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Lawrence of Arabia, sure. Gladiator, hardly.
The Godfather, sure. Shakespeare in Love, please.
Schindler's List, sure. Silence of the Lambs, absolutely not.

Even some of the nominees are groaners. The following films are pleasant movie-going experiences, but they should not have been nominated for Best Picture: Erin Brockovich (2000), The Full Monty (1997), Ghost (1990), Fatal Attraction (1987), The Towering Inferno (1974), Airport (1970).

Nineteen eighty-eight was a particularly average year for Oscar nominated movies, although Big, The Unbearable Lightness of Being, The Last Temptation of Christ and Who Framed Roger Rabbit were all terrific. But the Best Picture nominees that year were The Accidental Tourist, Dangerous Liaisons, Mississippi Burning, Rain Man and Working Girl. Frankly, none of them deserved to win. But if the Academy is going to lean towards any film, it'll be the one involving a crazed or mentally challenged lead character (see, A Beautiful Mind, Forrest Gump, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest or Amadeus).

And the acting branch of the Academy just loves to nominate performers who portray crazed or mentally challenged lead characters, which is why Dustin Hoffman won for his role as autistic Raymond Babbitt in Rain Man. It was an impossible part and Hoffman, who never gets the mainstream recognition he deserves, is great in it. But an equally good performance was turned in by Tom Cruise, another actor who never gets the proper respect. Cruise plays Raymond's brother Charlie, a slick and self- centered car salesman, whose company is teetering. Upon learning of his estranged father's death, he goes to Cincinnati for the funeral. As a final kiss-off to the son who disappointed him, Raymond's father bequeaths some prized rosebushes and a 1949 Roadmaster convertible. His $3 million fortune went to Raymond, the autistic brother whom Charlie never knew existed. Needing the money, Charlie kidnaps Raymond from an institution and drives him to Los Angeles, hoping to be named his legal guardian.

In a sense, Charlie and Raymond are the same. Both are pre-occupied with themselves, one voluntarily, even happily so. Neither can make emotional connections with other people, even though Charlie has a girlfriend, the constantly frustrated Suzanna (Valeria Golino). When one of the employees at the institution says, "I don't think people are his first priority", he could be talking about Raymond or Charlie. But, given the motivation, Charlie can change. Raymond can never change. And as the pair begins their road trip back to Los Angeles, Charlie begins to thaw, as his orbit ever-so-slightly shifts around a different star.

Their road trip is necessitated because Raymond refuses to board an airplane. And when Raymond flips out at the airport, Charlie finally realizes that Raymond is for real: a mentally challenged person whose reactions and wants he cannot control. Getting Raymond to Los Angeles is going to be a serious problem (as is getting Raymond to a television every day at 4 to watch The People's Court). Their journey continues to Las Vegas, where Raymond learns to dance, count cards and kiss a girl. These scenes are iffy, since it's established early on that Raymond lives by routine, is not particularly interactive and doesn't like to be touched. By the time they get to Los Angeles, Charlie likes the idea of having a big brother, even more than the money he's prepared to swipe from him.

Rain Man is a nice, affecting, well-meaning film that escapes the limitations of its genre. Tom Cruise is underappreciated, while Hoffman takes a technical exercise and gives it some surprising emotion. Stripped of the high expectations of a Best Picture Oscar winner, the film plays even better. Sometimes even big-budget films are better when they sneak up on you. Much like Raymond snuck up on Charlie.

Video: How Does The Disc Look?

The previous DVD release of Rain Man included a 1:85.1 transfer and a full screen transfer. In this Special Edition, the full screen has been wisely dumped in favor of a brighter, cleaner 1:85.1 anamorphic remaster. Typical of pretty much every DVD these days, the credit sequence features more dirt than found during the rest of the film. Once you clear the opening titles, it's smooth going: very little in the way of scratches and nicks. And considering much of the film takes place on the road, with off-white skies that can betray print flaws, it's even more impressive. Colors are quite natural and only bright when appropriate. The Las Vegas scenes have a nice, crisp glow, while the desert scenes show a dusty quality. Blacks are strong and deep. Shadow detail gets a tad muddy at times, but it's nothing to worry about. Picture is occasionally soft and fleshtones lean to the smooth, brownish side. But overall, it's a very good picture that will not disappoint.

Audio: How Does The Disc Sound?

The Dolby Digital 5.1 surround track doesn't get much of a workout, but it's acceptable nonetheless. Dialogue is always discernable, but some lines are brittle and some are a bit distorted. Luckily, Raymond's screaming tantrums are handled very well. Hans Zimmer's musical score benefits most. The music is deep and full with thumping bass that spreads to the lefts and rights. Directional effects are sparse, but welcome. The Las Vegas scenes make nice use of the side channels. In all, it's a decent dialogue driven mix that opens up nicely when appropriate.

Also included are a French stereo mix and a Spanish mono track. Subtitles are available in English, French and Spanish, plus English Closed Captions.

Supplements: What Goodies Are There?

The previous DVD release of Rain Man featured only a theatrical trailer. MGM has corrected that mistake with a solid bunch of extras that should entertain fans of the movie.

Get ready to watch Rain Man at least four times if you want to experience everything the DVD has to offer. After watching it once for content, there are three separate audio commentaries. The first is from director Barry Levinson. He talks of initially reading the script with the intention of giving notes, then before you know it, wound up directing. He says he tried to minimize the melodrama by instructing composer Hans Zimmer to not score the film using strings. He also talks of the interesting motivation behind hiring a foreign actress (in this case Valeria Golino) to play Charlie's girlfriend. There is a plenty of silence during his commentary, but if you fish around, you'll find good stuff.

The next commentary is from screenwriter Barry Morrow. According to Morrow, in 1920 the state of Minnesota placed a seven-year old mentally challenged boy named Bill in an institution. He was released forty years later, after which he met Morrow. The two became friends. When Bill died, Morrow wanted to do something "to continue the legacy of a friendship." From that, came Bill, a 1981 TV movie starring Mickey Rooney. Later, with Morrow already immersed in the world of the mentally disabled, he would meet a real Rain Man and intrigued, write a movie around the subject. Morrow is forthcoming, with a deep, listenable voice.

Lastly is a commentary from fellow writer Ronald Bass. His effort is the best, if only because he opens with a great story of how the film came about. Originally, the movie was to be directed by Martin Brest (Midnight Run), at which time Raymond was simply a sweet, retarded person. When Dustin Hoffman suggested making Raymond autistic, it was deemed intriguing, but since the train had already left the station, it was too late for such a major character shift. After coming back from vacation, Bass learned that Brest was off the film and had been replaced by Steven Spielberg. It was Spielberg who sold the notion of making Raymond autistic. So Spielberg, Cruise, Hoffman and Bass spent a summer/fall in various Malibu beach houses, cracking the script. Spielberg regretfully left to direct Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. He was replaced by Sydney Pollack, who was replaced by Barry Levinson. It's a fun, gossipy effort from Ronald Bass.

The Original Featurette takes us back to the fashionable year 1988. It's a seven-minute fluff piece that includes interviews with Hoffman, Cruise, Levinson and producers Mark Johnson, Peter Guber and Jon Peters. Dig the haircuts and dig the fashions, because you won't dig this unenlightening piece.

There is a Deleted Scene, which didn't belong in the film, but MGM was wise to add it to the DVD. It involves Raymond visiting a convenience store and partaking of food and drink without paying, which angers the cashier. Colors have a washed-out, workprint quality, while the audio is fine.

Next is a Photo Gallery, broken into five sections: The Filmmakers, Tom and Dustin, Tom Cruise, Dustin Hoffman and Valeria Golino. As expansive as that may sound, it's really a bunch of crap. The Dustin Hoffman section contains only three photos while the Tom Cruise section contains only four. But instead of taking those seven combined photos and beefing up the Tom and Dustin section, they split it up to make it seem like the photo gallery is bigger and more varied than it actually is.

Finally, there is the film's original theatrical trailer, presented in full screen.

DVD-ROM Exclusives: What do you get when you pop the disc in your PC?

There are no ROM extras on the disc.

Parting Thoughts