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Rain
Man
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Although Barry Levinson's film featuring Dustin Hoffman as Raymond, an autistic savant, may promise to be an affliction weepie in the manner of Awakenings (1990), it is not about a severely disabled or dysfunctional individual. Raymond's compulsions, tics and strategies of withdrawal are presented lightly as a metaphor for the average neurotic trying to find a place in the world. Most of the emotional hooks are obvious and familiar – with both Raymond and his travelling companion Charlie (Tom Cruise) needing to change and adapt their unbending natures – but Levinson imbues the film with a dreamlike, lyrical style that offers atmosphere and pathos. MORE Levinson: Disclosure, Good Morning, Vietnam, Sleepers, Wag the Dog, Tin Men © Adrian Martin May 1992 |
