Rain Man Special Edition
Filed Under: Film, Reviews | Article Tags : DVD review
By: The Dweeb
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Finally, MGM has decided to give us a much improved edition of one of the greatest films from the 1980’s. This film has probably been shown on TV hundreds of times. But when I watched it again, uninterrupted and unedited, I forgot how it is truly a great and touching experience to watch. They had a fantastic script to go with, giving us rich and complex characters coupled with the star power of Tom Cruise and a fantastic performance by Dustin Hoffman.
Dustin Hoffman steals the show as Raymond, an autistic savant who is ‘borrowed’ by his brother Charlie (Tom Cruise) and taken on a cross country trip from Ohio to Los Angeles. Hoffman received an Oscar for this role that year and rightly so. Never once do you see him slip out of character. It was and probably still is his most memorable performance on screen, even surpassing Tom Hank’s Forrest Gump character in my opinion. As the Rain Man he frets and babbles constantly about everything around him, his life revolves around his rigid television viewing habits and cheese balls. His abilities as a human calculator and card counting are great to watch, and he has many funny moments. “I’m an excellent driver, yeah.”
His brother Charlie doesn’t seem to understand that he can’t change him, although he tries really hard. Tom Cruise is basically playing a typical role that he usually pigeon holes himself into, the hot headed pretty boy. We’ve seen this act time and time again, from Risky Business to Jerry Maguire, so he’s not stretching himself here. But, at least by the end of the film his character’s perspective has been changed, and he bounces off well against Dustin Hoffman. No longer is he angry at his dead father for cutting him out of his will, he has gained a brother. Charlie is constantly flying off the handle because things just don’t work out for him the way he wants it too. He is fighting an uphill battle, his company’s creditors, his girlfriend (Valeria Golino), Dr. Bruner (Gerald Molen), and ultimately Judge Wapner time. “Uh Oh, 18 minutes to Wapner.”
The transfer for Rain Man isn’t too bad, although the film looks a little grainy at times. The soundtrack has been remixed and it comes off very well balanced and rich. I really like the music for Rain Man, it plays well in here. There are also some extras included which were absent from the previous version. Added are 3 commentary tracks from the writers and director Barry Levinson. There is also a deleted scene and the typical promotional materials that accompany the film. This is a much better presentation than before, good job MGM. Rain Man is a definite keeper for the collection.
Reviewer’s Opinion: BUY IT!!
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