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34
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78
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47
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54
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67
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28
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58
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39
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30
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53
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33
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45
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46
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71
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67
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28
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73
Zombieland
Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.
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86
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71
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44
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81
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62
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75
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53
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55
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Fix
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xx
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74
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49
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83
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45
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67
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32
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67
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65
Wedding Song, The
xx
White on Rice
59
William Kunstler: Disturbing the Universe
74
Woman in Berlin, A
43
Women in Trouble
69
Yoo-Hoo, Mrs. Goldberg
Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.
Rain Man
Generally favorable reviews
Based on 18 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 23 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie >
Movie Info
Genre(s): Drama
Written by:
Ronald Bass
Barry Morrow (also story)
Directed by: Barry Levinson
Release Date:
Theatrical: December 16, 1988
DVD: January 1, 2000
Running Time: 133 minutes, Color
Origin: USA
Summary
RATING: R
Starring Dustin Hoffman, Tom Cruise, Valeria Golino, Gerald R. Molen, Jack Murdock, and Bonnie Hunt
What begins with a cold-hearted attempt by one man to steal his autistic brother's inheritance evolves into a cross-country odyssey of love, family and self-discovery.
Also On Metacritic
FILM: An Everlasting Piece Bandits Diner Disclosure Envy Liberty Heights Man of the Year Sleepers Sphere Wag the Dog
Also On The Web: Internet Movie Database
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
USA Today Mike Clark
There've been few screen moments more moving this year than Cruise's initial reaction to his brother's almost superhuman math prowess. [16 Dec 1988]
Los Angeles Times Sheila Benson
Somehow, Hoffman makes all this hypnotically interesting, and, through impeccable timing, sometimes terribly funny--a sweet humor which never betrays Raymond's unalterable character. [16 Dec 1988]
Newsweek David Ansen
In every detail - the superb soundtrack, the rich cinematography, the dinstinctively edgy editing - Rain Man reveals itself as a movie made with care, smarts, and a refreshing refusal to settle for the unexpected. [19 Dec 1988]
Wall Street Journal Julie Salamon
A film that is both touching and generous of spirit - and funny as well. [15 Dec 1988, p.A16(E)]
Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert
How can you make a movie about a man who cannot change, whose whole life is anchored and defended by routine? Few actors could get anywhere with this challenge, and fewer still could absorb and even entertain us with their performance, but Hoffman proves again that he almost seems to thrive on impossible acting challenges.
Read Full Review >Chicago Reader Jonathan Rosenbaum
Fortunately, the script by Ronald Bass and Barry Morrow isn't half bad, and both Barry Levinson's direction and the performances are agreeably restrained.
Read Full Review >Christian Science Monitor David Sterritt
The story wanders, the plot twists seem contrived at times, and the emotions are never as intense as they might be. But it highlights yet another facet of Hoffman's talent: a gift for monochrome, of all things! And it has a heart as good as Raymond's own. [30 Dec 1988]
The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Jay Scott
Only after the Hollywood hypnotism wears off is it apparent that Rain Man, fundamentally an artsy sentimentalization of "The Odd Couple," is somewhat less than the sum of its perfect parts.
Read Full Review >San Francisco Chronicle Peter Stack
There is ultimately in Rain Man a soul that emerges. It's not the grand vision found in the great films, but it is a vision nevertheless. [16 Dec 1988]
Chicago Tribune Dave Kehr
Though it's well directed, written and performed, Rain Main still slips irreversibly into the so-what category. [16 Dec 1988]
TV Guide Staff (Not Credited)
Rain Man rises above the banality of its concept--another buddy movie crossbred with a road picture--to become a genuinely moving and intelligent look at what it means to be human.
Read Full Review >Variety Staff (Not Credited)
It's a mature assignment for Cruise and he's at his best in the darker scenes.
Read Full Review >The New York Times Vincent Canby
In much the way that Raymond stays detached, the performance seems to exist outside the film but, instead of illuminating Rain Man, it upstages the work of everyone else involved. [16 Dec 1988, p.C12]
Time Richard Schickel
Rain Man's restraint is, finally, rather like Raymond's gabble. It discourages connections, keeping you out instead of drawing you in. [19 Dec 1998]
Washington Post Desson Thomson
Hoffman blows costar Cruise right off the screen...Instead of playing off or with Hoffman (a greenhorn's smartest strategy), Cruise tends to play at him, flailing and swearing like a spoiled, grounded pilot in "Top Gun II."
Read Full Review >The New Republic Stanley Kauffmann
Cruise is becoming a real star, confident and gleaming. But neither he nor Hoffman nor the cleverness of the director, Barry Levinson, can prevail against a screenplay that has a beginning at the Ohio home, a finish in L.A., and nothing much in between. [9 Jan 1989]
Washington Post Hal Hinson
It's Hoffman's failure, though, that sinks the picture. He is working here with his usual meticulousness, but there's no relaxation in his performance, no sense that he has ever merged with his subject, that he has found Raymond's center and is simply acting out of it.
Read Full Review >The New Yorker Pauline Kael
Everything in this movie is fudged ever so humanistically, in a perfuctory, low-pressure way. And the picture has its effectiveness: people are crying at it. Of course they're crying at it - it's a piece of wet kitsch. [6 Feb 1989]
What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this movie is 7.7 (out of 10) based on 23 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Jay H. gave it a7:
Another overrated (but still good) best picture winner. Dustin Hoffman's performance is what really lifts the film up. I am not a fan of Tom Cruise, and felt his wooden and insincere performance brought the film down. Well produced in every way.
Nycole C. gave it a9:
i personally agree that this movie is a great drama. it has a good reality case as in some circumstances this issue does occur and it is very touching. Hoffman's acting is fantastic. Overall a great movie.
Simon S. gave it a10:
I love this movie! So touching, so well made. Cruise and Hoffman feed well off each other, great chemistry.
Riren gave it a9:
Those who negatively criticize Hoffman's performance likely have no experience with idiot savants. Those who negatively criticize Cruise's performance likely don't like him to begin with and don't care what he does. Here we have a bold movie; one where the veteran actor plays distant, and the younger actor must play to him. The characters validate each other's existances like no other pair in any movie, be it drama, romance or comedy. And Rain Man manages to pack a good deal of drama and humor into itself. This is a movie about disability and inability, but it's also about compromise, compassion and humility - each trait leading to the next. It's touching and tender in unfashionable ways. It was about damn time somebody made a movie like this.
Indian gave it a10:
Classic.Hoffman is a genius and Cruise is great.Poignantly funny.Sweet and tender.Realistic.
[Anonymous] gave it an8:
Interesting movie. Anyway, Cruise and hoffman give good performances, especially hoffman, and there's lots of funny parts. Maybe we should all go for a drive across the country. Wish the father/son conflict wasn't left unresolved, and Cruise got his share of the money. The one thing that prevents the movie from feeling complete.
Z R gave it a10:
Loved It.
