Rain Man

Rain Man (1988)

  • 88% of critics liked it
    (57 reviews)

  • 88% of users liked it
    (281,052 ratings)

Self-centered, avaricious Californian Charlie Babbitt (Tom Cruise) is informed that his long-estranged father has died. Expecting at least a portion of the elder Babbitt's $3 million estate, Charlie learns that all he's inherited is his dad's prize roses and a 1949 Buick Roadmaster. Discovering that… More

Play Trailer

R, 2 hr. 8 min.
Directed By
Barry Levinson
Written By
Ron Bass, Barry Morrow
Genres
Drama
In Theaters
Dec 16, 1988 Wide
On DVD
Jan 1, 2000
MGM

Critic Reviews

  • Richard Schickel, TIME Magazine

    Rain Man's restraint is, finally, rather like Raymond's gabble. It discourages connections, keeping you out instead of drawing you in.

  • Amy Dawes, Variety

    Uneven, slightly off-target.

  • Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader

    Valeria Golino is appealing as Cruise's girlfriend; Hoffman makes his character pretty believable without milking the part for pathos and tears, and it's nice to see Cruise working for a change in a context that isn't determined by hard sell and hype.

  • Vincent Canby, New York Times

    Its end effect depends largely on one's susceptibility to the sight of an actor acting nonstop and extremely well, but to no particularly urgent dramatic purpose.

  • Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

    Rain Man is so fascinating because it refuses to supply those questions with sentimental but unrealistic answers.

Read all 17 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

  • Michael M


    It's the king of all crowd pleasers. The simple and intriguing premise of the film came off brilliantly. Hoffman and Cruise (with a much under rated performance) are fantastic together showing excellent chemistry. Rain Man shows us everyday situations from a sufferer of… More

  • BG Movie Reviews 2


    "Uh oh..." - just one of the many memorable lines from this instant classic that I just couldn't stop refering to every 5 seconds after watching the film. It blew me away! Rain Man tells the story of the rather bossy man Charlie Babbit, who found out that his father… More

  • Alexander D


    Well, now. To say the very least, RAIN MAN is absolutely brilliant. Dustin Hoffman delivers an fantastic performance as the autistic character Raymond Babbitt, a role for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1988. In fact, Hoffman's performance is so outstanding… More

  • Manu G


    Selfish yuppie Charlie Babbitt's father left a fortune to his savant brother Raymond and a pittance to Charlie; they travel cross-country. Excellent Film! Dustin Hoffman's performance as Raymond Babbitt is the best acting performance I have ever seen from him no doubt. I… More

  • Kyle F


    Cruise and Hoffman are great, and it's their relationship that sets this movie soaring. Of coarse, the beautiful locations and elaborate sceenplay certainly don't hurt.

Read all 20 featured audience ratings

Trailers & Clips