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John Grisham's The Rainmaker

Play trailer 2:26 Poster for John Grisham's The Rainmaker PG-13 1997 2h 15m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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82% Tomatometer 60 Reviews 78% Popcornmeter 25,000+ Ratings
Struggling new attorney Rudy Baylor (Matt Damon) resorts to working for a shady lawyer (Mickey Rourke), where he meets paralegal Deck Shifflet (Danny DeVito). When the insurance company of Dot Black (Mary Kay Place) refuses her dying son coverage, Baylor and Shifflet team up to fight the corrupt corporation, taking on its callous lawyer (Jon Voight). Meanwhile, Baylor becomes involved with Kelly Riker (Claire Danes), an abused wife, whose husband complicates matters when he confronts Baylor.
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John Grisham's The Rainmaker

John Grisham's The Rainmaker

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Critics Consensus

Invigorated by its talented cast and Francis Ford Coppola's strong direction, The Rainmaker is a satisfying legal drama -- and arguably the best of Hollywood's many John Grisham adaptations.

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Critics Reviews

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Martin Hoyle Financial Times 01/20/2023
The Rainmaker is a formulaic potboiler, decently acted, notably by Mickey Rourke... and Jon Voight. Go to Full Review
Geoff Brown The Times (UK) 01/20/2023
The style of direction is relatively impersonal, but Coppola gets the job done, making the most of the Memphis locations and letting humor and compassion flourish; the film's unforced sympathy for the underprivileged is one of its biggest pleasures. Go to Full Review
David Ansen Newsweek 03/05/2018
A wonderfully quirky cast under Francis Ford Coppola's direction makes this one of the more enjoyable Grisham movies. Go to Full Review
Jason Caro Radio Times Apr 1
4/5
Grisham's scenarios often feel contrived and mechanical, but with Coppola forgoing the usual serpentine plotting in favour of emotional depth and well-rounded characters, this is courtroom cinema at its very best. Go to Full Review
Megan Fisher Loud and Clear Reviews Jan 11
The Rainmaker is a little slow to get started, and the Damon and Claire Danes relationship perhaps didn’t need to turn romantic, but once it gets to the courtroom and surprise witnesses are being called it’s hard not to be enthralled. Go to Full Review
Betsy Sherman The Improper Bostonian 08/06/2024
1.5/4
Happily this time people will discover our hometown boy Matt Damon, who gives a superb lead performance in an unfortunately mediocre property. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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J S @writersghost 4d It may be somewhat outdated to assess this film nearly 27 years after its original release, but its shortcomings remain evident. While the narrative from the book may have been great, it scarcely ranks among the stronger adaptations of Grisham’s work and struggles to capture the intensity of true courtroom drama. The film ultimately lacks the seriousness and gravitas that distinguish his more compelling legal stories. See more Angel M Oct 12 Matt Damon in his prime, and Devito delivering comic relief, it's classic courtroom cinema. Two underdogs take on big insurance company for denying claims unlawfully. Basic functions, documents and proceedings are actually accurate, which makes it a neat watch for anyone learning about law See more Pongo K Oct 5 It is 30 years old, so bear that in mind. It has a little bit of everything, and that is fine. Great story, so, watch it. See more anthony m Sep 10 It's about a young lawyer vs. big shot attorney team representing an evil insurance company. And there's a love story regarding the lawyer, a young Matt Damon. The great Jon Voight as usual stole the show as the slick attorney for the insurance company, Great Benefits. I also loved the cameo of Mickey Rourke with his giant cufflinks. Roy Scheider was wonderfully vile as the insurance CEO, and Claire Danes was appropriately pathetic. Oddly, Matt Damon and his partner Danny DiVito did not stand out as they have in other movies. Perhaps it was a bit of a stretch that a neophyte would be used to fight a large company, but he was hired by a poor woman whose son had been denied a bone marrow transplant which might have stemmed his lymphoma. But it was a tense ride through the courtroom, and only a few could fail to get caught up in it. ---unless you're a critic who expected The Godfather epic instead of a perfectly crafted, unassuming courtroom drama. --- Anthony Magarello See more Joseph N Aug 24 A movie that was ahead of its time for the corruption and puppeteering of major companies today. See more Nashville I. @Nshvlleindie Jul 17 The personality of the film is unfocused and never quite pulls it together…a lot like a traveler with 4 bags, juggling and struggling with them scross the airport. There are a handful of lawyer movie tropes out there, and Rainmaker plays with about 4 of those. As well-produced as the movie is overall you never know what you’re supposed to be getting out of Rainmaker because it plays hopscotch from theme to theme without intention. The ending also felt very incomplete and unusual, as though the writers were confounded and got out quick. See more Read all reviews
John Grisham's The Rainmaker

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John Grisham's The Rainmaker

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Movie Info

Synopsis Struggling new attorney Rudy Baylor (Matt Damon) resorts to working for a shady lawyer (Mickey Rourke), where he meets paralegal Deck Shifflet (Danny DeVito). When the insurance company of Dot Black (Mary Kay Place) refuses her dying son coverage, Baylor and Shifflet team up to fight the corrupt corporation, taking on its callous lawyer (Jon Voight). Meanwhile, Baylor becomes involved with Kelly Riker (Claire Danes), an abused wife, whose husband complicates matters when he confronts Baylor.
Director
Francis Ford Coppola
Producer
Michael Douglas, Fred Fuchs, Steven Reuther
Screenwriter
Francis Ford Coppola, John Grisham, Michael Herr
Distributor
Paramount Pictures
Production Co
American Zoetrope
Rating
PG-13
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Nov 21, 1997, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Aug 20, 2008
Box Office (Gross USA)
$45.9M
Runtime
2h 15m
Sound Mix
Surround, DTS, Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio
35mm, Scope (2.35:1)
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