When It Rains, It Scores
Dr. Daniel's review of The Rainmaker

medical miracle

Starring Matt Damon, Claire Danes, Jon Voight, Mary Kay Place, Mickey Rourke, Danny DeVito, Dean Stockwell, Teresa Wright, Virginia Madsen, Andrew Shue, Red West, Roy Scheider, Randy Travis, Danny Glover.

Directed by Francis Ford Coppola. Rated PG-13.

    Okay, here's the deal. It's been a long time since any movie about lawyers made me feel good about life. Given my past history with attorneys, that shouldn't be too surprising. My buddy J. Burton Puckett, esq., is about the only real lawyer I trust, mainly because I owe him more money than anyone else, but J. Burton isn't going to grace any big screens any time soon. If I had to pick a screen lawyer for a real-life lawyer, I'd want Paul Newman from The Verdict or Al Pacino from ...And Justice For All. Not that they were fine examples of the profession, but 'cause they were passionate about something other than cash. If I was in a serious bind, I'd want Gregory Peck from To Kill a Mockingbird. If it was a problem of a darker nature, give me Robert Duvall from The Godfather. I know any of my ex-wives deserve a horse head in the bed.
   Most of the "lawyer" movies today want to glamorize the work, the "L.A. Law" spin on the practice. The suits, the cars, the sleaze. And, Hollywood seems to like this version, maybe because no one wants to tick off a Hollywood lawyer. I still remember the cheers, and the resulting stink-storm from lawyers, when Spielberg allowed that ol' nasty T-rex to chomp that 'torney hiding in the pot in J-Park.
   And, then, along came John Grisham, and he made us care about lawyers. His books always focus on lawyers and the practice of law. But, while Hollywood has made the books into movies, none have really captured the essence of Grisham's idea, that lawyers are people, too. That is, until now.
   And, wonder of wonders, it took the resurgent genius of Francis Ford Coppola to make the best film based on a Grisham book. The Rainmaker focuses on Rudy Baylor played by Matt Damon. He's a small-fish lawyer, fresh out of small-pond law school. He doesn't have the connections to get on with some big firm, and winds up chasing personal injury suits in the rough side of Memphis, Tennessee. His boss, Bruiser Stone (Mickey Rourke), is dodging the law himself, due to some shady dealings, and Bruiser's only other assistant, Deck Shifflet (Danny DeVito) is a self-proclaimed "Paralawyer," meaning he never passed the bar. Through Deck's tutelage, Rudy learns the ins and outs of ambulance chasing and signing up pigeons for quick insurance settlements. That is, until he stumbles into Dot and Buddy Black (Mary Kay Place and Red West), whose son, Donny Ray (Johnny Whitworth) is dying from leukemia because his insurance company won't pay for treatment.
   This could've been a typical David and Goliath story, but Coppola, through Grisham, was wiser. Rudy is surrounded by wonderful supporting characters, plucked deep from Coppola's magic character-actor hat. Matt Damon is a fine up-and-coming actor who's destined for greatness, but, here, the sheen comes from both his own talent and the talent of his co-stars, all of whom know how to work a script for everything it can offer. Along with Rourke, DeVito, and Place, mix in Danny Glover as a sympathetic judge, Dean Stockwell as a miserable tyrant of a judge, Jon Voight as the opposing lawyer for the insurance company, Roy Scheider as the company's CEO, and Virginia Masden as a surprise witness. With these names, you could imagine this movie drowning in its own star pool, but Coppola has always been the master of giving out smaller parts to big actors without killing his story. Even when the subplot of an abused girl that Rudy is falling for is mixed in, Coppola gives another star turn to the wonderful Claire Danes, who grabs attention without stealing a scene.
   The best thing about this movie is the tone of the story, set up by Grisham and maintained by Coppola. Rudy isn't some hotshot young lawyer, he's an Everyman. He isn't even sure he still wants to be a lawyer. His self-doubt and loathing for the profession he's chosen make him all the easier for us to sympathize with. He's having to fight an uphill battle against a billion-dollar insurance company and a team of high-powered legal eagles, and his only support is Deck, a back-room champion who lives to dig through paperwork and find the loopholes.
   The plot itself strikes the right chords: little guy vs. big guy; love conquering adversity; justice for the downtrodden; all that happy crappy you could find everywhere. Credit Coppola with striving to keep the confident cool of the pacing and not letting any part of the story bog down under preachy speeches or sappy emotional tugs. Rather, this movie flows like a Grisham book. It starts easy, and digs in gradually until it hooks you, and calmly reels you in. This formula has sold a slew of books for Grisham, and works well as a movie for Coppola.
   Also, thankfully, this story is about a nobody, a little fish in a big pond. This detail allows Coppola to cast a hard-working but lesser-known actor like Damon rather than a Tom Cruise or a Christian Slater. The role of Rudy had to be played like a nobody, someone struggling to make it to the top. Who better to play a struggling young lawyer than a struggling young actor? Could anyone really buy Cruise or Slater as a nobody, a lackey for a sleazy lawyer who lucks up into the case of a lifetime? Not hardly.
   I would hesitate to call the movie perfect, but it's truly a miracle. The balancing of a bunch of heavy hitter-actors, the intricacies of the story, the standard limitations of a courtroom drama, all could have been pitfalls for The Rainmaker. And all are neatly avoided by The Great One. Sir Francis, we missed you, my friend. Welcome back to greatness, pal.
   If you can cast aside all the holiday shopping for a few hours, paddle on over toward The Rainmaker. It's been a long time since a movie was this genuinely entertaining without sinking in its own hype. The low-profile publicity campaign helped it, I think, by not setting outrageous goals and warped expectations. Instead, the studio marketing gurus decided to let this thing sink or swim on its own merits. And, believe me, this one will be bobbin' about come February, if you know what I mean.