Rain Man (1988)

If you already think that Tom Cruise is a jerk, then this movie is right up your alley; Rain Man is almost like a warm up for playing Jerry Maguire. That I said, this is a terrific film. After his father’s death, Cruise learns that he has an older, institutionalized brother, Dustin Hoffman, who he takes from the home in hopes of recouping his lost inheritance. On the way, his brother comes to mean something very important to him, and he wants them to live together in L.A. Cruise does play a jerk in this movie, and barely turns it around at the end, and I would say that he does a serviceable job. This is pre-Scientology Tom Cruise, so he is not yet insane, and like I said, he does a decent job; he is simply not that great of an actor. Dustin Hoffman is phenomenal. You almost forget that the actor is not really autistic; it is no surprise that the role won him an Oscar. Something that is difficult to handle in the first half of Rain Man is how much of an ass Cruise’s character is to his challenged brother. If things had not worked out for the best in the end, this movie would verge on being unwatchable. Thankfully, Cruise ends up doing what’s best for his family and not worrying about the money; the ending of this film is terrific. Rain Man was made before autism was really a well-known and understood affliction; it does an excellent job of bringing to light a problem that still needs attention. My wife saw this movie years ago, so did not mind that I watched it without her. I really liked the film, and would recommend it to anyone. I give Rain Man 4 stars.