Day
136 Rain
Man [1988]
Screenplay Barry Morrow & Ronald Bass
Director Barry Levinson
Cinematography John Seale
Music Hans Zimmer
Leads Tom
Cruise, Dustin Hoffman, Valeria Golino
Production United Artists, Star Partners II Ltd., Barris
Industrise, Guber-Peters Company
IMDb 8/10
Rotten Tomatoes 89%
Tom
Cruise is adept at playing an asshole. That smarmy, too handsome for his own
good crazy attitude that makes him such a good actor for certain roles. Goddamn
it that man knows how to wear a pair of Ray-Bans. I just wanted to give Cruise
a shout-out because everyone knows it is Hoffman who steals the show in this
one. Cruise plays Charlie, an auto
dealer who returns home after the death of his estranged father. He learns that
most of his inheritance has been left to a trustee which, in turn, results in
the discovery that he has an older brother, Raymond (Hoffman) who suffers from
autism and Savant syndrome – meaning he is socially awkward and yet has a
photographic mind and his brilliant with numbers. Hoffman gives a performance
Tugg Speedman would have been proud of – ‘never go full retard’. In all
seriousness though I do find it impressive when actors play characters with
disabilities, it gives us performances such as DiCaprio’s in What’s Eating
Gilbert Grape and Daniel Day-Lewis’ in My Left Foot. These actors
take great risks in portraying such characters but what consequences we get
when they get it right. I found myself frustrated for large periods of the film
both at Charlie and Raymond. Charlie because of his lack of empathy towards his
ill, long-lost brother, but I also felt his frustration at Raymond at times,
the repetition alone is enough to drive anyone crazy. Testament to both actors
that they managed to render these feelings. Do I even need to talk about the
music? Just read who was in charge... There are some beautiful ‘big-sky’ shots,
as I like to call them, as Charlie and Raymond travel through the USA. You have
to get those right in road-trip movies and Seale nailed it. He, Levinson and
Zimmer also managed to convey how Hoffman’s mind worked with camera tricks and
sounds – perhaps the most subtly impressive thing of all. You’ve got to see it
if you haven’t already. Even if it’s just so you understand the Hangover
reference.
Acting 4 / 4
Writing 3.5 / 4
Cinematography 3.5 / 4
Music 3.5 / 4
HWF rating 3.5 / 4
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