But before I get ahead of myself, this post is supposed to be about Rain Man, a thoughtful story about family and what it means to each person. It's also a film that portrays autism in a positive light as Charlie's brother Raymond (played by the amazing Dustin Hoffman) has severe autism. I had seen Rain Man years ago, but I only remembered some of the scenes in the later part of the film (notably the casino scenes). I had forgotten that Charlie (played by Tom Cruise) didn't know he had a brother and how the father left most of the inheritance to that brother. (Okay, so I didn't remember much of anything about the movie other than Hoffman's outstanding performance.)
As I watched this time, I thought about how difficult it must have been at times for Cruise to play the brother without autism. His reactions when Hoffman's character Raymond has an emotional meltdown or repeats himself over and over seem so real. Cruise's character goes from being an egotistical jerk to a loving brother (that's not a spoiler...you should know going into this movie based on the premise that there will be change in the character who can change), and the transformation is not obvious. He simply begins to like his brother, and the liking becomes more. It seems real, and Cruise really convinced me that he was Charlie and that he was going through this change.
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| Charlie attempting to figure out Raymond |
I liked how this film left me feeling good while also making me think. I've had plenty of Best Picture winners that have made me think. I've had some that made me feel good. But I haven't had may do both. I'm glad that the Academy recognized a movie like this because sometimes you need a movie that does both well. And Rain Man certainly does.
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