Rain Man

Barry Levinson's Oscar-winning 1988 Rain Man opens with yuppie L.A. exotic car broker Charlie Babbitt (Oscar-nominated Tom Cruise) traveling to Ohio to attend his estranged father's funeral, where he learns that his portion of his father's considerable inheritance comes to one 1949 Buick Roadmaster and some flowers, while the whole estate has been passed on to a brother he never knew he had, an institutionalized autistic named Raymond (Oscar winner Dustin Hoffman). Cad that he is, Charlie kidnaps his brother, figuring that he'll ransom him back for the $1.5 million he considers his rightful share, but while traveling to L.A., Charlie comes to understand, and even love, his Raymond, whom he ultimately remembers from his early childhood as the shadowy figure at the edge of his conscience whom he called "rain man." A beautiful, loving film, with one wonderful set piece after another, Rain Man, which also took Oscars for Best Director and Screenplay, makes its second appearance on DVD in a “special edition” with a decent if unexceptional widescreen transfer that improves a little on the original barebones release (which also included a full screen option, not available here), and a handful of extras--most notably three separate audio commentaries by Levinson, screenwriter Ronald Bass, and screenwriter Barry Morrow (which is a bit of an overkill, and would have been better if the two scripters shared a commentary). In addition, the disc features an original seven-minute “making of” featurette and one deleted scene. If you already own the first version, the upgrade here is not necessary; if not, then this one is highly recommended. Editor's Choice. (R. Pitman)[Blu-ray Review—Mar. 15, 2011—MGM, 134 min., R, $19.99—Making its first appearance on Blu-ray, 1988's Rain Man features an excellent transfer with DTS-HD sound. Blu-ray extras include three audio commentaries (the first with director Barry Levinson; the second with writer Barry Morrow; and the third with writer Ronald Bass), “The Journey of Rain Man” production featurette (22 min.), “Lifting the Fog: A Look at the Mysteries of Autism” segment (20 min.), a deleted scene (2 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: an Oscar winner shines on Blu-ray.]