gain from the trip other than to continue his relationship with his brother. We see it in his eyes, his touch and his gentle words…all essential elements of top-notch