Review of Rain Man (1988) by Compi24 — 08 Jul 2020
Going into a movie like this for the first time, it's hard not to carry the opinions impressed onto you by the sociopolitical landscape we all just so happen to inhabit. So, in the case of "Rain Man," I gathered three attributes from listening to others talk about this movie for so many years — the quotability, the comedy and the fact that it kind of doesn't age well.
And, I have to say, I'm sitting at a big, fat goose egg on pretty much every account. That's not to say the 1989 Best Picture winner doesn't have a few memorable lines, laughs or scenes that make you wince.
I simply found this to be a much more enduring piece of drama, than it was a comedy. And, for the scenes that "don't age well," could it be that we as a moviegoing populace kind of miscalculated the way they were supposed to be taken from jump? No, you're not supposed to like Tom Cruise's character.
No, you're not necessarily supposed to want Dustin Hoffman to end up with him in the end. This is a text book drama, filled with anger, baggage and characters making critical errors in both judgment and emotionality.
My gut instinct is to err on the side of allowing a narrative to challenge its audience. "Rain Man" does so, and its success is thanks in no small part to the incredible performance work from both Hoffman and Cruise, as well as some staging from Barry Levinson and a classic score from Hans Zimmer.
This review of Rain Man (1988) was written by Compi24 on 08 Jul 2020.
Rain Man has generally received very positive reviews.
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