 The Best Picture Our Columnists Reflect on Oscar's Best Films |
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(1988) |
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 Autistic Dustin Hoffman, left, with his super-cool bro, Tom Cruise |
It gave Dustin Hoffman the role
that made us forget Benjamin
By JOANNE MacDONNELL
of TheColumnists.com
For
me, "Rain Man" will always be the movie that finally
made me stop thinking of Dustin Hoffman as Benjamin Braddock,
the boy from "The Graduate," and start thinking of
him as Raymond Babbitt.
That wasn't easy either because Benjamin Braddock--with Mrs.
Robinson, Joe DiMaggio, Simon & Garfunkel and all that--was
pretty much unforgettable.
Hoffman won the Academy Award for best actor of 1988 in "Rain
Man," which is another reason why, in many people's minds,
he was going to be Raymond Babbitt for the remainder of his acting
career.
Forget "Midnight Cowboy" (1969), "All the President's
Men" (1976), and "Kramer Vs. Kramer" (1979). All
were good, but "Rain Man" is in a class by itself--both
the film and the actor's performance in it.
"Rain Man" opens with the death of Raymond's father,
who is also the father of Charlie, (Tom Cruise) a young self-centered
yuppie, as they called them in those days.
Charlie, who is really the main character in this film, goes
home to the midwest for his father's funeral. There he learns
that not only has he been disinherited but that, unbeknownst
to him, he has an adult brother who is an institutionalized autistic.
Raymond, the older brother, was "put in a home" when
he burned his younger brother Charlie in a bathtub when the two
were young children.
The film deals with the relationship between the two brothers
after Charlie (Tom Cruise) kidnaps Raymond and takes him on a
cross-country auto trip (Raymond doesn't fly) during which the
two bond and form an enlightening relationship. Though Raymond
is severely retarded in certain areas, especially his ability
to communicate with others, he's also a savant, which
means he's a genius in some areas, such as his ability to remember
virtually every kind of fact or figure--and to make calculations.
Learning how to accept--and eventually like--Raymond is an awesome
task for Charlie, whose motives aren't always of the highest
order.
That's what the movie is about.
At first, Charlie runs off with Raymond as some kind of scheme
to get a share of the inheritance Charlie believes is his rightful
due. While Charlie teaches Raymond a thing or two during their
cross-country journey together, Raymond, in turn, teaches Charlie
a lot.
The balance of the film details the growing and enlightened relationship
that develops between the two siblings.
In the end, the money no longer matters, but the brothers do
to each other--thanks in no small part to Raymond's prowess at
the gambling tables in Las Vegas.
From that point on, Hoffman is no longer Benjamin.
It was his post-Graduate work as Raymond Babbitt that forever
elevated him into a class of his own.
©
2001 by Joanne MacDonnell.
OTHER NOMINEES THAT YEAR: "The Accidental Tourist," "Dangerous Liaisons," "Mississippi Burning," "Working Girl."
OSCAR TRIVIA: Few people seem to remember why this movie was called "Rain Man." For one thing, it had nothing to do with rain. In the story, younger brother Charlie used to mispronounce his older brother's name in their childhood, calling him "rain man" instead of "Raymond."...Dustin Hoffman was Oscar-nominated for "The Graduate" in 1967, but lost to Rod Steiger. He won his first Oscar in 1979 for "Kramer vs. Kramer."...Hoffman's agent originally pitched him the Tom Cruise role, but Hoffman preferred the autistic character...Hoffman found the picture so difficult that he almost backed out after filming already had begun, but was persuaded to stay with the challenging role...On the night of the Oscars, Hoffman was sick with the flu, but still managed to go nearly two minutes over his allotted time with his acceptance speech.
You can comment on this column or contact Joanne MacDonnell with an email to: talkback@thecolumnists.com
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