BY KATIE MARIE GATES
Daily Arts Writer
Published February 4, 2004
With the Academy Awards on the horizon, now is the perfect time
to look back at the great films that placed an indelible mark on
Hollywood cinema. Just in time is MGM’s special edition DVD
release of the heartwarming classic “Rain Main.”
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Winner of Best Picture in 1988, the tale of egocentric West
Coast hustler Charlie Babbitt (Tom Cruise) and his newly discovered
autistic savant brother, Raymond (Dustin Hoffman), is an intimate
and inspiring portrait of love found in the most unexpected of
places. Hoffman, who won the Oscar for Best Actor, is brilliant and
charming while Cruise’s unlikable character Charlie
convincingly depicts the struggles and frustrations of life with
Raymond. A strong supporting cast including Valeria Golino
(Susanna, “Frida”) contributes to the film’s
realistic and captivating scenes.
Though the special features on this disc are sparse, a brief
original featurette from 1988 offers several interviews with cast
and crew. Luckily, unlike featurettes of today, the story is not
simply retold with clips from the film. It is especially
interesting to hear Hoffman’s commentary on his experience
with real autistic individuals to prepare for the role.
Also included are three audio commentaries from director Barry
Levinson and screenwriters Barry Marrow and Ronald Bass. Although
interesting stories are provided, commentary is given separately,
resulting in frequent dead air. Combining commentators may have
worked better to generate dialogue and cut down on viewing
time.
The picture and sound quality is surprisingly good for a
16-year-old film, with crisp widescreen presentation and 5.1
Surround Sound. Though the footage is from over a decade ago, the
stirring story of “Rain Man” is timeless, in which the
simplest human emotions are ignited by the most complex of minds.
While Raymond remains unaffected at the film’s end,
continuing his life of paranoia and repetition, it is Charlie and
the audience that are forever changed.
Film: 5 out of 5 stars.
Picture/Sound: 4 out of 5 stars.
Features: 2 out of 5 stars.
