One of the few Tom Cruise performances that I can tolerate.

Doesn't anybody else think that Cruise is at his best when he's playing a selfish, ruthless, calculating jerk, instead of the cocky, clueless, frat-boy jerk that made his career? (I'll leave the debate over which of those characters is closer to the "real" Tom Cruise to others...)

Hoffman's performance is much, much more than a mere collection of neurotic tics and mannerisms calculated to shine at awards time - He makes a fully-realized human being out of what could have easily been a excuse to shamelessly ham it up. And he owes that performance as much to an adult, realistic script, one that feels like it's writer actually knew something about the mentally disadvantaged, and refused to pander or bow to cheap sentiment, as he does to his own skills as an actor.

The story itself is a fairly predictable cliche about an immature creep learning that there are bigger things in the world than their own petty needs, and you can see the ending coming from ten miles away. It's the strength of the performances that rescue this one.

Of course

Brought a lilttle bit of understanding of a mind that although it is so briliant in a few ways, cannot function on an average level.

Probably the only movie that 1) is worthy of a 4 star rating and 2) had Tom Cruise in it. What a vehicle for Dustin Hoffman!
It would be more popular here had Raymond been a conservative: "Course I'm not wearing my underwear. OH! Ten minutes to Limbaugh!"

Above average, but not by much. Pretty predictable. Hoffman is very good, Cruise is just typical Cruise.

This was the first time I paid attention to Tom Cruise. He held his own with the excellent Dustin Hoffman. It was a great movie.

A little too emotionally manipulative for my taste. Hoffman, as always, is excellent, playing here an idiot savant. Cruise, who occasionally is capable of a good performance, grates on the nerves as his annoyingly brash younger brother. Another technically well-crafted but ultimately superficial soap-opera of a movie from Barry Levinson.

"I'm an excellent driver!" "K97X, Bam, the future of rock and roll!"

a classic. well acted movie that gets the viewer involved from the start to the finish. dustin hoffman and tom cruise were perfect for these roles.

So overrated it makes me want to throw up.

Great movie. Dustin Hoffman does a great job acting as an autistic-savont in this movie. He deserved the Oscar he won.

Not bad, but waaay overrated. Hoffman got a gift Oscar for playing a gimp.

A wonderful movie. A selfish young man finds out he has an older brother after his dad dies. His brother Raymond is autistic and lives in an institution. Rayamond has inherited all the money.Charlie kidnaps his brother in hopes of getting his cut of the money. they go for a 2000 ride to California. Raymond turns out to have savant capabilities in memory and counting.he uses his brother to get some money in Vegas. the good side of this movie is Charlie learns that Raymond cannot change.So Charlie has to change for his brother and do what is best for him.this movie is funny, sad, and heartwarming.Dustin Hoffman did an excellent job playing RAymond the autistic man. I have a relative with autism, I feel they handeld this movie dealing with autism with fairness without making fun of those with autism.

Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise do an awesome job acting in this movie. I enjoy these kinds of dramas.

One of the only Tom Cruise movies I liked. Dustin Hoffman plays his role perfectly as a mentally handicapped man who's greedy brother kidnaps him from the home that he'd been living. Hoffman's character is an idiot savant, his brother kidnaps him in hopes that he will get his brother's share of the estate that his father left him, that he felt was rightfully his. They travel across country together and Cruise learns who his brother really is. You almost like Cruise by the end of the movie.

Uh oh, 12 minutes to Wapner.

A unique important film that-if anything was underrated;probable the best performances by Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise.

Overrated. Predictable. Manipulative. Didn't buy the relationship between Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman at all. Best thing about the movie--the beginning, hearing Iko Iko with the backdrop of Cincinnati.

I am willing to bet that many people have never heard of autism before, and I give this movie credit for bringing it to the public's attention. The film is an excelent way of showing that a mental disability does not necessarily mean low intelegence. Plus, I loved watching Tom Cruise freak out constantly in this film; provided real comic relief from the drama.

kick

Phenomenal movie that never gets old.

Having an autistic brother, I feel (my humble opinion) like no actor has ever done a better job in a role than Dustin Hoffman did as Ray Babbitt.

Good, but not four stars. Dustin Hoffman is excellent, brilliant even, but Tom Cruise is just Tom Cruise. While the film is the study of Tom and Dustin's relationship, it generally doesn't actually go anywhere.

Really a masterpiece with superb acting by Dustin Hoffman. Tom Cruise was very good too. It brought all kinds of emotions to the surface, showing what this mentally disabled man went through and how his brother helped him. Super!

I usually don't like Tom Cruise as an actor, but this is one of the few films where I do. I first watched this film when I was a kid and I loved it then. Charlie (Tom Cruise) is a young, selfish - want to get the deal type of man who doesn't really care about anyone else, finds out that his father has died and has basically left nothing to him and has given the estate to an unknown beneficiery. Charlie finds out who and drags his girlfriend with him and eventually he finds out that he has an autistic brother called Raymond (Dustin Hoffman). Charlie decides to kidnap Raymond in order to get the money - but instead goes on a voyage that willchange him forever. The relationship between the two main characters develop and matures and it seems so realistic and so moving. The momentum of the film is very slick and works very well. This is a very heartwaming story and is one that you can watch over and over again.

Cruise is good in this film but this is definitely Dustin Hoffman at his very finest. He creates for us a sweet little character trapped inside his own mind and as harmless and likeable as small puppy. In the process we also get a rare look into the world of autism and the frustrations family members and caregivers can come to feel. This is a movie with heart and soul - the tale of two brothers and coming to terms with emotions and situations you can’t change. My favorite Raymond Babbitz moment is when he is standing in the gigantic window in the Las Vegas hotel room and looking out on all the lights. The shot is wide and from the back and Hoffman looks very small and alone. With his head tilted to one side he quietly says, “Very sparkly, very twinkly.” That to me summed up Raymond Babbitz – very sparkly, very twinkly, and very much alone. What a great film.

Love, sentiment, change...this movie has it all

Loved it! Tom and Dustin both did beautiful jobs portraying Raymond and Charlie. I totally believed that Dustin Hoffman was like that, even though he wasn't.

Wow. Dustin Hoffman did an excelent job. This is another actor who can be whatever he wants to be. Wasn't it he who dressed up as a woman for one of his movies? That's what I admire most about the guy. He can switch from one character to another so easily. I think this movie really showed his talent to the public. Wonderful, wonderful. P.s.-Edward Norton can do an excelent immitation of Dustin Hoffman in the "Rain Man"...

Dustin Hooffman was fantastic! I don't believe anyone else could've played that part as well.

Dustin Hoffman plays like an angel! I like the Las Vegas scenes! :o)

Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise did an excellent job acting in this film. The movie really pulled me into their lives. I really enjoyed how they put their "gifts" to good use and made some money in Vegas. The dialogue was great, and how Mr. Hoffman didn't end up with a speech impediment after the film was finished is surprising. "Yeah, K-Mart, 400 Oak St...."

Robert De Niro did very well acting out his disorder. The movie portrays the difficulty of having to care for one that you love and trying to make a connection with him/her. It's a great movie!

I think it was an inspirational work about friendship and commitment that eventually developed between the two characters. I liked the way the characters were developed and the changes they experienced throughout the movie.

The movie was entertaining and held the audience's attention. The movie was realistic in today's society. The movie had a good storyline. I would recommend the movie for every age group.

This was a beautiful story about a guy learning to deal with a difficult situation and learning to love his brother. I learned a lot about autism. Very entertaining.

Rain Man was great. Dustin Hoffman gave a tremendous portrayal of an autistic man. Tom Cruise did a pretty good job too.

I really enjoyed seeing the change in Charlie as the movie progressed. It was also good to see Raymond- he wasn't portrayed as retarded like some people think about autism. It is just amazing to see his abilities, as well as his inabilities.

Good home movie. Great preformance and excellent plot.

Definitely my favorite Hoffman flick, though Tootsie comes close. It was so beautiful to watch this retarded man struggle through life. Cruise, who I don't really care for usually, also was incredible in the movie as Hoffman's younger brother.

Excellent movie. Tom Cruise and the actor playing Ray worked so well together making this movie. The film draws in the attention of the viewer as well as the viewer's sense of compassion for the characters. The sensitive side of a hard working strong man is brought out by the loveable character, Ray, his brother.

Great acting. Great script. Great characters.

This was a moving and heartwarming story about brotherhood, family, loyalty and love. I enjoyed watching it, and it made me want to go home and give my parents a big hug.

This is Dustin Hoffmans best performance in my opinion. And I loved Tom Cruise and hated him at the same time. I didn't want to the movie to end.

Actors that convince an audience of unknown conditions, such as the autistic character in this movie deserve much recognition. Rain Man includes such a character. This movie's phenom is not in the relationship between characters or the ethical issues it presents, but in the incredible casting and actor dedication.

I think Tom Cruise is excellent in this film. Dustin Hoffman does his little autistic shtick (influenced, by the way, by the "die hard Yankees" fan guy who memorized the card catalog at Princeton's Firestone library), but Cruise's character is much more nuanced. A fun watch when its on TNT or whatnot.

For me, this is the movie in which Tom Cruise came into his own as an actor. And that in a movie in which Dustin Hoffman delivers perhaps the best performance of his career. Rain Man is the touching story of a young man who comes to terms with his autistic brother, and in the process grows up a little bit.

97x bam! the future of rock and roll!

Not too often do you get a set of dual performances as great as you get from Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman in Rain Man. Classic lines abound, and good feelings grow in this movie. I think it ranks close to the best there are.

This movie perhaps was good to me because of my interest in the special population (ie those with disorders/handicaps or disabilities). I work w/Autistic individuals and the movie was an excellent portrayal of what these people are like.