There was time when Tom Cruise was just another pretty face. He had a small role in “Endless Love”, which was followed up by a slightly larger role in “Taps.” This was the performance that got Hollywood’s attention. Cruise played David Shawn, just one of many cadets at the Military Academy featured in the film. His character however, turns out to be the main trigger of the tragic events that unfold at the films climax. With one scene in particular it was obvious that as an actor, he was going places. Of course, it still took almost five years for him to really break out as a major star. During that time he headed up a few ‘teen’ flicks, the most famous of which has to be “Risky Business.” His ‘home alone’ dance in his underwear became instantly parodied, while his love scene with Rebecca DeMornay made him the envy of teenage boys everywhere. He even starred against type in the fantasy “Legend” opposite Tim Curry and (making him the envy of me) Mia Sara.

Cruise hit his stride with “Top Gun”, the film that would propel his popularity into the stratosphere. Here he played Lt. Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell, a hot shot Air Force pilot. I never really considered this to be a very good movie, but I was certainly in the minority. This led to a string of roles that were primarily made up of a 'hot shot' pool player (“The Color of Money”), and a 'hot shot' bartender (“Cocktail”). I was beginning to notice a trend.

When he starred opposite Dustin Hoffman in “Rain Man”, he again played a hot shot businessman. The main difference was that this ‘hot shot’ allowed Cruise to show different sides of the character’s nature. I don’t know if it was because he was paired up with Hoffman or not, but he began to grow as an actor. So much so that he was given the opportunity to really show his talent in “Born on the Fourth of July.” Sure, he continued to star as ‘hot’shots’ in some of his later films, but the solidity of his career was set in stone.

In “Rain Man”, Cruise stars as Charlie Babbitt. Babbitt is a guy on the make. He hustles, wheels and deals in order to fulfill his life’s desires. He doesn’t care who he takes advantage of, who he steps on, or the damage he leaves behind. As far as he’s concerned, he is the only person in the world and he wants it all. When he finds out his father has passed away, his only concern is how much of an inheritance he’ll get. As it turns out, it pretty much amounts to an old car and a hill of beans (figuratively). The rest of his father’s estate is left to Raymond, the brother Charlie never knew he had. So if Charlie wants a piece of the action, all he needs to do is get to know Raymond. Normally this might not be so tough; the only problem is that Raymond is autistic.

“Rain Man” deservedly received eight Academy Award nominations that year. It won four, including Best Picture, Best Screenplay (Ronald Bass and Barry Morrow), Best Director (Barry Levinson) and Best Actor (Dustin Hoffman). I was actually surprised that Cruise didn’t even get a nomination. As good as Hoffman was in the role as an autistic savant, Cruise’s performance was certainly as good.

MGM Home Entertainment is finally giving “Rain Man” a much deserved Special Edition release this month, complete with a few extra features. There are three separate commentaries available on this DVD. One each from director Barry Levinson, screenwriter Ronald Bass, and screenwriter Barry Morrow. All three are worthwhile commentaries, and individually offer as wealth of information on the making of the movie, but I found it odd that they didn’t simply get these guys all in a room at the same time. It would have given the commentary a more relaxed conversational tone, but more importantly it wouldn’t have made it mandatory to watch the film three extra times to hear all the comments.

The disc also includes a short featurettes that was made back during the film’s release. It runs just a little over 6 minutes and is mainly a promotional piece, with snippets of interviews with the cast and creative team. This is followed by a two-minute deleted scene of Raymond in a convenience store, and a photo gallery.

With a few minor differences, the DVD packaging looks pretty much like the original release that came out a few years back as far as cover art. This one adds an opaque plastic slipcover that slides over the DVD case with clear section that shows the two actors.

“Rain Man” was a great movie when it came out, and it still holds up 16 years later. I think you should ‘definitely get it, oh yeah definitely, definitely get it, definitely…’

Directed by: Barry Levinson
Starring: Dustin Hoffman, Tom Cruise, Valeria Golino,
Extras: Deleted Scene, Original Featurette, Three Commentaries – Director Barry Levinson, Screenwriter Ronald Bass, Screenwriter Barry Morrow, Photo Gallery
Specifications: Widescreen (1.85:1) Enhanced for 16X9 Televisions, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Studio: MGM
Release Date: 2/3/2004
Region 1
MPAA Rating: R
Website

We'll give Rain Man: Special Edition an A.