- Awards And Honors:
- Golden Bear (1989)
- Golden Globe Award (1989)
- Academy Award (1989)
Rain Man
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What is the movie Rain Man about?
Rain Man, a 1988 American dramatic film starring Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman, revolves around Charlie Babbit, a driven salesman, who discovers he has an autistic savant elder brother named Raymond, of whose existence he was previously unaware.
When Charlie learns that Raymond is the recipient of their father's $3 million estate, he takes Raymond out of the care facility where he lives, hoping to gain control of the money. During a road trip, Charlie learns to understand and appreciate Raymond's unique needs and abilities, including his heightened calculation and recall skills, which they use to win money at a casino. Ultimately, Charlie finds he is more interested in caring for Raymond than in getting the money and promises to visit Raymond after he returns to the care facility.
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Who are the main characters in Rain Man?
Rain Man, a 1988 film, features several main characters. Charlie Babbit (Tom Cruise), a driven salesman, discovers that his estranged father has left the bulk of his estate to a trustee for the care of Raymond (Dustin Hoffman), Charlie's previously unknown autistic savant brother.
Susanna (Valeria Golino) is Charlie's girlfriend, who accompanies him on a road trip with Raymond. Dr. Bruner (Gerald R. Molen) is the director of the Walbrook Institute, where Raymond lives.
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Who directed Rain Man and when was it released?
Rain Man, the popular 1988 drama, was directed by Barry Levinson, who won an Academy Award for best director for the film. The film centers on the relationship between a selfish young man (Tom Cruise) and his autistic savant brother (Dustin Hoffman). Rain Man was a hit with critics and audiences alike and won four Academy Awards, including Best Picture.
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What condition does the character Raymond have in the film?
In the 1988 film Rain Man, Raymond, played by Dustin Hoffman, is an autistic savant. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurobiological condition characterized by atypical behaviors, communication, interests, and activities, as well as deficits in social interaction. About 10 percent of autistic people also have savant syndrome, a rare condition where someone with limited intelligence has exceptional intellectual gifts in a specific area, such as mathematics or music. Rain Man has been credited with creating a public misperception that a large percentage of autistic individuals were also savants.
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How do Charlie and Raymond's relationship change during the movie?
In Rain Man, Charlie and Raymond's relationship evolves significantly throughout their journey Rain Man. Initially, Charlie, driven by financial motives, sees Raymond, his autistic savant brother, as a means to an end, planning to use him to gain access to their father's inheritance. However, as they embark on a cross-country road trip, Charlie begins to understand and accommodate Raymond's need for routine and develops genuine affection for him. By the film's conclusion, Charlie's priorities shift from money to caring for Raymond, demonstrating a profound transformation in their relationship. Despite the change, Raymond returns to Walbrook.
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What awards did Rain Man win and why is it considered an important film?
Rain Man garnered both critical and popular acclaim, securing four Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and two Golden Globe Awards, including Best Drama. Dustin Hoffman also won an Oscar for Best Actor for his portrayal of Raymond Babbitt.
The film is significant because it was the first to win both the Academy Award for Best Picture and the Berlin International Film Festival’s Golden Bear. Hoffman's performance was lauded for its authenticity, though the film received some criticism for potentially fostering a misperception that a large proportion of autistic individuals are also savants.
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Rain Man, American dramatic film, released in 1988 and starring Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman, that was a hit with both critics and audiences and won four Academy Awards, including that for best picture, as well as two Golden Globe Awards, including that for best drama.
(Read Martin Scorsese’s Britannica essay on film preservation.)
In Los Angeles, Charlie Babbit (Cruise), a driven salesman, learns that a shipment of four Lamborghini sports cars, which are to be delivered to the customers to whom he has sold them, are being held up in port because they do not meet U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) emissions standards. Charlie nonetheless heads out for a weekend trip with his coworker and girlfriend, Susanna (Valeria Golino). On the road, he receives a phone call telling him that his estranged father has died in Cincinnati, Ohio. He and Susanna fly there to attend the funeral. He finds that his father has left him only a 1949 Buick Roadmaster (which Charlie had driven without permission when he was 16 years old, an escapade that resulted in his spending two nights in jail and in his estrangement from his father) and some rosebushes and that the rest of the $3 million estate has been bequeathed to an unnamed trustee.
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The trustee proves to be the director of the Walbrook Institute, a facility for the care of the developmentally disabled, and the money is earmarked for the care of Raymond, an elder brother of whose existence Charlie was previously unaware. Charlie and Susanna go to Walbrook to meet both Dr. Bruner (Gerald R. Molen) and Raymond (Hoffman). Raymond is an autistic savant, and Dr. Bruner spends some time explaining Raymond’s abilities and limitations to Charlie. Charlie takes Raymond out of the facility without permission, and the two brothers and Susanna spend the night in a motel room. When Raymond becomes agitated, however, Charlie is angered and speaks harshly to him. Because of this, and because Charlie declares that his plan is to hold on to Raymond until Dr. Bruner agrees to give Charlie half the money in the trust, Susanna leaves Charlie.
Charlie tries to board a plane to Los Angeles with Raymond, but Raymond refuses to fly, so they set out to drive to Los Angeles in the Roadmaster. After Raymond witnesses an accident on the highway, it becomes necessary to use only back roads for the journey. Along the way, Charlie learns to accommodate Raymond’s need for adherence to an invariable routine—such as maintaining strict mealtimes and watching the television shows The People’s Court and Jeopardy every day. He also finds out that when he was a baby, Raymond inadvertently scalded him while trying to give him a bath and that the event resulted in Raymond’s being sent to live at Walbrook. In addition, he learns that his early childhood memories of an imaginary friend called Rain Man were in fact memories of Raymond.
The impoundment of the Lamborghinis has left Charlie in debt, and, after finding that Raymond has heightened abilities of calculation and of recall, Charlie takes Raymond to a casino in Las Vegas, where Raymond counts cards at the blackjack table and thus helps Charlie win enough money to cover his debt. Charlie also reconciles with Susanna in Las Vegas. By the time they reach his home in Los Angeles, Charlie has found that he is more interested in caring for Raymond than in getting the money. He meets with Dr. Bruner and a psychiatrist (played by director Barry Levinson) to determine whether Raymond prefers to remain with Charlie or be cared for at Walbrook, but when it becomes clear that Raymond cannot understand the choice that he is being presented with, Charlie agrees that Raymond should return to Walbrook with Dr. Bruner and promises Raymond that he will visit him in two weeks.
Hoffman was widely praised for the authenticity of his performance, though the movie was blamed for creating a public misperception that a large percentage of autistic individuals were also savants. Rain Man was the first film to win both the Academy Award for best picture and the Berlin International Film Festival’s Golden Bear.
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Production notes and credits
- Studios: United Artists, The Guber-Peters Company, Star Partners II Limited, and Mirage Entertainment
- Director: Barry Levinson
- Writers: Barry Morrow and Ronald Bass
- Music: Hans Zimmer
Cast
- Tom Cruise (Charlie Babbit)
- Dustin Hoffman (Raymond Babbit)
- Valeria Golino (Susanna)
- Gerald R. Molen (Dr. Bruner)
Academy Award nominations (* denotes win)
- Picture*
- Lead actor* (Dustin Hoffman)
- Art direction
- Cinematography
- Direction*
- Editing
- Music
- Writing*