poetcomic1 The French have a word 'frisson' for that delicious little moment that makes you laugh aloud with joy either in life or in a film. I guess that is what makes me watch this film over and over. The moment that Jon Voigt the big shot lawyer finds he has been tricked with a phone call. When Kelly gives her sadistic creep of a husband the final 'coup de grace' and several dozen delicious moments with Danny DeVito. Devito joins the list of greatest character actors of all time - the ones who made the classic films so great in the thirties and forties. Mary Kay Place is outstanding but her artistry is so 'invisible' and perfect she becomes Mrs. Black and we forget to even think of her as an actor.This is my favorite Matt Damon movie and it is obvious that Coppola has a firm grip on all his 'mannerisms' and keeps him in the role. Matt has a bad habit of making bedroom eyes at everything in some films. Of course it is a treat to see the great Teresa Wright playing a affectionately written and performed portrait. Mickey Rourke was perfectly sleazy and had a voice like sin.The set designs are outstanding, especially the Black family home. The direction by Coppola is brisk, invisible and exquisitely timed so that it never flags.

namashi_1 Based on the 1995 novel of the same name by John Grisham, Francis Ford Coppola's 'The Rainmaker' is An Enjoyable Drama, that also features a Fantastic Performance by Matt Damon. The Adapted Screenplay is strong & Damon nails it as the idealistic young lawyer. 'The Rainmaker' Synopsis: An idealistic young lawyer and his cynical partner take on a powerful law firm representing a corrupt insurance company.'The Rainmaker' tells the story of an underdog, most believably. The protagonist's journey along-with some strong supporting characters, comes out memorable & extremely engaging. Also, the pace is nicely maintained. Coppola's Adapted Screenplay & Direction, both, are superb. The Legendary Filmmaker is at the top of his game, yet again! Cinematography is good. Editing is very sharp. Art & Costume Design are credible. Performance-Wise: Matt Damon is the life of 'The Rainmaker'. Definitely, among his best performances to date. Claire Danes supports Damon, wonderfully. Danny DeVito is first-rate. Jon Voight is in command, enacting the corrupted lawyer with effortless ease. Mary Kay Place is impressive. Mickey Rourke is alright. Danny Glover is restrained. Late/Great Roy Scheider & Late/Great Teresa Wright are tremendous. On the whole, 'The Rainmaker' works big time!

HelenMary Lets start at the beginning; any film based on a John Grisham book has a head start in terms of plot. This is no exception. The Rainmaker is a very good story about a newly qualified lawyer who takes on a multi-billion insurance company for the family of a young man dying of leukaemia. Exciting stuff with a pleasing if slightly simplified end, but a entertaining law-procedural plot. Enter, the amazing acting talent of Matt Damon. He was excellent in this film, measured, quietly strong and believable up against the arrogance of his opposite number Jon Voight for the Insurance Company. Also, Danny DeVito was good, and he and Damon seemed to work well together. Some of the make up special effects were a little poor. Aside from the main characters, some of the acting wasn't deep or developed enough but were generally good but the actual production of the film was lacking something. The sound quality was bad, there seems to be pauses in the action, and some continuity and pacing issues. The film feels amateurish and low budget. Coppola, who directed, clearly wanted a grim and grey feel to the film, which I think he achieved but it didn't make it look that good. However, it is Damon and DeVito and the story that carries this film and that is what you are invested in with a John Grisham film. Definitely highly entertaining.

Steve Schreiber With everyone today using buzz words to talk about health care legislation, this is a novel about a health insurance company scamming policyholders by refusing claims that is adapted to a screenplay for a movie that was written and filmed years before reform was on the horizon. It is extremely forward thinking for its time.The Rainmaker, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, wasn't a beautifully shot movie but it was executed well. This film holds up as it does not feel dated like many movies released around the same time. There are some movies you can tell when they came out and this is one of those films that ages very well as are not many outdated styles shown and the film was shot in a way that doesn't feel dated. By that, I mean that some movies released around that time had the same feel to them and this one felt much more like it was being played through a storyteller's eyes. There wasn't much flair involved in the filming but it didn't need that. Nothing was creative about the way it was shot but it worked.The casting of this film was great as each player delivers a fantastic performance top to bottom. A perfect example of this is that Dean Stockwell is only in this film for a short period of time and he delivers quite a performance given the limited amount of time on screen. Matt Damon works as the do-good attorney in a sea of snakes. Danny DeVito is about as good as he gets in this film. Coppola could have done a bit more with the framing of the film to work with DeVito's size but that is the only problem with the performance.The movie isn't perfect because there are quite a few issues with certain lines and regardless of how good DeVito and Voight are, there are some cheesy and predictable lines that they are forced to deliver that drag the movie down a little. The film could have done more with the given novel it had to work with but there is only so much that can be done to adapt a novel into a film. It will never be a perfect interpretation of the novel unless this film was done in the same way as The Stand or The Hobbit. You cannot please everyone and I think The Rainmaker did a good job with this story.