Rating: 
Summary: very well done
Review: Matt Damon and Danny Devito are an unlikely pair who play each other off very well here. Damon plays Rudy, a fresh-out-of-law-school lawyer hired by Deck (Devito), who calls himself a "paralawyer" -- he's taken the bar many times, though he has yet to pass it. The two take on the case of a young man dying of leukemia because the insurance company won't pay for the bone marrow transplant that would save him.Damon is good as the new lawyer who doesn't really know what he is doing but is determined to win his case. I had to laugh when he was reprimanded by the judge for approaching the bench without requesting permission. Claire Danes also did a good job as Kelly, the teenaged abused wife with whom Rudy falls in love, but it did not have anything at all to do with the case. More to show Rudy rounding out his new life as a full-fledged adult. That's all well and good but really not necessary to movie-goers.
Rating: 
Summary: Absolutely Excellent Delivery on the Profession of Lawyers
Review: This movie provides not only an absolutely first class, at times cynical, view on the corporate profession of lawyers in the United States, but also a glimpse on the aims the practice of Law seeks to achieve, as well as a lucid overview on the arcanes of procedural and judicial subtleties that can await a young practitioner. Finally, I guess it delivers one of the best, and most realistic, treatment of many ethical questions related to the profession. The Rainmaker is of course not based on true facts and a real story, as opposed to, for example, Civil Action (John Travolta) or Erin Brokovich (Julia Roberts), to name just two other movies done on related subjects, but on a bestselling novel by John Grisham. It is nevertheless my opinion that it has a definitively more realistic and authentic ring as it depicts the corporate profession of lawyers as a whole. The scenario is fantastic, provides many interesting realistic legalistic asides, instead of just obsessively focussing on the main story. The dialogues are excellent, and the actors are first class. This is a movie that is both entertaining and educating, it is my guess that it will last long and age well.
Rating: 
Summary: Law, weak women and tough men.
Review: I heard the audio tape, before I bought the video. I think that the book is better than the film, although the film is fine. If I should say something that I do not like about this film, it must be that the women come out so weak. The only one that tries to work out something on her own, is the sick boy's mother. She has been fighting for her son's life. Sadly, this is a battle she loses.
Rating:
Summary: Run-of-the-mill, yet entertaining, court room drama
Review: Despite some problems, The Rainmaker comes off as an entertaining court room drama elevated by an excellent cast. The film, starring Matt Damon as a lawyer on his first case, has two main stories: his relationship with a client who is beaten by her husband, and his attempt to bring down a fraudulent insurance company for denying coverage for a young man's leukemia. While both plots help Damon's character development, in the end it seems both really deserve their own film. They don't seem to mesh well, and neither gets the emotional development they need to propel their stories as best they can. Perhaps the novel by John Grisham, which this film is based on, builds these two stories better, but I haven't read to book to find out. The film as is, though, is still intriguing and entertaining, despite its predictability as a typical court room story. Another distraction was the use of a lot of stereotypes and cliched characters. Though humorous at times, for the most part it takes away from the drama of the film, making it seem like you shouldn't take the film seriously. Which you should, it is primarily meant as a drama, it just overuses comic relief at times. Although this film was directed by Francis Ford Coppola, it doesn't seem to have any of his signature touches incorporated into it. I would never have guessed it was his film just by watching it. It's the film's cast though, not the director, that makes this film really worthwhile. Danny DeVito's supporting role is great as a paralawyer who's flunked the bar exam six times. Other great performances include those from Jon Voight, Danny Glover, Dean Stockwell and Roy Scheider. The Rainmaker is definitely an enjoyable piece with a great cast, but story-wise, don't expect anything too earth shattering.
Rating:
Summary: Refreshing!!!
Review: It is indeed refresing to see "Good" winning. I like to see lawyer type of movies and this is one of the best that I have seen. It is a must see for Matt Damon's fans and if you are not his fan, you will become one after seeing this movie. Rudy Baylor (Matt Damon) is a young lawyer, fresh out of law school with all his ideals intact. He has the drive of youth to do right and stick to his principles. Therefore it is refreshing! A good lesson to be learnt from this movie, especially when Rudy said towards the end that he is so 'hot', that he can't retain that position anymore and that after that point it will just be a downturn. There is such a thin line between being a good lawyer and becoming one who will do 'anything' to maintain the reputation of being the best. If you don't understand what I am talking about, get this movie and see for yourself. And for those who understand, this is a 'must-watch' movie!
Rating:
Summary: Not so dazzling as it could be
Review: Matt Damon still lights up the movie screen with his incredible talent as an actor, but he couldnt show it all as he was held down by this some-what dull plot. Good movie with great acting and well thought out problem, but slow moving action scenes.
Rating:
Summary: The best Grisham adaption since "The Firm" and "The Client"!
Review: John Grisham's "The Rainmaker" is a film that is nothing short of astonishing or powerful. This is director Francis Ford Coppola's best film since "Apocalypse Now" and "The Godfather" series. And to me, "The Rainmaker" is more of a powerful drama than it is a thinking person's film alongside the other Grisham adaptions: "The Firm", "The Pelican Brief", "The Client", "A Time to Kill", and "The Chamber". "The Rainmaker" focuses on a Memphis law student named Ruby Baylor (Matt Damon in one of his finest performances) who is reluctantly hired by a shady lawyer named Bruiser Stone (Mickey Rourke) at a sleazy practice. Rudy is partnered up with Deck Schifflet (Danny DeVito in another fine performance), a seasoned "para-lawyer" who failed the Bar Exam 6 times and specializes in it. Deck teaches Rudy the tricks of the trade is Rudy is to move on at all. During the film, Rudy takes on the biggest case of his career: the case of Great Benefit, a life insurance company that has denied a family's claim 8 times and stating in the letter: "You must be stupid, stupid, stupid." That family is the Black family (led by Mary Kay Place, "The Big Chill"). Their son, Donny Ray, is diagnosed with leukemia. The company just sat back and watched Donny Ray's life slip away, and basically, Rudy just couldn't take it anymore. As he goes up against the company's lawyers (including Jon Voight), Rudy also comes to the aid of Kelly Riker (Claire Danes), a young woman who has been abused by her husband far too many times. And the movie goes on from there. Basically, "The Rainmaker" has the same spirit as any other courtroom drama or as any other Grisham novel. A lot of the credit goes to Matt Damon, Danny DeVito, Claire Danes, Jon Voight, Mary Kay Place, Virginia Madsen, Mickey Rourke, Dean Stockwell, and two special appearances by Danny Glover and Randy Travis for their excellent performances. "The Rainmaker" is a Grisham film that is not to be missed at all, whether it is on DVD or video.
Rating:
Summary: One unforgettable Sequence
Review: While the Rainmaker is a very decent adaptation of pulp writer John Grisham's novel, Coppola has slyly inserted one of the most subtlely powerful sequences of his career. Watch closely the scene in which Matt Damon places Claire Danes in the hospital bed after he's rescued her from the abusive husband. Look at the shots... Close up of his hands touching her elbows, Close up of his hands grasping her hips/back...All close ups of the intimate touch. It's such a small moment in the story, yet Coppola understands that it is the defining moment in this young romance. A beautiful sequence of shots by one of the masters. Take a second look.
Rating:
Summary: Great Grisham adaptation
Review: Matt Damon is Rudy Baylor, a law school grad with few employment prospects (any prospects actually) in this screen-daptation of the Grisham novel. Even if you've read the book (I'm no Grisham fan, but this book kept me reading) the film is still loads of fun. The book was a patchwork of plots that couldn't carry their own book (Rudy's futile job hunting; romancing a domestic violence victim, a widow who may be worth millions) centered around a lawsuit against an HMO who won't pay for a crucial bone-marrow transplant. The book capitalizes on the rogue's gallery who define Rudy's life - Bruiser Stone (Mickey O'Rourke), the local gangster-type who gives Baylor his first job; Deck (Danny Devito) a tireless investigator and client magnet who doesn't let repeated failed attempts to pass the bar exam keep him from the law; Rudy's landlady, who imagines a fortune that she can disinherit her kids from and Dean Stockwell and Danny Glover as the judges who successively handle Rudy's case. FF Copolla goes far and beyond with a story that could be easily boiled down to a Hollywood pitch (David and Goliath square off in court). There's no complex morality in the insurance case - the Insurer is suitably sleazy, relying less on a sustainable argument than on technicalities. Handling the case for the evil insurance carrier is Leo F. Drummond (Jon Voight), a founding member of the local "old boy network". The script (like the book) dwells less on the good v. evil than on the white-shoe nature of the enemy. (Damon's voice-over reminds us that his adversaries will have the benefit of a good night's sleep before going off to a key deposition). Baylor gets a few good breaks (Glover's judge being the biggest one - a smiling foil to Drummond's smug old-style corruptibility; in one scene, he legally rules for Rudy's side on the introduction of a key piece of evidence based on a precedent - the precedent being a single court case which is so on-point, the Judge need only look at the "headnotes" before making the decision - how often does that really happen?), and the high-priced legal talent doesn't seem to help the insurer at all. Still, even when it's shameless, there's something to be said for doing the "David and Goliath" routine the right way, and this flick delivers. Baylor and Deck (once they go into business for themselves) develop a working rhythm that allows them to be noble and still wicked-bad at the same time, and the script wonderfully drops subtle hints of a southern city with a veneer of gentility covering up a bubbling reservoir of evil. (The script tells us it's Memphis, but it may as well be any fictionalized city, like the Kindle County of Turow's novels, deftly brought to life.) Get this film.
Rating:
Summary: "And I could probably give it to them, too."
Review: This is one of my least favorite Grisham novels. It's short on plot and a little heavy-handed, and Grisham is not very good with characters. Coppola, however, is wonderful with characters, and Matt Damon's Rudy Baylor is one of the finest performances he's ever given. Damon, DeVito, Danes, and Voight all make this an amazing film when it could very easily have been another Pelican Brief. All the actors are very obviously having fun in their parts. This movie is heartwarming, funny, and kind, and Damon's gentle voice-over perfectly underscores the genuine feeling that Coppola so deftly engenders. It's fascinating to watch Damon work here - he plays a soft-spoken Tennessee lawyer with as much assurance as he does a brash Boston mathematician in Good Will Hunting. Go watch this one. You'll like it.
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