Rain Man

Charlie Babbit (Tom Cruise) is a self-obsessed hustler selling high-end automobiles. His girlfriend Susanna (Valeria Golino) tries and fails to connect with him. His father dies and leaves him the 1948 Buick Roadmaster convertible. He drove it once without permission at 16 and got thrown in jail for 2 days. The estate in excess of $3 million is left to Raymond Babbitt (Dustin Hoffman) who is an autistic brother unknown to Charlie. Charlie kidnaps Raymond while trying to get his half share of the money. There are two terrific performances. Hoffman's careful dissection of an autistic character is one of the first such performances that I saw. It's the work of a master. Less acknowledged is the callous despicable Charlie character. Tom Cruise is unrelenting. He's the one who has to react to everything that Hoffman throws at him. His character has the growth and the changes. Their interactions are a fascinating watch.

This is a very entertaining drama featuring spoiled yuppie Charlie Babbitt (Tom Cruise), whose father left his fortune to his autistic brother Raymond (Dustin Hoffman). Charlie did not know of Raymond's existence, and at first repulsed by him and him inheriting their father's fortune, he establishes a growing, loving relationship with him during their cross-country journey together. It was fun and touching seeing Charlie's impatient and condescending attitude improve to mellow and understanding along the way, and all the misadventures he and his brother shared. The spot-on acting and the chemistry between the two character leads make for a good film worthy of its best picture win. Grade A