Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Rain Man Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman June 8, 2023

Any number of films about any number of "afflictions" (for want of a better word), not to mention countless television "disease of the week" entries, have taken an at least relatively clinical approach to whatever issue they're attempting to depict. Other films can offer these issues as almost a McGuffin, to borrow a term of art from the venerable Alfred Hitchcock. When Casey Broadwater reviewed the now long ago first Blu-ray release of Rain Man, he lauded the film's handling of a "mental disability" (as Casey phrased it), citing the film's humor and compassion in offering a portrait of a man with autism. I'd certainly agree with those two positive descriptors, but might add just a brief word of caution about overall "accuracy". As those with any experience with either relatives or friends who are "on the spectrum", as modern day parlance has described those with autism, Asperger syndrome and related concatenations of symptoms and/or behaviors will probably tell you (wisely I would argue), it may be best to take large swaths of Rain Man with a pretty heavy dose of salt, at least insofar as it attempts to portray a "typical" case of autism. And actually therein lies at least part of the rub, in that the whole definition of autism and related "spectrum" disorders has widened considerably, meaning there is a vast array of differences between people who have been so classified in one way or the other. That said, the fact that Rain Man kind of wants to have its storytelling cake and eat it, too, offering a focal character who supposedly "suffers" from autism but still has a "savant" side leading to hijinks and adventures, makes its portrayal Raymond Babbitt (Dustin Hoffman, Academy Award winner for this performance) almost inherently and inescapably sui generis. Even if not factually "accurate", Rain Man at least gave Hoffman one of the signature roles of his long and notable career, but I think many with any experience with people on the spectrum would be hard pressed to find another autistic savant quite like Ray, which may actually be helpful in pointing out that the real universality of this tale is the relationship between brothers, in this case Ray and his supposedly "normal" sibling and sudden caretaker Charlie (Tom Cruise).

As mentioned above, Rain Man has had (actually several) previous releases on Blu-ray, and those needing a more thorough plot summary are encouraged to read Casey's Rain Man Blu-ray review. Casey's review is also a good source for screenshot comparisons, for those who like to engage in such "parlor games". Unfortunately, as of the writing of this review, it doesn't look like we've covered the 25th Anniversary Edition, which we're listing as having been remastered, and so screenshot comparisons to that version are not available.

Rain Man Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Rain Man is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of MVD Visual with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. In the very "fine print" on the back cover of this release, MVD states that this was culled from a "brand new HD 1080p restoration of the main feature approved by director Barry Levinson". As mentioned above, I can't state with any authority how this may differ from the apparently remastered 25th anniversary edition, but this version has both similarities and differences from the first Blu-ray that Casey reviewed so many years ago. The color timing is really rather comparable, and to my eyes things in this 1080 version have the same slightly red-orange push that the MGM release did, albeit probably not to the same degree (the 4K UHD release from MVD ameliorates this even more). This version certainly has none of the artificially sharpened look of the MGM release, something that is probably most noticeable in the smoother, tighter resolution of grain. The palette of this film is not especially vibrant, but in the outdoor scenes in particular, can pop quite agreeably. Detail levels are typically excellent, especially in those aforementioned outdoor scenes where close-ups are employed. My score is 4.25.

Rain Man Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

While this MVD disc doesn't offer the glut of foreign language dubs that the old MGM disc did, its DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 English track is more or less identical to the fine sounding track on that long ago MGM disc. As Casey noted in his review of that release, there's not a ton of rear channel action in the film, with only occasional ambient environmental spill and score elements, something that I'd argue probably includes the side channels as well, though those are probably more consistently utilized throughout. Hans Zimmer's score sounds fine and wafts agreeably throughout the surround channels. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English, French and Spanish subtitles are available.

Rain Man Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• The Journey of Rain Man (HD; 22:09) is a worthwhile retrospective offering some good interviews with the likes of Barry Levinson.


• Lifting the Fog: A Look at the Mysteries of Autism (HD; 20:15) may not exactly make a believable case for how "accurate" the depiction of Ray in the film is, despite offering some interviews with Ray-like autistic people, but it's a really interesting examination of the wide variety of symptoms those with autism exhibit.


• Deleted Scene (HD; 2:13)


• Original Theatrical Trailer (HD; 2:16)


• Audio Commentary by Director Barry Levinson is accessible under the Audio Menu.


• Audio Commentary by Writer Barry Morrow is accessible under the Audio Menu.


• Audio Commentary by Writer Ronald Bass is accessible under the Audio Menu.

Rain Man Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

My wife's brother is an MD and PhD who has written some bestselling books documenting his own experiences with his autistic son and how he feels there's a dietary component to autism, and so I've witnessed in an "up close and personal way" some of the challenges families with autistic relatives face, something that is arguably dealt with in a kind of shallow way in this film, perhaps at least in part due to the fact that Charlie himself is shallow. As a penetrating analysis of the hurdles those with autism face, Rain Man probably doesn't provide the goods, but as mentioned above, in a way, autism is almost the McGuffin of this film (for better or worse), and it's the relationship between Charlie and Ray that both literally and figuratively gets to the heart of things. If the depiction of autism may not exactly be "clinical", the film still delivers, yes, humor and compassion in droves. Technical merits are solid and the ported over supplements very appealing. Recommended.