And as quickly as the first post is placed, the second post bumps it out of the front of the line.
It's a hard decision, figuring out which movie to talk about first on a movie blog. Thinking about it, I could easily discuss my favorite movie or one of my perfect 8 (the eight movies that have generated a perfect 5 for 5 score from me), but I think it'll be more fun to save those for later and keep people guessing.
So instead, I will kick this off by discussing a movie I just watched today, for the first time, and I may as well discuss it while it's fresh in my memory.
The movie is Rain Man (1988), a film directed by Barry Levinson, starring Tom Cruise as a self-absorbed yuppie who, upon his estranged father's death, discovers he has an autistic older brother.
Most of you have probably seen this one, and quite honestly, as I was watching it, I found it odd that never in my life had I sat down to watch this movie. It's one of the films that even if you haven't seen it, you know exactly which movie it is, and what it's about.
For this one, I guess I can heap copious amounts of faint praise on it. The story here is strong, a perfect set up for a character study, the type that'll yank at your heartstrings. And yet, I didn't find myself getting very emotionally attached to anything or anyone in the film. Don't get me wrong, Dustin Hoffman puts in a worthy (and Oscar-winning) performance as the autistic brother Raymond opposite Tom Cruise (in a time when people really liked this guy; I for one still dig his style) who plays the part of Charlie, a narcissist-turned-unselfish-and-loving-by-his-autistic-brother to perfection. And because most of the film focuses on the two leads and no one else, and they aren't the reason for the film's shortcomings, I have to place the blame on the director, Barry Levinson.
Levinson has helmed quite a few films in his prestigious career, and quite honestly, looking at his resume, this is the only one I've ever seen. His early career seems to be more notable than his previous work, having flicks such as the Robert Redford vehicle The Natural (1984) and Good Morning Vietnam (1987), a film that scored Robin Williams a Best Actor nomination. But quite honestly, if they are anything like Rain Man, I won't be jumping out of my seat to see these films. The film moved at a leisurely pace, and in my opinion, it all felt a bit safe, a bit "feel good". Never was there a moment where I was on the edge of my seat, tense anxiety skyrocketing through my veins. The biggest on-screen dilemma revolves around things like Raymond not wanting to fly in a plane or drive on the highway, and, while nice in concept, these things don't command my immediate attention either. I'll admit that perhaps a film like this need not have grandiose situations for its protagonists, and I would probably agree, but then I guess it's not really my type of film. Even the climax of the film never got me sweating. Without posting any spoilers, I was mostly indifferent to Raymond's fate.
However, I can't be entirely critical of Rain Man (it did win Best Picture at the 1988 Oscars after all). The writing was solid, allowing the characters to breathe and function realistically throughout. The building relationship between Charlie and Raymond is slow but steady, and though Raymond manages to drive Charlie up the wall on numerous occasions, his attitude reversal is appropriately heartfelt, at the same time creating interesting discussion about whether Charlie perhaps is making up for the lost relationship with his father by fully embracing and nurturing a relationship with his newfound brother. In doing so, his character arc is fully realized by the filmmakers, and for this I applaud them. And of course, as I previously stated, the performances by the two leads are terrific, propelling the film to otherwise unreachable heights.
FINAL SCORE - 3/5
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