Media Review Essay

Submitted By AndreaFletcher
Words: 960
Pages: 4
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First released in 1988 and produced by Barry Morrow, the motion picture "Rain Man" centers around the relationship of a self-absorbed young man named Charlie Babbitt, played by Tom Cruise, and his autistic savant brother Raymond, played by Dustin Hoffman. Discovering that his estranged father had passed away, leaving an unknown trustee his estate worth more than three million dollars while bequeathing him with only a 1949 Buick Roadmaster convertible and some rose bushes, Charlie is enraged and feels cheated out of his inheritance and sets out to find the recipient of his father's trust fund.

Charlie's investigations lead him to a medical institution named Wallbrook where he meets the trustee who turns out to be his older brother whose existence he was unaware of. When Raymond first enters the storyline of the film, it is instantly apparent how organized and routine-centered his world is. He keeps all his baseball cards and other belongings in meticulous order and any disruption of his arrangement of things brings him extreme distress. Wallbrook's doctor explains to Charlie that Raymond's routines are his way of protecting himself and that he has certain abilities and deficiencies that affect the way he interacts with others.
Savant syndrome is not a new disorder, and has been recognized for over 126 years since Dr. J. Langdon Down first labeled it as a unique condition. Savants are usually described as having below average intelligence, but incredible memory and mental capabilities in a few select areas ("Savant Syndrome." Gale Encyclopedia of Psychology. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. 24 Feb. 2015<http://www.encyclopedia.com>). "Rain Man" could unintentionally lead the public to believe that savant individuals are also autistic but in actuality, 50% of savants have different disorders as an underlying factor rather than autism (Treffert, D. A. (2014). Savant syndrome: realities, myths and misconceptions. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 44(3), 564+).
Raymond's remarkable memory and counting abilities really become visible after Charlie "kidnaps" his brother in an attempt to get half of his inheritance. Charlie takes Raymond to a restaurant for pancakes and after reading the waitress's name tag, Raymond repeats the woman's name and her telephone number which he had memorized from the telephone book along with all the other names up to the letter "G". Later in the same scene, the waitress drops a box of toothpicks on the floor and Raymond accurately counts all of them within a matter of seconds.
Charlie's initial attitude towards Raymond is extremely harsh and condescending. He seems to have a hard time controlling his temper and is quick to hurl insults. As Charlie spends more time with Raymond and after realizing that the imaginary friend Rain Man that sang to him growing up was actually Raymond, his attitude completely changes and he starts to show genuine care and interest for his brother.
In my opinion, awareness for autism has increased a great deal since 1988 and is much more of a household word than before, although a true understanding of the disorder may not be present among the general public. This contrast in awareness levels is vividly depicted in the movie when Charlie takes Raymond to the doctor and the nurse thinks Raymond is "artistic" instead of autistic and has no idea what the condition is. Charlie tries to explain by telling her that Raymond lives in a world of his own, to which she replies "I'm sorry." I would find it shocking if any nurse in the U.S did not have a general idea of autism today.
Raymond appears to learn things from his brother observationally several times. An example is when Charlie teaches him to dance for his "date" while they are in Las Vegas
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