Movie Review: Rain Man Touches Hearts
Read more articles on Movies, visual media.July 29, 2008
Posted by Karen Amato Schwartz
July 29, 2008
Posted by Karen Amato Schwartz
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Is there anyone in the civilized world above the age of 12 who has yet to see this absolutely wonderful movie? Chances are, if you’ve seen it once, you’ve probably seen it more than that; it’s one of those flicks that just gets better with every viewing. However, if by some bizarre quirk of fate you never had the chance to see it, I’ll recap it for you.
Movie great Dustin Hoffman (my favorite male actor of all time) won a Best Actor Academy Award for his role of Raymond Babbbit, a 40-something who has been institutionalized since his late teens due to a form of autism that classifies him as “savant.” His inability to understand basic concepts such as how much things cost is offset by his amazing mathematical abilities; he can glance at a pile of matches and know exactly how many are there, and can do complex equations in his head as fast as any calculator.
Tom Cruise portrays Charlie, his biological brother who believed he was an only child, finds out about Raymond upon his father’s death, when he discovers the bulk of this dad’s fortune has been left to take care of Raymond. Charlie, who has not spoken for his dad in years, is surprisingly shocked, and decides to “kidnap” Raymond from the home in order to get half of fortune. Upon finding out about Raymond’s abilities, he takes him to Las Vegas to “count cards”, winning them over $5000 and providing an experience that changes Charlie’s life forever.
It may sound like a fairly simple plot, but there is nothing simple about either of the brothers. Charlie is arrogant, bossy, and determined to knock Raymond into shape; in his opinion, Raymond is putting on some kind of act. Raymond, on the other hand, is every bit an enigma as what may be expected. Aside from his undaunted drive to keep to an exact schedule within an ordered life, there are also elements of humor and sweetness, as well as sadness in his limitation of feeling and understanding others.
This will probably open many people’s eyes to the mysterious world of autism, especially autistic savants. Raymond is not stupid or cruel; he’s simply a victim of shackles that keep him from experiencing an array of emotions and insight. Charlie is not a bad guy so much as young and ignorant in the ways of dealing with such a special person. Yet, he realizes a lifetime of knowledge and depth in just a few short days. That we should all be so lucky…
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