Another of Tom Cruise’s earlier work that demonstrated a depth exceeding some of his contemporaries, Rain Man was one of the first parts where Cruise was able to pull off the whole ’30-something guy acts like a teenager but a thing happens that makes him grow up real fast eventually’ thing, and he does it really convincingly. This is a movie where Dustin Hoffman is the brother who really gets to show off, exhibiting his familiarity with common traits among folks with autism ranging from charming to behaviorally difficult.
It’s a little like The Fighter where Christian Bale gets to be the eccentric one and puts in a performance that ignites the movie. Tom Cruise is Rain Man’s Mark Wahlberg: the straight man having to deal with Raymond’s unique abilities and inabilities. The depth he shows here has to therefore also be more subtle, and Cruise makes the bond between the two brothers emotionally real. The emotions are where he gets to be over the top, because Raymond doesn’t have the social skills to express his in an understandable way. It’s beautiful the way Raymond and Charlie balance each other here, and the same goes for Hoffman and Cruise in their work together.
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