The Best Brother



Photo courtesy of tomcruise.com

In Rain Man, Tom Cruise lays the groundwork for how to achieve every great actor's primary goal: emotional depth.

After originally seeking out his autistic brother as a mere ploy to get his hands on a huge inheritance, Cruise's Charlie Babbitt then proceeds to put his newfound brother Raymond's hidden talents to the test, famously using him to win big-time bucks in Las Vegas casinos. Of course, Charlie's greed fails to hold up as the inevitable bond between he and Raymond begins to form.

Viewed from one perspective, it's a shame that this winner of Best Picture let Dustin Hoffman steal all the glory from the Academy. Admittedly, it is indeed tough to play an autistic man. However, it surely must be even tougher to play a normal man reacting to another normal man who is playing an autistic man. Therefore without Tom Cruise, the movie would have no doubt faded into the territory of forgettable.

Ultimately, Charlie undergoes a gradual transformation. Despite how frustrated he often understandably becomes with his brother's naturally autistic tendencies, he forgets about the millions at hand and realizes he truly cares about his only flesh and blood. When the two part in the final scene, we see that Cruise's character is left a changed man.

This is why Tom Cruise will always be...the best brother.