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IMDbPro

The Rainmaker

  • 19971997
  • PG-13PG-13
  • 2h 15m
IMDb RATING
7.2/10
73K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
2,196
197
Matt Damon and Danny DeVito in The Rainmaker (1997)
Trailer
Play trailer0:30
1 Video
34 Photos
  • Crime
  • Drama
  • Thriller
An underdog lawyer takes on a fraudulent insurance company.An underdog lawyer takes on a fraudulent insurance company.An underdog lawyer takes on a fraudulent insurance company.
IMDb RATING
7.2/10
73K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
2,196
197
  • Director
    • Francis Ford Coppola
  • Writers
    • John Grisham(novel)
    • Francis Ford Coppola(screenplay)
    • Michael Herr(narration)
  • Stars
    • Matt Damon
    • Danny DeVito
    • Claire Danes
Top credits
  • Director
    • Francis Ford Coppola
  • Writers
    • John Grisham(novel)
    • Francis Ford Coppola(screenplay)
    • Michael Herr(narration)
  • Stars
    • Matt Damon
    • Danny DeVito
    • Claire Danes
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 184User reviews
    • 96Critic reviews
    • 72Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 2 wins & 10 nominations

    Videos1

    The Rainmaker
    Trailer 0:30
    The Rainmaker

    Photos34

    Matt Damon in The Rainmaker (1997)
    Matt Damon and Mary Kay Place in The Rainmaker (1997)
    Matt Damon in The Rainmaker (1997)
    Matt Damon in The Rainmaker (1997)
    Matt Damon at an event for The Rainmaker (1997)
    Matt Damon at an event for The Rainmaker (1997)
    Danny DeVito and Rhea Perlman at an event for The Rainmaker (1997)
    Andy Garcia and Marivi Lorido Garcia at an event for The Rainmaker (1997)
    Dennis Hopper and Victoria Duffy at an event for The Rainmaker (1997)
    Mickey Rourke at an event for The Rainmaker (1997)
    Mickey Rourke at an event for The Rainmaker (1997)
    Mickey Rourke at an event for The Rainmaker (1997)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Matt Damon
    Matt Damon
    • Rudy Baylor
    Danny DeVito
    Danny DeVito
    • Deck Shifflet
    Claire Danes
    Claire Danes
    • Kelly Riker
    Jon Voight
    Jon Voight
    • Leo F. Drummond
    Mary Kay Place
    Mary Kay Place
    • Dot Black
    Dean Stockwell
    Dean Stockwell
    • Judge Harvey Hale
    Teresa Wright
    Teresa Wright
    • Miss Birdie
    Virginia Madsen
    Virginia Madsen
    • Jackie Lemancyzk
    Mickey Rourke
    Mickey Rourke
    • Bruiser Stone
    Andrew Shue
    Andrew Shue
    • Cliff Riker
    Red West
    Red West
    • Buddy Black
    Johnny Whitworth
    Johnny Whitworth
    • Donny Ray Black
    Wayne Emmons
    • Prince Thomas
    Adrian Roberts
    Adrian Roberts
    • Butch
    Roy Scheider
    Roy Scheider
    • Wilfred Keeley
    Randy Travis
    Randy Travis
    • Billy Porter
    Michael Girardin
    • Everett Lufkin
    Randall King
    • Jack Underhall
    • Director
      • Francis Ford Coppola
    • Writers
      • John Grisham(novel)
      • Francis Ford Coppola(screenplay)
      • Michael Herr(narration)
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The scene where Danny DeVito wakes up Matt Damon on the bench was filmed hurriedly, surprising Damon, who had actually fallen asleep after a scene.
    • Goofs
      The supposed Luxor Hotel claimed in a previous entry is erroneous; in some background shots the building is actually the Pyramid in downtown Memphis.
    • Quotes

      Rudy Baylor: What's the difference between a lawyer and a hooker? A hooker'll stop screwing you when you're dead.

    • Crazy credits
      There is a credit for "Poet in Residence".
    • Alternate versions
      Original theatrical and VHS releases had the 1987 Paramount logo, while the DVD and Blu-Ray prints as well as later TV prints had the 2003 Paramount logo.
    • Connections
      Featured in At the Movies: The Jackal/Anastasia/The Man Who Knew Too Little/One Night Stand/The Tango Lesson/Kiss or Kill (1997)
    • Soundtracks
      Woman You Must Be Crazy
      Written by T-Bone Walker

      Performed by Big Joe Turner

      Courtesy of Fantasy, Inc.

    User reviews184

    Review
    Top review
    9/10
    Vastly under-appreciated film
    This movie is not a movie that makes you think. It's not arty, there are no Corleones, there's really no issues to ponder long after the credits have stopped rolling. Instead it's a human drama that uses a courtroom battle as its backbone, but the entire body is the honestly-told if ultimately remarkable of a greenhorn lawyer trying to make a life for himself after law school. Like the more recent "Garden State" the movie is far more interesting than one would initially expect.

    I recently read the Grisham novel that the screenplay was adapted from and was impressed by the memorable cast of the characters. The corrupt-and-loving-it Prince and Bruiser, Deck Shiflett as the skeezy "paralawyer" who scrapes out a living with an amusing lack of self-consciousness, the bitter-tempered first judge and his pioneering, biased black successor, the politely patronizing and puffed-up Legal Titan Leo Drummond, Cliff and his straight-from-Deliverance hillbilly family, lonely and slightly bossy Miss Birdie, chain-smoking Dot and her addled husband, all of them set a standard for memorable but believable characters.

    Yet the movie is itself a cut or two above the original material. The extended cast does a hands-down fantastic job of bringing each character to life. First billing has to go to Danny Devito for transforming Deck from Rudy's unscrupulous and ugly sidekick in the novel, into a more take-charge and casually hilarious partner. Just take a look at the scene where he leads Rudy into the hospital or when he's giving out his card to the kids in Dot's neighborhood. But that's just one of about twenty stellar acting jobs. The extended cast includes Danny Glover, Jon Voight, Claire Danes, Mickey Rourke (yes!), Virginia Madsen, and a handful of other talented but lesser-known actors who show their absolute best through the skillful lens of Coppola.

    Besides the stellar job by the cast, the story is tweaked to absolute perfection. Whether it's the Coppola magic or an excellent adaptation and editing job, I see a transformation similar to his triumph with "The Godfather": an absorbing but complex and sometimes rambling story is condensed into its absolute essence. Not a single shot is out of place.

    Something else struck me about this adaptation -- it reminds me of Peter Jackson's LOTR in the way comic moments are used to balance out the weightiness of the main plot. For example: in LOTR Merry and Pippin set off Gandalf's dragon fireworks, or in the second movie Gimli can't see over the parapet towards the advancing Uruk-hai, or in the third movie Sam and Gollum have their argument over the proper preparation of rabbits and 'taters and Gandalf instructs Pippin to keep his big mouth shut before they enter the hall of Minas Tirith. Likewise "The Rainmaker" has its little touches of humor as well, from the sardonic lawyer jokes in Rudy's voice-over, to the scene where Deck fake-helpfully hands over Drummond's lost shoe after he's been assaulted by an angry juror, to Rudy's red-faced apology to the car accident victim in traction whom he has accidentally jostled, to Madsen's laconic yet particularly devoted husband Bert. ("Guess who DIED last night?" "...Do you ever sleep?") There is anxiety during Kelly's return to her house, the suspense of the bug showdown, the pathos of Rudy's final speech: all these combine with the lighter moments to balance each other like a film version of Pickapeppa sauce.

    Who could have ever guessed that a Grisham novel could be so perfectly adapted to the screen?! Just try watching the "Pelican Brief" afterward for comparison. My hat is off to Coppola, his cast, and everyone else who contributed to this understated masterwork.
    helpful•63
    9
    • tragic_slider
    • Mar 12, 2006

    FAQ4

    • Why did Danny Glover not receive a credit for his performance?His part was hardly a cameo, it was substantial, and he was nominated for an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture.
    • What does the title "The Rainmaker" mean?
    • What is this movie based on?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • November 21, 1997 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • United States
      • Germany
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • John Grisham's The Rainmaker
    • Filming locations
      • Memphis, Tennessee, USA
    • Production companies
      • Constellation Entertainment
      • Douglas/Reuther Productions
      • American Zoetrope
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $40,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $45,916,769
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $10,626,507
      • Nov 23, 1997
    • Gross worldwide
      • $45,916,769
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 15 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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