“Rain Man”

“Rain Man” is 1988’s Oscar Winner for Best Picture, Best Director (Barry Levinson), and Best Actor (Dustin Hoffman). Like many great movies, it’s a difficult film to categorize. At once, it’s a buddy film and a road film, which touches on family dysfunction and mental illness.

Charlie Babbitt’s (Tom Cruise) father passes away at the beginning of the film. Charlie and his father had a terrible relationship and Charlie’s been left completely out of the will. But an autistic man named Raymond (Hoffman) has not. Charlie visits Raymond and learns they are brothers. When he needs the money Raymond has inherited, Charlie takes Raymond from the institution he’s lived in for thirty years and they travel cross-country.

Hoffman’s second Oscar win solidified him as one of the most risk-taking, versatile, and talented actors of his generation, possibly of all time. And his performance as Raymond might be his most recognized. Even decades after its release, Raymond’s mannerisms have become a part of pop culture. But his savant-autism wouldn’t be nearly as strong if not for Cruise’s performance. Charlie begins impatient, insensitive, and ignorant and ultimately loves his brother so much that he can do the right thing and forgive his father in one single, selfless act.

Although “Rain Man” is a terrific film, it doesn’t entirely withstand the test of time. The music, wardrobe, and overall feel are overly 80s, which at the time might have seemed right but is now somewhat distracting. But what holds up is the performance of the cast, which is demanding and heart warming.