Rain Man (1988)

This is a movie about Tom Cruise learning to be a decent person, and Dustin Hoffman’s Raymond mostly exists to teach him. That’s the part that ages worst. Raymond is a full human with fears, rules and a dry sense of humor, but the script keeps treating his mind like a gimmick, especially once the brothers hit Las Vegas and his memory becomes a casino trick. Hoffman still disappears into the role, every routine played with total care and zero winking. Cruise is great as a fast-talking hustler who’s wrong about everything, and his slow change from schemer to big brother lands in the quiet motel scenes. Valeria Golino is the only grown-up in the car. Barry Levinson keeps it gentle, maybe too gentle for 133 minutes of highway. It made $354.8 million worldwide on a reported $25 million and earned an A CinemaScore. A 6.6 because the performances are better than the movie built around them. $672 says you call your brother or sister when the credits roll, and they ask who you’re mad at.

What works: Dustin Hoffman’s careful, unshowy performance and Tom Cruise’s believable shift from selfish to protective.

What doesn’t: The story treats Raymond more as a lesson for Charlie than as a person, and the Vegas detour turns his gifts into a party trick.

Who it’s for: People who like slow road movies about family, and anyone with a sibling they haven’t called in a while.