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  to the movie "Rain Man", I felt that the role played by Dustin Hoffman (Raymond Babbitt) was

unbelievable. Dustin Hoffman is a

great actor as the Rain Man, and demonstrates incredibly well how an autistic person reacts towards certain things as well as changes in his
routine life. He captures autism in such a way that you could actually believe in his performance. I was amazed at the way he was able to pull off
this role.

Tom Cruise's role (Charlie Babbitt) was equally as brilliant, who is the villain of the story who undergoes such a sharp change that it's almost not
visible until nearly the end. Charlie is shown to be a selfish and greedy jerk at the beginning of the film, but as mentioned before, his gradual
understanding of his brother's disability, and extra abilities, are what eventually leads to the grasping of a strong relationship with his brother.
Tom Cruise, in my opinion, was perfectly suited for the flashy, egotistical character of Charlie, and I think he did a great job.

Furthermore, the directing of the film was beautiful, for the most part just letting the action unfold, which is exactly the way it should have been
done. I also believe that "Rain Man" portrays many aspects of autism quite well. The movie is an introduction to autism for most people who see
it for the first time. In summary, Charlie Babbitt, played by Tom Cruise, is a self-centered car dealer, and leaves on vacation with his girlfriend
Susanna, played by Valeria Golino. However, on route with his girlfriend, he unfortunately learns that his father who threw him out as a teenager
has passed away, and decides to show up at his funeral for only one reason, to get the money his father left behind. Upon arriving for the funeral,
Charlie learns that his father left him a now antique convertible, which he originally loved and wanted in his teen years, but which his father
never let him drive. Unfortunately for Charlie, he can't get the money which he truly desired, since he discovers that it has been given to a mental
institution Charlie is unaware of. Charlie therefore decides to take matters in his own hands and goes to the institution to find out what their
connection with his father was. It is only then that he learns that he has a big brother by the name of Raymond, played by Dustin Hoffman, who is
autistic and lives in this institution. Charlie tries to convince the manager of the institution to let him have the money, since his brother can't do
nothing with it because he doesn't even understand the concept of money. The manager of the institution refuses to give him the money, because
he promised Charlie's father that he'd make sure to leave it to Raymond no matter what happened. Charlie is enraged by what has happened and
by his father keeping Raymond's existence from him his entire life. As a result, Charlie takes Raymond out of the institution without the
permission of the manager, and this is how Charlie gets to know his big brother Raymond. The two begin a long road trip that will lead them to
an understanding of each other, and I believe that this trip across the country was the start in the relationship between the two brothers.

This movie was very emotional at some times, and had it's funny moments as well. I believe that "Rain Man" is truly a work of art, and a film that
everyone can watch, understand, and enjoy.

  you ever had to communicate with someone on a different wavelength as you; for example because he speaks a foreign language and you
don't have an interpreter, or because he is unable to communicate verbally at all, or maybe just because you keep misunderstanding each other? If
so, you know what a frustrating experience it is to have virtually no control over the situation and over making sure that you're actually
understood. And in precisely this situation finds himself Charlie Babbitt (Tom Cruise), personification of the 1980s' yuppie, a used car dealer
with major money problems whose only - tentative - personal attachment is to his current girlfriend Susanna (Valeria Golino). Because having
learned that except for a few rosebushes and a vintage 1949 Buick Roadmaster his recently-deceased father has left virtually all of his
considerable fortune to his autistic brother Raymond (Dustin Hoffman) - a brother he didn't even know he had - Charlie decides to kidnap
Raymond from the Cincinnati facility where he lives, take him to California, and demand half the inheritance in exchange for his brother's return.

Now, Charlie isn't the greatest communicator himself; at least as far as listening goes; he is used to talking people down, and if that alone doesn't
do the trick, he starts to yell. This, however, just doesn't work with Raymond, who lives in a world of his own and, unable to express emotion in
any other way, falls into a nervous tic when feeling threatened. So for the first time in his life Charlie has to learn to accept another human being
for what he is, and work *with* his bewildering methods of communication rather than against them. And subtly, very subtly, Charlie begins to
change, until at last he no longer wants to relinquish custody of Raymond even after having been offered a substantial amount of money: because
now money is no longer an issue at all; now it's all about genuine love for a newly-found brother and very special person.

"Rain Man" is ostensibly told from Charlie's perspective; through his, the "normal" guy's eyes we perceive Raymond's habits, tics and strange
behavioral code. And even if Charlie is easy enough to snub for his superficiality and materialism, his frustration at his inability to communicate
with his brother feels genuine and is something we can empathize with(albeit perhaps inadmittedly). Tom Cruise plays Charlie with a finely-
tuned mix of audacity and reluctant emotion; turning a role that seems to start out as just another Cruise cliche into a character who hesitantly
comes to realize his own complexities and shortcomings and learns to appreciate sensitivity, compassion and love - yet, without ever taking the
role that treacherous step too far into sentimentality.

Still, important as Charlie's character is for this movie's narrative, this is from first to last Raymond's story; and by the same token Dustin
Hoffman's, because the two individuals are in fact inseparable: As Hoffman once explained in an interview, he rejects the notion that acting is
merely about playing a role, or that the term "my character" could ever appropriately describe his approach to a role; emphasizing that in every
part he plays, he truly has to *become* the individual in question to fully be able to understand and portray him. As such, his achievement with
Raymond Babbitt is breathtaking indeed; for in a role which not only imposes severe limitations on his ability to communicate traditionally but
also gives him virtually no opportunity to express emotion, he conveys Raymond's frailties, unexpected strengths and, significantly, his profound
humanity in a manner that lets you forget you're even looking at a piece of acting, thus accomplishing that rare feat only attained by the greatest
of actors - and even among Dustin Hoffman's spectacular performances, this one stands out in particular. (He did, of course, win both the Oscar
and the Golden Globe for this movie; but somehow even the industry's highest awards don't begin to express the significance of his achievement.)
Raymond Babbitt's character was based on several real-life autistic persons; and at a time when little was known about the condition even in the
medical community, contributed substantially to a greater understanding of those afflicted with it. Not all autistic people are so-called "savants"
like Raymond, i.e. possess genial mathematic or other abilities within the shell separating them from the outside world (and conversely, not with
all of them that shell is as thick as in Raymond's case; although intricate routines do tend to play a rather important role) - so don't go rushing off
with them to Vegas for an exercise in "counting cards," at least not before you've verified that they can memorize entire phone books (at least up
to the letter "G"), count the toothpicks in a pile on the floor with one glimpse of an eye and determine the square root of a four- or five-digit
number within a matter of seconds without so much as looking at an electronic calculator. Chances are you'd do them tremendous harm, not to
mention make a complete fool of yourself.

Dustin Hoffman reportedly fought hard for this movie's production even after several directors (including, inter alia, Stephen Spielberg) had
bowed out; and in one of those rare un-Hollywood-like moments even managed to maintain the movie's sense of authenticity up to the very end
by prevailing on the writers to drop the projected ending, which would have had Raymond staying with Charlie. - In addition to Hoffman's
awards, "Rain Man" received the coveted Oscars for Best Movie, Best Original Screenplay and Best Director (Barry Levinson, who also played
the psychiatrist called upon to evaluate whether Raymond is fit to stay with Charlie), plus a number of other American and international awards.
For once, the industry collectively got it right. But even if this movie hadn't received a single award, it would still remain one of recent film
history's greatest and truly unforgettable moments - definitely, it would.

"a

 

 one of those rare gems to come out of Hollywood, that leaves you wanting to watch it over and over again. After numerous
rewrites, and several directoral changes, "Rain Man" finally fell into the very capable hands of director Barry Levinson(The Natural/Good
Morning Viet Nam).Levinson brings us more than just a story of two brothers, it is a journey of love and discovery.

The Babbitt brothers Raymond and Charlie have just discovered the other exisits. Raymond(Dustin Hoffman), the older, is an autistic savant who
has been living most of his adult life at "Wallbrook". A facility which although has given him great care, is all that Raymond knows of the
world.Raymond lives in his own world there, and although he has amazing mathamatical skills,has little capacity for understanding the ways of
the world. Charlie(Tom Cruise), on the other hand, is a sharp but intolerant businessman. He also has trouble seeing beyond his world, and uses
people to his own advantages.He seems to be without a heart.

When their father died, he left almost all of his vast fortune to Raymond, and a mere token to the estranged Charlie. Charlie has always felt
cheated by his father and once again he feels the sting.He decides to take matters into his own hands, and kidnaps Raymond from Wallbrook in
an attempt to retrieve his share of the inheritance.

Charlie takes Raymond on a cross country journey that will tug at your heartstrings and keep you smiling every inch of the way.
Charlie must care for Ray and deal with all of his symptoms and eccentricites, as Ray is thrown into a world unknown to him.The moments of
change are defining and a joy to watch as Charlie develops a heart.

Hoffman's portrayal of the autistic Raymond is moving and is done with a wonderful humor, that brings a great depth of understanding to the
character.He not only won the Best Actor award from Oscar, but also recieved a Golden Globe as well. Cruise, although a big box office draw at
the time, really shows that he is more than a pretty face with his superb performance as Charlie. Levinson, who brought us a ray of sunshine with
this film, recieved Best director from Oscar as well as the Director's Guild.The score by Hans Zimmer as always is delicious. The film itself was
also honored by Oscar as Best Picture(1988).

The DVD qualities are very good. It may be viewed in either The Theatrical widescreen version or a standard version(the choice option comes up
at the start of the film). The picture is excellent, with nice colors and sharp images. The sound is in Dolby Dig 5.1 surround, which is especially
nice with the terrific score and songs playing in the background. It may also be viewed in French(stereo) or Spanish(Mono). Don't look for too
much in the way of extras on the DVD itself, there's just a theatrical trailer, but it does come with a very informative booklet, that talks about
everything from the film to some info on exactly what "Autistic Savant Syndrome" is. For me, this film is the "special" feature by itself!

This is "definately, yeah definately"(Hoffman) a great addition to any DVD library.......Laurie