The Rainmaker poster & wallpaper

Burt Lancaster, Katharine Hepburn, Wendell Corey

Lizzie Curry is on the verge of becoming a hopeless old maid. Her wit and intelligence and skills as a homemaker can't make up for the fact that she's just plain plain! Even the town sheriff, File, fo...( read more  read more... )r whom she harbors a secret yearning, won't take a chance --- until the town suffers a drought and into the lives of Lizzie and her brothers and father comes one Bill Starbuck ... profession: Rainmaker!

Flixster Users

65% liked it

2,099 ratings

Unrated, 121 min.

Directed by: Joseph Anthony

Release Date: December 13, 1956

Invite friends to see

DVD Release Date: July 12, 2005

Stats: 87 reviews

Get movie widget Recommend it Add to Favorites
report incorrect info

Photos

Katharine Hepburn in The Rainmaker Katharine Hepburn in The Rainmaker
Upload a Photo |

View All The Rainmaker Photos (2)

Your Rating


clear rating

Flixster Reviews (87)

  • hypathio7
    January 21, 2009
    hypathio7
    I identified most with Lloyd Bridges' character and thought he was the most natural actor of the bunch, but he is not the protagonist of the story. Most of the other actors over act their roles. This movie portrays a romanticized country/western town with flat characters who ba...( read more)rely have any flesh on them. I've come to expect a lot of hand movement when Lancaster talks, as if he is an untrustworthy salesman like he is in this story, or as if he is a circus performer like he was before getting into movies. It's sad to see Kate Hepburn playing an intelligent, somewhat strong woman, who has to hide those qualities in order to get a man though. The movie is about a battle between faith and broken dreams, tearing people down or building them up, and hoping for miracles versus being practical. I think most of the movie and the ending dwell on a very unrealistic platform. I had seen another version of this story that had a different ending before seeing this movie, so this was a let-down in comparison.
  • codyfranklin2
    March 21, 2008
    codyfranklin2
    Lancaster shines again. Now give me my hundred bucks!
  • SageSlowdive
    August 24, 2009
    SageSlowdive
    Hepburn is great in this okay movie.
  • Soundsofmadness
    March 28, 2009
    Soundsofmadness
    No thankyou - Not interested
  • stephmccracken
    March 4, 2009
    stephmccracken
    Not a great movie. Hepburn seemed semi-bipolar trying to give us 'range'. Lancaster was fun, but in the end I didn't feel moved at all, and I guess thats what it's all about. I can't believe he went back for his money when it started to rain... and people gave it to him!
  • filmfanatic1982
    March 1, 2009
    filmfanatic1982
    A welcome surprise in my daily movie diet, The Rainmaker was a sweet desert, to say the least. Burt Lancaster, Katherine Hepburn and Lloyd Bridges star in this adaptation of the stage play of the same name. All of the actors do wonderful work here. Most people would see it as ...( read more)simply over-acting their parts, but I believe the nature of the play itself...well...it couldn't have been played any other way and I enjoyed the performances. Shot in the days of Vistavision by stage play director Joseph Anthony, the film looks very nice and is composed to great effect with the letterbox format. The amazing thing about the movie is that it was essentially shot in one location, leaving out the sherrif's office and the town in the prologue, but yet it never tires because the material and the delivery of it is very strong and very interesting. The score here is peppy and just a delight, not to mention it matches the film so well. It gives it a spirit and a movement that keeps the pace on track. The few complaints I have about the movie ARE very few, so let's get them over with. To me, Burt Lancaster is only in half of this movie, really. He pops up at the beginning and disappears for nearly 30-60 mins in the whole of the story. It does give you a chance to meet and get to know the family of the story, but I think it causes the main narrative to suffer a little bit. I also believe that some of the scenes in the film are FAR too long. To me, the conclusion of some scenes is reached in the audience's mind before the character's actually get there themselves. Some of the dialogue itself feels burdensome for this reason. Build-up and exposition is one thing, fleeting is another. Despite these flaws, this movie was very enjoyable. I really related to it on a level that I can't quite get into here, but trust me when I say that the movie is a good one, and that if you happen to catch it on TCM, do watch and enjoy a great romantic classic.
  • MECreviews
    March 7, 2008
    MECreviews
    The actors in this movie talked to slow to keep my attention.

View All The Rainmaker Reviews

Critic Reviews

No recent reviews.

Comments

This board looks lonely. Be the first to talk about "The Rainmaker" !

Post A Comment | View All Comments

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)

All Rotten Tomatoes content is used under license from Rotten Tomatoes. Rotten Tomatoes, Certified Fresh, and the Tomatometer are the trademarks of Incfusion Corporation, d/b/a Rotten Tomatoes, a subsidiary of IGN Entertainment, Inc.

Cast

More Like This

Click a thumb to vote on that suggestion, or add your own suggestions.

  • Elmer Gantry
    Elmer Gantry (100%)

More Movies like The Rainmaker

Facts

No facts approved yet. Be the first

The Rainmaker : Watch Free on TV

The Rainmaker Trivia

  • This movie stars Burt Lancaster and Katharine Hepburn and is also the name of an Iron Maiden song. Which movie is it?  Answer »
  • The Rainmaker, The Pelican Brief, The Runaway Jury, and The Firm are all films based on novel written by whom?  Answer »
  • which film did not star katherine hepburn and spencer tracy?  Answer »
  • What Francis Ford Coppola movie starred Danny DeVito?  Answer »
More The Rainmaker Trivia

Movie Quizzes

No quizzes for The Rainmaker. Want to create one?

Video Clips

No video clips yet. Want to upload one?

Meet Other Fans

Add The Rainmaker to favorites

Recent News

No recent headlines. Got one?

Recent Lists

Make a List |

View All Lists

Most Popular Skin

No skins yet. Interested in creating one?