Rainmaker-Grisham/Special Edition (1997)

"...Hollywood at the top of its form. It's a ripping yarn woven by a master.  Barbara Shulgasser, San Francisco Examiner
"Mr. Coppola's best and sharpest film.  Janet Maslin, The New York Times
"...a big, buttery popcorn bucket of a movie...  Melissa Morrison, Box Office Magazine
"Four stars! Beautifully acted...a remarkable cast.  Michael Wilmington, Chicago Tribune
"The most enjoyable of Grisham's movies.  Mike Clark, USA Today

Editor's Note John Grisham's novel comes to life in Francis Ford Coppola's courtroom drama pitting the little guy against a large corporation. Rudy Baylor (Matt Damon), an inexperienced Memphis lawyer, and his legal sidekick, Deck Schifflet (Danny DeVito), defend a leukemia victim against an insurance company and its hotshot lawyer Leo Drummond (Jon Voight). Along the way Rudy befriends an abused woman (Claire Danes), helping her escape her husband (Andrew Shue). The courtroom scenes between Damon and Voight are the highlight of this legal yarn as Rudy learns the tough price of being a good lawyer.

	Claire Danes
	Danny DeVito
	Danny Glover
	Dean Stockwell
	Jon Voight
	Matt Damon
	Mickey Rourke
	Virginia Madsen
	Barry Malkin - Editor
	Bob Shaw - Art Director
	Elmer Bernstein - Original Music By
	Francis Ford Coppola - Director
	Francis Ford Coppola - Screenplay
	John Grisham - Based On Novel By
	John Toll - Cinematographer
	Melissa Kent - Editor
	Michael Douglas, et. al. - Producer
	Michael Herr - Screenplay

John Grisham's THE RAINMAKER is adapted to film in this suspenseful retelling by Francis Ford Coppola. In Memphis, struggling young attorney Rudy Baylor (Matt Damon) joins a shady law firm headed by Bruiser Stone (Mickey Rourke). After the firm comes under investigation, Rudy and fellow employee Deck Schifflet (Danny DeVito) start their own practice. While trying to dig up clients, Rudy meets a young spousal abuse victim, Kelly Riker (Claire Danes), and convinces her to leave her husband (Andrew Shue). But Rudy's biggest case is defending a young man (Johnny Whitworth) dying of leukemia and his mother (Mary Kay Place) against the insurance company who wrongfully denied their claim. Rudy and Deck find that their opposing lawyers, led by Leo Drummond (Jon Voight), have bugged their offices. Despite his inexperience, Rudy cleverly manages to get an undesirable juror (musician Randy Travis in a cameo role) removed from the jury. During testimony Rudy uncovers proof that the insurance company has a practice of denying all claims. As his relationship with Kelly takes a dangerous turn and the trial uncovers more insurance fraud, it seems Rudy must decide between being a good man or being a good lawyer. Sight and Sound
"...The film's visual solemnity is undercut by a healthy streak of cynicism, and at times -- a rare thing for Coppola -- it's even funny?" 04/01/1998 p.50-1

USA Today
"...[Voight] steals the show...with one of the most enjoyable performances of his career..." 05/29/1998 p.10E

New York Times
"...A parade of colorful performances from a constantly surprising cast....Mr. Coppola's best and sharpest film in years..." 11/21/1997 p.E18

Chicago Sun-Times
"...[Coppola] has made the most of Grisham's ground-level realism....DeVito's role is in the fading tradition of the star character actor..." 11/21/1997 p.40

Ultimate DVD
4 stars out of 5 -- "Razor sharp, with some great performances, this is as entertaining as it is intelligent." 08/01/2007 p.115

ReelViews 8 of 10
After three or four of Grisham's novels, I grew tired of the predictable repetitiveness and contrived suspense of the narratives. As a result, the intelligence and subtlety of The Rainmaker took me by surprise. I don't know if this is because the novel is better than any of the prolific lawyer-turned-author's previous efforts, or if Francis Ford Coppola has performed a near-miracle in transforming the written pages into a screenplay. Whatever the case, The Rainmaker stands above any other filmed Grisham adaptation, including A Time to Kill, the former holder of that title...this is a well-made, absorbing motion picture that seems a lot shorter than its 140-minute running length. Unlike many of the other films based on a Grisham book, this one is interested in telling a story rather than ambushing the audience with cheap contrivances. - James Berardinelli

Chicago Sun-Times 8 of 10
Francis Ford Coppola, who wrote and directed the film, has made the most of Grisham's ground-level realism. This is not a film that loves the legal profession, and yet it loves some of those who labor in it--not only Baylor, played by Matt Damon with the earnestness of an Eagle Scout, but also Deck Shifflet (Danny DeVito) as the kind of courthouse handyman who has never passed the bar exam, perhaps because a license would slow him down. Their give-and-take is the soul of the film; they form a desperate democracy made possible because ``The Rainmaker,'' unlike most Grisham films, doesn't have to drag a high-paid superstar around and give him all the best lines. DeVito's role is in the fading tradition of the star character actor...By keeping all of the little people in focus, Coppola shows the variety of a young lawyer's life, where every client is necessary and most of them need a lot more than a lawyer. - Roger Ebert