In rain man, Dustin Hoffman gives an extraordinary performance as Raymond Babbitt. Babbitt is a savant, a rare type of autism, and the film is a warm and sympathetic exploration of what that means for both Babbitt and his younger brother, played by Tom Cruise. At first, Cruise seeks to exploit his brother, but as they travel together, he begins to discover some truths about him and his brother.
It's not perfect by any means (there's been legitimate criticism about the flaws it contains and what many people consider its sometimes simplistic portrayal of autism), but it's well-intentioned, well-written and beautifully acted, and it's now streaming on Prime Video.
An acting masterclass from a legend and a future legend
This was one of Tom Cruise's best movies to date, said the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “Mr. Cruise showed enormous promise in his early films, Risky business and All the right moves. But since then she's been on cruise control… Here, she's back at work and it shows. In less obvious ways, the younger actor is Mr. Hoffman's equal.” And to the Charlotte Observer: “It's a rarity for big studios and big Hollywood stars: a $20 million movie in which no shows nobody's ego.”
To the Kansas City Star, “rain man is the best American film of 1988. It features another magnificent performance by Dustin Hoffman, which is not surprising, and a deeply felt performance by Tom Cruise, which is a surprise.” The Miami Herald felt the same. “The delight is in the delicacy of the narration, by Barry Levinson from a wonderful script by Ronald Bass and Barry Morrow, and in the performances of Cruise and Hoffman.”
It's a “thoughtful and hugely fun classic,” says Empire, a film that helped change public perceptions of autistic people. But the film is not a very worthy polemic: “it not only made the public think. It made them happy.”
