Rain Man

Let me make one thing clear: growing up, my family was about as classy and cultured as a death match between Hulk Hogan and the Macho Man Randy Savage. So needless to say, I never read the more "cultured" books like Catcher in the Rye, and I never saw the good movies, like Citizen Kane and today's movie: Rain Man. So watching these now is all new to me, in a very 80's nostalgia kind of way.

Rain Man, now that I've seen it, is important because without it would there ever have been I Am Sam, The Other Sister or Sling Blade? Who better to open the door than Dustin Hoffman, a man so recognized for his talent that it was almost difficult to accept him as such a broken character. Likewise, it was hard to see Tom Cruise who had until then and does still play all the good guys, play the arrogant asshole that Charlie Babbitt was. One character I loved, was Charlie's girlfriend, Susanna , played by Valeria Gollino, who was absolutely delicious but that is somehow beside the point.

First, I love watching dated movies. There’s a scene where they are driving, and you see a long long line of Ford pickups and I thought to myself Why does that junkyard have so many of that same pickup? Then I realized, it wasn’t a junkyard, it was a new car lot. Doy.

I love movies about people with issues like this. I loved The Other Sister, I loved I am Sam, I loved What's Eating Gilbert Grape (though it didn’t help that I had to watch gorgeous Leo drool on himself), and I will probably love whatever comes next. So of course, Rain Man was immediately tops with me. Cold, heartless Charlie Babbitt being brought to his knees by a man who isn’t supposed to be able to feel anything for anyone? Loves it. Dustin Hoffman farting in the telephone booth with Tom Cruise? I’m sorry, and maybe its my unclassy, uncultured background surfacing here, but I laughed my fool ass off.

Forget what I said in the last review, I do need my movies in a neat bow. It does leave me with a sadness when the ending isn’t perfect and happy with singing birds and everyone skipping tra-fucking-la. And when Ray boarded that train, I thought til the very last No, he’s going to jump off the train and run to Charlie! I mean, the credits had to roll before I gave up hope. But of course he doesn’t, and as my husband pointed out, that ending wouldn’t really have been happy for Raymond, would it? Wouldn’t he just end up freaking out and slamming his head into a window until it broke, like a demented bird? Would Charlie ever get laid without an audience again? Alas, I digress, the ending wasn’t perfect, but it hit the spot.

So I give Rain Man the Joon rating of Pretty Damn Cool. Because it was, and I’ll watch it again next time its on television. Maybe every time. Even if Tom Cruise does keep acting like someone hit him in the face with the crazy stick.