Uh oh! Definitely did "Rain Man," definitely did "Rain Man." Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman somehow star as brothers in this manipulative road trip/buddy comedy that topped both the box office and the Oscars in 1988. People love this movie, but it's nothing more than a con-job that somehow got credit for treating autism authentically, when it actually just uses it as a gimmick to divert your eye from the fact that this is nothing more than formulaic dreck.
This movie is not about an autistic guy (which it dismisses brutally), but is really about a whiny, greedy brat with unearned daddy issues who kidnaps his brother from a facility, is mean to him to the point of insanity, eventually learns what autism is, and then ultimately decides he doesn’t want his evil ransom money after all. So, um, yay?
This was the first in a long line of magical autism movies, and we get to see all kinds of awesome things, like fast math, funerals, classic cars, phone book memorization, prize-winning rosebushes, Abbott and Costello, card (and toothpick) counting, prostitutes, mean rednecks, Wopner, crooked doctors, shady Lamborghinis, bribery attempts, kidnapping, and of course: constant awkward punchlines aimed at people with developmental disorders. Oh, the ‘80s.
Join us as we discuss what Numbers 1 through 17 of Raymond's "Serious Injuries" list might entail, as Keating has trouble properly being racist, and as Jim criticizes Amber Alerts for getting too familiar these days.
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