Released in 1988 and featuring famous stars Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise, Rain Man is a comedy drama about an autistic savant. The story is centred on two brothers, played by Hoffman and Cruise, and their adventure as they travel across the country.
The film is considered a classic, obtaining multiple awards, including the Academy Award for Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, Best Director, and Best Actor for Hoffman’s performance. Additionally, Rain Man won the Golden Bear Award at the 39th International Film Festival held in Berlin.
Rain Man Cast and Crew
The two main protagonists, Charlie Babbit and Raymond are played by Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman respectively. Charlie’s girlfriend, Susanna, is played by Valeria Golino.
Rain Man was directed by Barry Levinson, produced by Mark Johnson, and written by Barry Morrow.
The Plot of Rain Man
Rain Man starts off with Charlie Babbit, a car salesman, attempting to import four exotic cars into the United States. The cars are held in customs, however, as they fail their emissions regulations. Charlie becomes stressed, as the people who bought the cars are becoming impatient with him. Soon after, Charlie learns that his estranged father has passed away, and left Charlie a rose bush as well as a Buick Convertible.
The bulk of the estate, which is worth millions, is left to an unknown trustee. Charlie quickly learns that this trustee is a man living in a mental institution, which turns out to be his older brother Raymond. Raymond is an autistic savant, with incredible mental recall, as well as a human calculator. Raymond, because of his extreme autism, battles to exhibit any emotion, and adheres to a strict regime every day. Charlie decides to abduct Raymond from the mental institution, hoping to find a way to gain the estate. Learning this, Charlie’s girlfriend, Susanna, leaves Charlie.
Charlie then decides to take Raymond to Los Angeles, but due to Raymond’s fear of flying, the pair decide rather to begin a road trip across the country. Along the way, Charlie learns more about his brother, including their mutual love of The Beatles, as well as the fact that Raymond did, in fact, live with the family at one point.
Charlie learns that the cars he had imported have been seized, and is now in $80000 worth of debt. He takes Raymond to bingo games in Canada, hoping to use Raymond’s skill with numbers to win the money he needs to pay off his debt. The plan works, and Charlie makes enough to completely cover his debt. During this time, Charlie and Susanna get back together.
After a brief period in court, the brothers reconcile, and Charlie decides not to take Raymond back to Los Angeles with him, instead dropping him off at a train station so Raymond can move back to the mental institution. Before Charlie leaves back home, he promises Raymond that he will be back to visit him in two weeks.
Rain Man Verdict
Rain Man remains a classic to this day, with a heartfelt story and powerful message, and is definitely worth a watch.