| The Rainmaker |  | Actors: Matt Damon, Danny DeVito, Danny Glover, Michael Keys Hall, Virginia Madsen
Studio: Paramount
Category: DVD
Buy New: $3.94
as of 2/10/2010 06:24 EST details
New (1) Used (3) from $3.94
Seller: bargainmovies
Rating:  90 reviews
Sales Rank: 129116
Format: NTSC
Languages: English (Original Language), French (Original Language)
Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Region: 1
Running Time: 135 Minutes
UPC: 097363350323
EAN: 0097363350323
ASIN: B000LW7NNO
Theatrical Release Date: 1997
Release Date: November 17, 1998
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
| |
| Similar Items:
| |
| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com essential video
When viewed from a cranky perspective, this by-the-book David versus Goliath story doesn't offer any surprises, and it's a bit sad to watch director Francis Coppola (who also adapted John Grisham's bestseller) squandering his once-glorious talent on such conventional Hollywood fare. In a more charitable light, however, there's great pleasure to be found in Coppola's intelligent, no-nonsense handling of a plot that's every bit as involving as it is formulaic. Coppola also knows how to bring out the best in a stellar cast, and this is the movie (released in November 1997, just a few weeks before Good Will Hunting) that signaled Matt Damon's arrival as a major-league star. Damon plays Rudy Baylor, a young rookie lawyer in Memphis (location of many Grisham stories) who takes on a powerful insurance company (led by shark-like lawyer Jon Voight) by representing the family of a boy who was denied potentially life-saving treatment for leukemia. Rudy also comes to the rescue of an abused wife (Claire Danes) and learns the tricks of the legal trade from a seasoned paralegal (Danny DeVito) who sees Rudy as his ticket out of the sleaze-ball practice run by a shady lawyer (Mickey Rourke). There's no mystery about where this plot is going, but Coppola takes us there in high style with a sharp script, and Damon strikes just the right note of naivete and strategic intelligence. When Goliath inevitably falls, this courtroom David wins fair and square. --Jeff Shannon
Amazon.com
When viewed from a cranky perspective, this by-the-book David vs. Goliath story doesn't offer any surprises, and it's a bit sad to watch director Francis Coppola (who also adapted John Grisham's bestseller) squandering his once-glorious talent on such conventional Hollywood fare. In a more charitable light, however, there's great pleasure to be found in Coppola's intelligent, no-nonsense handling of a plot that's every bit as involving as it is formulaic. Coppola also knows how to bring out the best in a stellar cast, and this is the movie (released in November 1997, just a few weeks before Good Will Hunting) that signaled Matt Damon's arrival as a major-league star. Damon plays Rudy Baylor, a young rookie lawyer in Memphis (location of many Grisham stories) who takes on a powerful insurance company (led by a sharklike lawyer played by Jon Voight) by representing the family of a boy who was denied potentially life-saving treatment for leukemia. Rudy also comes to the rescue of an abused wife (Claire Danes) and learns the tricks of the legal trade from a seasoned paralegal (Danny DeVito), who sees Rudy as his ticket out of the sleazeball practice run by a shady lawyer (Mickey Rourke). There's no mystery about where this plot is going, but Coppola takes us there in high style with a sharp script, and Damon strikes just the right note of naivete and strategic intelligence. When Goliath inevitably falls, this courtroom David wins fair and square. --Jeff Shannon
|
| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 90
 kind of boring and shallow, great acting tho February 5, 2010
Lisa Says (Milwaukee)
maybe this is why my favorite movies are x-men and pirates of the caribbean. maybe movie-writing has changed for the better in the past 10 years. it just seemed platitudinal--either 'good guys' or 'bad guys' and plenty of obvious heart-tugging, even if for valid reasons. just seemed like a hallmark special, and i'm not a fan of matt damon's southern accent most of the time. can't fault the acting, but it was so slow!
plat·i·tude (plt-td, -tyd)
n. 1. A trite or banal remark or statement, especially one expressed as if it were original or significant. See Synonyms at cliché.
2. Lack of originality; triteness.
Damon, not Lancaster November 1, 2009
Sandra Flickstein (SI, NY)
Good revenge movie, and more darts thrown at the legal profession and the insurance business.
Damon gives his ususal lackluster performance, but the plot is gripping enough to hold attention. Danny Glover plays a liberal judge, who helps guide the Damon character to victory.
One of the better Grisham adaptations October 26, 2009
One-Line Film Reviews (Easton, MD)
The Bottom Line:
Though this version of John Grisham's 'The Rainmaker' benefits from the fact that the book is one of Grisham's best, it cannot be denied that the film resists the temptation to screw things up that strikes so many such adaptations; realizing instead that Mr. Grisham's novels barely need any adapting, Coppola sticks closely to the book's interesting story and produces a film that zips through its 135 minute running length, engages the viewer, and emerges as a pretty decent piece of entertainment.
3/4
 An Argument for Government Health Insurance October 5, 2009
Acute Observer (North Jersey Shore)
This is a story about a young new lawyer in a southern town in Tennessee. He takes the case of a young man who is dying of leukemia because his private insurance company refused treatment (a bone marrow transplant). This dramatic story tells how a powerful established law fiem can use tricks like wiretapping or bugging to sabotage a legal challenge. Their son dies, the parents continue the suit. [The film shows little of the personal lives of the people in this story.]
Matt Damon, the young lawyer, does all he can to gather the information needed to win his case against the privately owned insurance company. Why did a claims examiner suddenly "resign"? Was she sickened by her work in the insurance company? [Alcoholism just doesn't happen, its an industrial disease caused by corporations.] Jon Voight, the power in the corporation's law firm, shows his acting skills in the accented speech of that area. [All speakers of English have an accent, you don't notice your own.] The facts brought out in the dramatic trial result in a verdict for the plaintiff, plus $50 million in punitive damages. Is this too good to be true?
The private insurance company preys upon the working poor by using door-to-door salesmen to sell policies. These high costs drain money from the premiums. Are they only selling "peace of mind"? Will this private insurance company declare bankruptcy to get out of paying? Was the owner looting the firm? Was it all a scam to oppress working people and cheat them out of needed health care? Some may claim this is only a work of fiction, but these things will happen as long as we do not have government-run health insurance that is well-managed and affordable to avoid a tragedy like this. [Read the book "A Civil Action" for facts.]
You know what happened in the financial industry since the New Deal regulations were abolished over the last thirty years. [Could this story happen in Canada or England?] John Grisham wrote the novel "A Runaway Jury" that was changed by Hollywood and turned into a big flop. Was the book changed for this movie?
 no truth here? September 19, 2009
R. Bagula (Lakeside, Ca United States)
Insured people die in the USA without getting the treatment they
are insured to get. Films like this may make some people feel
good, but the facts are that the big law firms win more cases
than they lose. The movie is the blue yonder of wishful thinking
of a guy/ author who makes his money selling popular novels that please people.
Giving people hope in the legal system that is stacked against them
is probably a cruel thing to do?
Poor people continue to die of things rich people live through.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 90
|
|
|
CERTAIN CONTENT THAT APPEARS ON THIS SITE COMES FROM AMAZON SERVICES LLC. THIS CONTENT IS PROVIDED ‘AS IS’ AND IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE OR REMOVAL AT ANY TIME.
Proud member of the Celebrity Pro Network. Make sure you check out these other great CelebrityPro network sites:
Lyrics Database
Celebrity Blog
Celebrity Thing
Celebrity PC
Latest Celebrity Photos
Portal
Travel Photos
Quotes
Flash Games
|
Is there a better
price available?
Find out:
|
|
|
|
