Rain Man Journal :: essays research papers

Part One (Plot Summary) "Rain Man" directed by Barry Levinson was released in 1988.The story of this movie takes place in the United States (Cincinnati, Ohio) in 1988. Similar to John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men, the story of this movie is about friendship between two unequal men(one mentally challenged and the other, normal) that are on a journey and their friendship, but opposite to the story of the novel, the film has a happy ending. One day, Charley, who is a successful business man, receives word that his father, a man with whom he had not spoken in years, had died back in Cincinnati, Ohio. He returns to his childhood home to take care of his father's property, only to find out that virtually all of his dad's three million dollars estate was left to an unnamed person in a 'trust'. Charlie learns that the trust was for a person who lived in a home for the mentally disabled near his childhood house. While exploring this institution with his girlfriend, Susanna, Charlie discovers that the person to whom the trust was given is an autistic man named Raymond, who is Charlie's older brother. Charley had never known he had a brother, since his parents had never told him. In his confusion, anger and greed, Charlie decides to take Raymond back with him. Raymond is probably not prepared to leave the institution he has lived in his entire life, but Charlie is determined to get what he thinks is his "fair share" of his father's estate. He decides to fight for legal possession of his new brother, as a way of being able to get to the three million dollars that his father had left for Raymond. In their journey back to Los Angeles, Raymond nearly drives Charlie crazy with his autistic attitudes, but eventually, Raymond has a profound influence on Charlie, and thus Charlie eventually grows to love and accept his brother exactly as he is. Part Two (Characterization) Charlie Babbitt (Tom Cruise) In my opinion, Charley is the main character of this movie, and the movie is about Charley, not about Raymond, because Charley is who changes. At the beginning of the movie, Charley is hard, bitter, selfish, immature and shallow. He worships money and without paying attention to Raymond's condition, he attempts to get his brothers wealth. He kidnaps Raymond to take his wealth from him, but ironically, instead of money, he gains something more valuable.