In Rain man, Dustin Hoffman delivers an extraordinary performance as Raymond Babbitt. Babbitt is a savant, a rare form of autism, and the film is a warm and sympathetic exploration of what that means for both Babbitt and his younger brother, played by Tom Cruise. At first, Cruise tries to exploit his brother, but as they travel together, he begins to discover some truths about himself and his sibling.
It’s not perfect by any means – there has been legitimate criticism of its flaws and what many people see as its sometimes simplistic portrayal of autism – but it is well-intentioned, well-written and beautifully acted – and it’s now streaming on Prime Video.
A masterclass in acting from a legend and a legend in the making
This was one of Tom Cruise’s best films to date, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “Mr. Cruise showed tremendous promise in his early films, Risky business And All the right moves. But he’s been on cruise control ever since… Here he is back at work and it shows. In less obvious ways, the younger actor is every bit Mr. Hoffman’s equal.” And to the Charlotte Observer: “It’s a rarity for big-studio Hollywood: a $20 million movie with no one’s ego on display.”
For the Kansas City star, “Rain man is the best American film of 1988. It features another excellent performance from Dustin Hoffman, which is not surprising, and a deeply felt performance from Tom Cruise, which is a surprise.” The Miami Herald felt the same way. ‘The pleasure lies in the delicacy of the stories, by Barry Levinson from a beautiful script by Ronald Bass and Barry Morrow, and in the performances of Cruise and Hoffman.
It’s a ‘thoughtful and hugely enjoyable classic’ rich says, a film that helped change public perception of autistic people. But the film is not a very worthy polemic: “It not only made the audience think, but also made them happy.”