Rain Man(1988)- User Reviews

Despite what some people say, I do not believe Cruise is a supporting role. The way I saw it, the whole plot was centered around him and his problems. Hoffman's character, Ray, was introduced as a potential solution to Charles (Cruise) and what he wanted from his dad's estate. Both actors did fantastic jobs in the roles they were given. Hoffman did a great job portraying an autistic savant. It was one of the most believeable performances I've ever seen, regarding mental disabilities. Cruise did a great job showing his character's transformation through the time his dad died through the whole trip back to L.A. with his brother. His motivations changed, from wanting his fair share of money, to just wanting to be a good brother. Honestly, that's still almost not believable, but he somehow pulled that off. My main faults with this movie had to do with the plot. Some parts I questioned the role of Charles's girlfriend. She was there for the first twenty minutes or so, she leaves, and then she's back around the end for about a half hour. It seemed like the only real point for her exit was so writers wouldn't have to figure out lines for her. For the most part, Charles managed to act as if she had never been there (with the exception of one call). Then she eventually comes back, but how did she know where to find him? I don't know. That was not explained very well. The struggles between herself and Charles were very under-played when Ray was in the picture, so really, the relationship between Charles and his girlfriend seemed pointless at times. Then the ending seemed to have a bunch of loose ends. Yes, we figured out the custody, but there sure wasn't much of a hearing. Maybe that wasn't the point, but the ending also lacked insight to Charles's situation with the company. Did they go out of business, or did he manage to keep it running? I know he won some money in Vegas, but was it enough? That was never explained. Nevertheless, the movie had a very nice story, with some humor mixed in, and the acting was special. If you haven't seen it, check it out.