Rain Man

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I'm certain that this movie has been discussed before, but I couldn't help starting a thread about it.

I watched it yesterday and I'm sort of divided about it. I definitely wouldn't call it a bad movie, but it was distressing. I think I understand now what people mean when they say that Raymond has every autistic problem imaginable. I also have a feeling that this film stereotypes autism to a great extent.

I wondered what were everyone's thoughts about it.

I've never seen it, partly because I think it will make me sad. Partly because everyone says it's too much of a stereotype. But I suppose I really should see it for myself to decide.

He talks more than me.

The movie is not based on a common stereotype, but one savant individual, Kim Peek. There's a documentary about him, which can be viewed here. Knowing this, I think Rain Man is a fair characterization. But I have some doubts about just calling him an autistic in the movie. I don't recall that they called him a savant anywhere in the movie, but I may be wrong. I'm not a savant myself (:

I think that the film also brings a lot of stereotypes, as well. I've had people presume that I'm exactly like him, until I've told them where to go, and how to get there.

I watched this movie long before I knew I was Autistic and always admired "Raymond's" absolute refusal to do what ever he didn't want to do. I mean, he didn't worry about being 'accepted' or 'thought weird' about what he was doing. He had no 'grey areas' of inner issues of being socialized. He just didn't care or had no capacity to care about how he appeared to others!
I admired that, and if it was just a feature of the profundity of his Autism, I long for that, no, I CRAVE that profundity!

The hardest part of my AS is being aware of it. If I wern't aware of it, but just WAS, like Rainman WAS ( I am not suggesting I need to be a savant, I am just saying the depth of his autism) it would be so much easier on me. Probably not to those who would then have to care for me, though.

Merle

I didn't mind it. I felt like I could relate to Ray in some ways, even if he was an extreme example of autism. Plus, from what I understand, it came out before autism was understood like it is today.

It’s is a dramatization, so it’ll overtly…obtusely show the disorder in a light that those who don’t understand the disorder will see; much like the popular television series “Monk” where the camera completely focuses on his compulsions so we won’t miss them…and he verbalizes a lot of what he obsesses over so we know what he is thinking. Where in reality those with OCD hide their pain exceptionally well....

It’s not a mistruth rather it’s an accentuation of the truth to pander to the majority who’ll never experience an autistic individual; my mother even does it…’…you’re not as bad as Rain Man!’ Then I tell her to visualize what I’d be like if I actually spoke verbally to people…she then sees it.

I think it's a bit of a no-win situation in many ways, for many people wanting to make movies about realistic characters. If Raymond was not enough like autistic people, then audiences would be saying "he doesn't relate at all." But if he's lots like autistic people, they accuse of stereotyping.

I don't think he's a stereotype. The problem doesn't lie in stereotyping that character, but rather in the lack of understanding of autism -- which meant that people's reaction led to the character of Raymond feeding into the generalised stereotypical perception. So, these days -- because people hear "autism" and think "Rain Man" -- of course, we are likely to look at this film and think that Raymond is a stereotype.

Interesting fact: Did you know that QANTAS was the only airline to show "Rain Man" inflight? (Wonder why...)

I think it could clear up a bit to point out that Rain Man wasn't based on an autistic, although in the final draft of the script, they had added some autistic traits ot the character and changed Raymond from an savant to an autistic savant. Originally he was based on a non-autistic savant, Kim Peek, who was born with only one hemisphere of his brain. While sometimes referred to as an autistic, Kim is not truly an autistic savant, but simply a savant, meaning he's extraordinarily gifted in one area, yet has considerable developmental problems in all other areas. Kim cannot dress himself or care for himself, and is completely dependant on others. However, socially, Kim is fairly outgoing, friendly and can reciprocate readily and easily in social situations, almost like someone with Williams Syndrome rather than autism.

Here's a site about Kim and his relationships with the Rain Man movie: http://www.wisconsinmedicalsociety.org/ ... impeek.cfm

I think it was Dustin Hoffman who came upon autistic people in his research and so decided that Raymond could/would be autistic.

It was mentioned in the film that he was a savant, however people typically adopted Raymond Babbit as the stereotypical autistic person.

It was the documentary on autism at the end of the DVD of that film that first gave me an inkling I might be autistic. My then-boyfriend turned to me and said that it sounded like me. However, I didn't actually find out about AS or explore it until later.

In 'I Am Sam' Sam is very similar to Raymond Babbit, which kind of ruined the film for me, although I still though it was quite good. He is described as having autism or autistic traits during the court trial. I'm not sure how it was said, though.

I don't recall whether they ever used the word autistic in the movie, but I saw a DVD of it in a store yesterday, and they used the word in the blurb on the back.