As the movie begins, you are not yet introduced to Raymond, the Rain Man played by Dustin Hoffman, but you are to Charlie, played by Tom Cruise. You begin to understand that Charlie is a person that does everything for personal gain and nothing for anyone else. He does not value his girlfriend, co-worker, or family. His life consists of keeping his business afloat through constant troubles that plague him the entire movie. However, as soon as his father dies, his life changes in a major way.
Wanting a share of the $3 million his father left someone else, he goes in search of the beneficiary to claim his half of the fortune. When he finds out that the money went to his autistic brother, he kidnaps him and holds him for a ransom of his $1.5 million he feels he deserves. The first couple of days are rough as Charlie does not anticipate the needs that Raymond demands, and the tantrums that Raymond throws when his usual routine is broken. But, as the movie progresses, you begin to see a transformation in Charlie. With little actions such as buying Raymond a portable TV to watch Jeopardy and moving Raymond's bed next to the window in every motel room they stay in, you begin to see Charlie care for his brother. You begin to see him love and hold someone's needs above his own. Charlie even says, "What you have to understand is, four days ago he was only my brother in name. And this morning we had pancakes."
In the end, reality catches up with Charlie and Raymond when the institution that Charlie took Raymond from finds them and wins custody of Raymond back. With an emotional final scene at the train station, the unconditional love between Charlie and Raymond not only changed Charlie for the better, but also helped Raymond to truly love another human being as well. His attachment is noticeable when he says, "C-H-A-R-L-I-E, my main man." He begins to show signs that he could live a normal life with Charlie, but is taken away before that is possible. The last scene is what hit me the hardest. With each second that passed and every foot the train traveled from the station, I could not stand to know that their relationship was going to be taken away.
Thinking into the future, I do not know how I would do as a father for a child with autism. I know that no matter what my children will be, I will love them to the ends of the earth and beyond, but I also know having an autistic child would be a challenge. I watch shows like Parenthood on NBC in which a character is an autistic child, and I wonder if I would be blessed with the patience to give my child the love they deserve. I have this idea of my children as people that I can play sports and have long talks with, but with autism, those activities would be more difficult to do. To think that I would not be able to do these things with my children would be a large blow to me, but I have to realize that parenthood is so much more than just what I want. It is about caring for your child the best that you possibly can, and provide the best life for them that you can. When I think about it like that, I am optimistic about my future children, no matter the deficiencies, if any, they might have. Charlie realized that at the end of "Rain Man" too. He knew that loving someone was more about them than it is about you, and this truth is something I look forward to sharing with my fiance, Amy Backes, and our future children.
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