DVDs: Dustin Hoffman

Susan Sarandon und Dustin Hoffman überzeugen als gebrochene Eltern, die versuchen mit dem Geschehen fertig zu werden. Doch das eigentliche Highlight des Filmes ist Jake Gyllenhaal, er spielt so herausragend, dass selbst die beiden Altstars Sarandon und Hoffman blass gegen ihn aussehen. Der Film ist sehr gefühlvoll erzählt und triftet trotz des schwierigen Themas nie in die Rührseligkeit ab. Neben dem hervorragenden Zusammenspiel der Schauspieler wartet der Film dann auch noch mit einem wunderschönen Soundtrack auf, der noch lange nachklingt.

Es macht riesigen Spaß den Finten und Tricksereien zu folgen und sich im wahrsten Sinne des Wortes nach Strich und Faden übers Ohr hauen zu lassen. Wer dabei seinen Augen traut und glaubt was er sieht ist selber schuld.

Robert Mitchum hat einmal gesagt, Kino sei auf dem Jahrmarkt entstanden, wo es wie alle sensationellen Darbietungen vor allem dazu gedient hat, das Interesse der Leute zu gewinnen, damit hinter ihren Rücken die Taschendiebe bei leichtem Spiel entsprechenden Erfolg hätten. Doch um das zu schaffen muss die Hauptrolle mit dem richtigen Mann besetzt werden. Dem Held dieses Films, Edward Burns, kann man jedoch lediglich attestieren dass er an Ausdruckslosigkeit kaum zu überbieten. Das was er jedoch auch sein sollte, so smart und verführerisch wie ein George Clooney in „Ocean Eleven", gelingt ihm natürlich auch in keiner Weise. Seine Mimik wirkt ungenau sein Blick stets abgelenkt und man kann einfach nicht glauben, dass ein solcher Mann in dieser Unterwelt überleben kann.

Der Regisseur James Foley hat das sicherlich früh bemerkt und den Schauspielern Dustin Hoffman und Andy Garcia viel Freiraum zur Darstellung gegeben. Das geht jedoch nicht unbedingt gut, denn der Kontrast zu dem blassen Burns ist zu groß. Rachel Welz kostet die Zuwendung zu der Figur Edward Burns viel Überwindung, Der Stoff des Films ist wirklich zu fadenscheinig, um wirklich scharfe Konturen zu hinterlassen Was bleibt ist ein amüsante und überraschende Gaunerkomödie mit Starbesetzung: EDWARD BURNS,RACHEL WEISZ, ANDY GARCIA und ein übererzeugender DUSTIN HOFFMANN spielen in diesem Paradies der falschen Vögel. - „Ocean's 11" lässt grüßen, doch in diesem Film gilt die Feststellung: "Ein guter Plan ist eben nur die halbe Miete"!!!!

Now, Charlie isn't the greatest communicator himself; at least as far as listening goes; he is used to talking people down, and if that alone doesn't do the trick, he starts to yell. This, however, just doesn't work with Raymond, who lives in a world of his own and, unable to express emotion in any other way, falls into a nervous tic when feeling threatened. So for the first time in his life Charlie has to learn to accept another human being for what he is, and work *with* his bewildering methods of communication rather than against them. And subtly, very subtly, Charlie begins to change, until at last he no longer wants to relinquish custody of Raymond even after having been offered a substantial amount of money: because now money is no longer an issue at all; now it's all about genuine love for a newly-found brother and very special person.

"Rain Man" is ostensibly told from Charlie's perspective; through his, the "normal" guy's eyes we perceive Raymond's habits, tics and strange behavioral code. And even if Charlie is easy enough to snub for his superficiality and materialism, his frustration at his inability to communicate with his brother feels genuine and is something we can empathize with(albeit perhaps inadmittedly). Tom Cruise plays Charlie with a finely-tuned mix of audacity and reluctant emotion; turning a role that seems to start out as just another Cruise cliche into a character who hesitantly comes to realize his own complexities and shortcomings and learns to appreciate sensitivity, compassion and love - yet, without ever taking the role that treacherous step too far into sentimentality.

Still, important as Charlie's character is for this movie's narrative, this is from first to last Raymond's story; and by the same token Dustin Hoffman's, because the two individuals are in fact inseparable: As Hoffman once explained in an interview, he rejects the notion that acting is merely about playing a role, or that the term "my character" could ever appropriately describe his approach to a role; emphasizing that in every part he plays, he truly has to *become* the individual in question to fully be able to understand and portray him. As such, his achievement with Raymond Babbitt is breathtaking indeed; for in a role which not only imposes severe limitations on his ability to communicate traditionally but also gives him virtually no opportunity to express emotion, he conveys Raymond's frailties, unexpected strengths and, significantly, his profound humanity in a manner that lets you forget you're even looking at a piece of acting, thus accomplishing that rare feat only attained by the greatest of actors - and even among Dustin Hoffman's spectacular performances, this one stands out in particular. (He did, of course, win both the Oscar and the Golden Globe for this movie; but somehow even the industry's highest awards don't begin to express the significance of his achievement.)

Raymond Babbitt's character was based on several real-life autistic persons; and at a time when little was known about the condition even in the medical community, contributed substantially to a greater understanding of those afflicted with it. Not all autistic people are so-called "savants" like Raymond, i.e. possess genial mathematic or other abilities within the shell separating them from the outside world (and conversely, not with all of them that shell is as thick as in Raymond's case; although intricate routines do tend to play a rather important role) - so don't go rushing off with them to Vegas for an exercise in "counting cards," at least not before you've verified that they can memorize entire phone books (at least up to the letter "G"), count the toothpicks in a pile on the floor with one glimpse of an eye and determine the square root of a four- or five-digit number within a matter of seconds without so much as looking at an electronic calculator. Chances are you'd do them tremendous harm, not to mention make a complete fool of yourself.

Dustin Hoffman reportedly fought hard for this movie's production even after several directors (including, inter alia, Stephen Spielberg) had bowed out; and in one of those rare un-Hollywood-like moments even managed to maintain the movie's sense of authenticity up to the very end by prevailing on the writers to drop the projected ending, which would have had Raymond staying with Charlie. - In addition to Hoffman's awards, "Rain Man" received the coveted Oscars for Best Movie, Best Original Screenplay and Best Director (Barry Levinson, who also played the psychiatrist called upon to evaluate whether Raymond is fit to stay with Charlie), plus a number of other American and international awards. For once, the industry collectively got it right. But even if this movie hadn't received a single award, it would still remain one of recent film history's greatest and truly unforgettable moments - definitely, it would.

246 toothpicks, "counting cards" and lessons in love.      5 von 5 Punkten
Have you ever had to communicate with someone on a different wavelength as you; for example because he speaks a foreign language and you don't have an interpreter, or because he is unable to communicate verbally at all, or maybe just because you keep misunderstanding each other? If so, you know what a frustrating experience it is to have virtually no control over the situation and over making sure that you're actually understood. And in precisely this situation finds himself Charlie Babbitt (Tom Cruise), personification of the 1980s' yuppie, a used car dealer with major money problems whose only - tentative - personal attachment is to his current girlfriend Susanna (Valeria Golino). Because having learned that except for a few rosebushes and a vintage 1949 Buick Roadmaster his recently-deceased father has left virtually all of his considerable fortune to his autistic brother Raymond (Dustin Hoffman) - a brother he didn't even know he had - Charlie decides to kidnap Raymond from the Cincinnati facility where he lives, take him to California, and demand half the inheritance in exchange for his brother's return.

Now, Charlie isn't the greatest communicator himself; at least as far as listening goes; he is used to talking people down, and if that alone doesn't do the trick, he starts to yell. This, however, just doesn't work with Raymond, who lives in a world of his own and, unable to express emotion in any other way, falls into a nervous tic when feeling threatened. So for the first time in his life Charlie has to learn to accept another human being for what he is, and work *with* his bewildering methods of communication rather than against them. And subtly, very subtly, Charlie begins to change, until at last he no longer wants to relinquish custody of Raymond even after having been offered a substantial amount of money: because now money is no longer an issue at all; now it's all about genuine love for a newly-found brother and very special person.

"Rain Man" is ostensibly told from Charlie's perspective; through his, the "normal" guy's eyes we perceive Raymond's habits, tics and strange behavioral code. And even if Charlie is easy enough to snub for his superficiality and materialism, his frustration at his inability to communicate with his brother feels genuine and is something we can empathize with(albeit perhaps inadmittedly). Tom Cruise plays Charlie with a finely-tuned mix of audacity and reluctant emotion; turning a role that seems to start out as just another Cruise cliche into a character who hesitantly comes to realize his own complexities and shortcomings and learns to appreciate sensitivity, compassion and love - yet, without ever taking the role that treacherous step too far into sentimentality.

Still, important as Charlie's character is for this movie's narrative, this is from first to last Raymond's story; and by the same token Dustin Hoffman's, because the two individuals are in fact inseparable: As Hoffman once explained in an interview, he rejects the notion that acting is merely about playing a role, or that the term "my character" could ever appropriately describe his approach to a role; emphasizing that in every part he plays, he truly has to *become* the individual in question to fully be able to understand and portray him. As such, his achievement with Raymond Babbitt is breathtaking indeed; for in a role which not only imposes severe limitations on his ability to communicate traditionally but also gives him virtually no opportunity to express emotion, he conveys Raymond's frailties, unexpected strengths and, significantly, his profound humanity in a manner that lets you forget you're even looking at a piece of acting, thus accomplishing that rare feat only attained by the greatest of actors - and even among Dustin Hoffman's spectacular performances, this one stands out in particular. (He did, of course, win both the Oscar and the Golden Globe for this movie; but somehow even the industry's highest awards don't begin to express the significance of his achievement.)

Raymond Babbitt's character was based on several real-life autistic persons; and at a time when little was known about the condition even in the medical community, contributed substantially to a greater understanding of those afflicted with it. Not all autistic people are so-called "savants" like Raymond, i.e. possess genial mathematic or other abilities within the shell separating them from the outside world (and conversely, not with all of them that shell is as thick as in Raymond's case; although intricate routines do tend to play a rather important role) - so don't go rushing off with them to Vegas for an exercise in "counting cards," at least not before you've verified that they can memorize entire phone books (at least up to the letter "G"), count the toothpicks in a pile on the floor with one glimpse of an eye and determine the square root of a four- or five-digit number within a matter of seconds without so much as looking at an electronic calculator. Chances are you'd do them tremendous harm, not to mention make a complete fool of yourself.

Dustin Hoffman reportedly fought hard for this movie's production even after several directors (including, inter alia, Stephen Spielberg) had bowed out; and in one of those rare un-Hollywood-like moments even managed to maintain the movie's sense of authenticity up to the very end by prevailing on the writers to drop the projected ending, which would have had Raymond staying with Charlie. - In addition to Hoffman's awards, "Rain Man" received the coveted Oscars for Best Movie, Best Original Screenplay and Best Director (Barry Levinson, who also played the psychiatrist called upon to evaluate whether Raymond is fit to stay with Charlie), plus a number of other American and international awards. For once, the industry collectively got it right. But even if this movie hadn't received a single award, it would still remain one of recent film history's greatest and truly unforgettable moments - definitely, it would.

Der beste Film aller Zeiten      5 von 5 Punkten
Natürlich gibt es Filme die mehr Oscars gewonnen haben, aber dass muss nicht immer was heißen. So gibt es in diesem Film soweit ich keinen einzigen Special-Effect und trotzdem bin ich der Meinung das Rain Man der beste Film aller Zeiten ist, der zusätzlich auch noch den besten Schauspieler aller Zeiten (Dustin Hoffman) bieten kann. Die Geschichte, die sich um die Brüder Charlie & Raymond Babbit, hat Humor, Dramatik und den Oscar für den besten Film. Unbedingt zu empfehlen für jederman!

Immer wenn ich traurig war kam der Rain Man      5 von 5 Punkten
Es ist wahrhaftig einer der wenigen Filme wo man sagen kann , man fühlt es richtig ab einem gewissen Moment oder ab einer gewissen Stelle was in den einzelnen Personen vorgeht.

Es ist wirklich schwierig in einem richtig guten Film diese Gefühle einzelner Personen gut dar zu stellen aber in diesem Film ist es wahrhaftig gelungen.

Für alle die mal einen Moment aus dieser bitteren und schrecklichen realen Welt entfliehen wollen ist der Rain Man
so etwas wie Medizin , Medizin in diesem sinne weil es zeigt wie wir Menschen sind und wie wir sein können wenn wir merken das da mehr ist.

Dieser Film kann so viel geben      5 von 5 Punkten
Dieser Film kann einem so viel geben. Er ist eine Informationsveranstaltung in Sachen Autismus (was haben wir schon vor diesem Film darüber gewußt...?). Er ist ein Familiendrama. Er ist ein Film über Liebe, Enttäuschung, Treue, Aggression und den Frieden danach. Und er war der große Durchbruch für den deutschen Mega-Hollywood-Filmkomponisten Hans Zimmer. Ich könnte noch viel schreiben. Wer diesen Film nicht kennt, hat Wesentliches der Filmgeschichte verpaßt. Das muß reichen.

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Auf jeden Fall zeigt uns dieser Film wieder recht deutlich, dass das amerikanische Rechtssystem eine andere Welt ist. Millionen Dollar Entschädigungen gehen nicht nur an die Hinterbliebenen kranker Raucher sondern hier an die Witwe eines durch leichfertigen Waffengebrauchs getöteten Immobilienmaklers. Die Anwälte sind in diesen Prozessen die großen Stars im Vordergrund, unterstützt von den Jury Beratern im Hintergrund. Und sind die Geschworenen der Jury wirklich die unbestechlichen, zufällig ausgewählten, demokratisch legitimierten „Durchschnittsbürger"? Um diese Frage geht es im Wesentlichen in diesem Film.

Ein Geschäftsmann und all seine Mitarbeiter wurden bei einem Amoklauf erschossen. Die Witwe engagiert den kompetenten Anwalt Wendell Rohr (Dustin Hoffman) um die Herstellerfirma der Schusswaffen zu verklagen. Die Bosse der einflussreichen Waffenmafia engagieren neben einem gewitzten Verteidiger den Jury- Berater Fitch (Gene Hackman), eine zwielichtige Person, mit allen Wassern gewaschen, Top-organisiert. Dieser Film sehr anschaulich das Phänomen der amerikanischen Jury-Berater. Das sind Strategen beider Seiten, der Anklage wie der Verteidigung. Man heuert sie für viel Geld an, sie sollen sich mit ihren profunden Kenntnissen auf den Gebieten Soziologie, Psychologie und Menschenkenntnis in die Gedankengänge der 12 Geschworenen „einklicken". Sie werden engagiert, um die „passende" Jury aus der Auswahlliste der angereisten Schöffen herauszufiltern. An der Auswahl der Geschworenen beteiligen sich Klägerin und Beklagte, das ist normale Prozeßroutine. Danach erwartet man eine geschickte Prozess-Strategie, die schließlich zu dem gewünschten Urteil führt. Dabei schrecken sie auch nicht davor zurück bei ihren Mitteln bis an die Verletzung der Privatsphäre zu gehen. Die Gefahr liegt auch bei den Anwälten die sie engagieren, denn legale Beratung soll schließlich die Integrität des Rechtstaates sicherstellen und die Beeinflussung der Jury möglichst verweiden. Das Motto von Rankin Fitch:" Gerichtsurteile sind zu wichtig, um sie Geschworenen zu überlassen".

Es sieht bald so aus, als liefe die Jury trotz aller Bemühungen der Anwälte, der Prozeßberater und des Richters aus dem Ruder. Einzelne Mitglieder der Jury fühlen sich - außerhalb des Gerichtssaals- beobachtet, verfolgt und gedemütigt. Der Richter sieht sich genötigt die Geschworenen von der Außenwelt abzuschotten; er sperrt sie in einem entfernten Motel ein.

Doch Anklage und Verteidigung müssen trotzdem bald erkennen, dass der „Geschworene Nummer 9" Nick Easter (John Cusack) sich in die Jury eingeschmuggelt hat und seine eigenen Interessen verfolgt, das Urteil in jede Richtung lenken kann und gemeinsam mit der mysteriösen Marlee (Rachel Weisz)ein doppeltes Spiel treibt. Was geschieht mit der Jury? Wir sie von außen gelenkt und manipuliert? Zu wessen Gunsten?

Ein spannender Gerichtsthriller, mit großartigem Schlagabtausch zwischen Dustin Hoffman und Gene Hackman - eine Klasse für sich-, und einem überraschenden Ausgang. Die Antwort auf die offenen Fragen erhält der Zuschauer erst mit dem Urteil.

Now, Charlie isn't the greatest communicator himself; at least as far as listening goes; he is used to talking people down, and if that alone doesn't do the trick, he starts to yell. This, however, just doesn't work with Raymond, who lives in a world of his own and, unable to express emotion in any other way, falls into a nervous tic when feeling threatened. So for the first time in his life Charlie has to learn to accept another human being for what he is, and work *with* his bewildering methods of communication rather than against them. And subtly, very subtly, Charlie begins to change, until at last he no longer wants to relinquish custody of Raymond even after having been offered a substantial amount of money: because now money is no longer an issue at all; now it's all about genuine love for a newly-found brother and very special person.

"Rain Man" is ostensibly told from Charlie's perspective; through his, the "normal" guy's eyes we perceive Raymond's habits, tics and strange behavioral code. And even if Charlie is easy enough to snub for his superficiality and materialism, his frustration at his inability to communicate with his brother feels genuine and is something we can empathize with(albeit perhaps inadmittedly). Tom Cruise plays Charlie with a finely-tuned mix of audacity and reluctant emotion; turning a role that seems to start out as just another Cruise cliche into a character who hesitantly comes to realize his own complexities and shortcomings and learns to appreciate sensitivity, compassion and love - yet, without ever taking the role that treacherous step too far into sentimentality.

Still, important as Charlie's character is for this movie's narrative, this is from first to last Raymond's story; and by the same token Dustin Hoffman's, because the two individuals are in fact inseparable: As Hoffman once explained in an interview, he rejects the notion that acting is merely about playing a role, or that the term "my character" could ever appropriately describe his approach to a role; emphasizing that in every part he plays, he truly has to *become* the individual in question to fully be able to understand and portray him. As such, his achievement with Raymond Babbitt is breathtaking indeed; for in a role which not only imposes severe limitations on his ability to communicate traditionally but also gives him virtually no opportunity to express emotion, he conveys Raymond's frailties, unexpected strengths and, significantly, his profound humanity in a manner that lets you forget you're even looking at a piece of acting, thus accomplishing that rare feat only attained by the greatest of actors - and even among Dustin Hoffman's spectacular performances, this one stands out in particular. (He did, of course, win both the Oscar and the Golden Globe for this movie; but somehow even the industry's highest awards don't begin to express the significance of his achievement.)

Raymond Babbitt's character was based on several real-life autistic persons; and at a time when little was known about the condition even in the medical community, contributed substantially to a greater understanding of those afflicted with it. Not all autistic people are so-called "savants" like Raymond, i.e. possess genial mathematic or other abilities within the shell separating them from the outside world (and conversely, not with all of them that shell is as thick as in Raymond's case; although intricate routines do tend to play a rather important role) - so don't go rushing off with them to Vegas for an exercise in "counting cards," at least not before you've verified that they can memorize entire phone books (at least up to the letter "G"), count the toothpicks in a pile on the floor with one glimpse of an eye and determine the square root of a four- or five-digit number within a matter of seconds without so much as looking at an electronic calculator. Chances are you'd do them tremendous harm, not to mention make a complete fool of yourself.

Dustin Hoffman reportedly fought hard for this movie's production even after several directors (including, inter alia, Stephen Spielberg) had bowed out; and in one of those rare un-Hollywood-like moments even managed to maintain the movie's sense of authenticity up to the very end by prevailing on the writers to drop the projected ending, which would have had Raymond staying with Charlie. - In addition to Hoffman's awards, "Rain Man" received the coveted Oscars for Best Movie, Best Original Screenplay and Best Director (Barry Levinson, who also played the psychiatrist called upon to evaluate whether Raymond is fit to stay with Charlie), plus a number of other American and international awards. For once, the industry collectively got it right. But even if this movie hadn't received a single award, it would still remain one of recent film history's greatest and truly unforgettable moments - definitely, it would.

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