Rain Man (1988)

October 13, 2022 1:02 PM

Selfish yuppie Charlie Babbitt (Tom Cruise) finds his late father left him a pittance, with the bulk of the family fortune earmarked for a brother he didn't know he had, Raymond (Dustin Hoffman), who lives in a psychiatric care facility. Looking for a way to gain control of the money, Charlie takes his brother on a cross-country trip.

Also starring Valeria Golino, Gerald R. Molen, Jack Murdock,Michael D. Roberts, Ralph Seymour, Lucinda Jenney, Bonnie Hunt, Kim Robillard, and Beth Grant.

Directed by Barry Levinson. Screenplay by Ronald Bass and Barry Morrow, based on a story by Morrow.

889% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.

Currently streaming in the US on HBO Max. Also available for digital rental on multiple outlets. JustWatch listing.

posted by DirtyOldTown (6 comments total)

889% fresh! That's a lot! OK, that should be 89%.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 1:05 PM on October 13, 2022 [5 favorites]

Definitely 889. Scale of 1000%. There's 111 left in the box.

I don't care much for Dustin Hoffman or Tom Cruise generally but I did like this movie quite a lot. I think I'm due for a re-watch. I remember it being pretty realistic with subject matter that isn't often done well though I might have a different opinion of it now.
posted by Clinging to the Wreckage at 1:31 PM on October 13, 2022 [1 favorite]

I have a soft spot in my heart for Rain Main. It's a movie about brothers and I like movies about brothers.
posted by Stuka at 6:17 PM on October 13, 2022 [1 favorite]

Kim Peek, who the Raymond character was loosely based on, used to hang out at the Salt Lake Library and I met him a few times. If you asked him about the movie he's say "Yeah yeah, Rain Man" with a slightly annoyed smile and go back to the three books he was memorizing. He was pretty cool.
posted by mmoncur at 3:32 AM on October 14, 2022 [4 favorites]

I remember liking this movie when it was ubiquitous on TV some thirty years ago. I have not revisited it since, in part because I am not sure how it would hold up in terms of autistic representation.

Here’s an essay from an autistic person about the movie.
posted by gauche at 3:35 AM on October 14, 2022 [4 favorites]

Watched it because I wanted to see a cool gambling scheme, but turned into one of the only movies that made me cry, during the scene where Tom Cruise decides caring for his brother is more important than selfish scams and hijinx. Normally not moved by that sort of thing but this one got me. Ended up reading some Temple Grandin books after watching.
posted by Hume at 9:04 PM on October 14, 2022 [2 favorites]