Rain Man (1988)

My Review

The Best Picture of 1988 is…..”Rain Man.” The story has Tom Cruise playing a Los Angeles car salesman who learns that his father in Cincinnati has passed away. Upon arrival in Ohio, he learns that his father’s three million dollar estate has been left to an autistic older brother, played by Dustin Hoffman. He checks Hoffman out of the institution he is residing in, and takes him to California, hoping to gain control of the money. However, on the road trip Cruise’s character has a change of attitude after getting acquainted with his brother.

Both Cruise and Hoffman are in top form in this picture, no doubt among the best performances of their careers. Director Barry Levinson (“Good Morning Vietnam” 1987) ran a tight ship, and Barry Morrow and Ronald Bass wrote the smooth-flowing screenplay. Co-stars include Valeria Jolinao, Bonnie Hunt, Lucinda Jenney, Beth Grant, Michael C. Hall, and Jake Hoffman (Dustin’s son).

The film won four Oscars out of eight nominations – Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (Hoffman), and Best Screenplay. Non-winners include Best Art Direction, Best Film Editing, Best Cinematography (John Seale), and Best Original Score (Hans Zimmer). The very watchable “Rain Man” was the highest grossing film of 1988 for United Artists, Guber-Peters Company, Star Partners II Ltd., and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.