This review may contain spoilers.
Dustin Hoffman. Wow.
I am so pleased to watch a classic film and it live up to the hype. Such a simple story but the pacing, character depth and arcs along all make this an excellent film. My only complaints would be that Tom Cruises stance from using to caring about his brother and the other people in his life doesn’t seem to be fully fleshed out. It would be great to see a bit more of an internal struggle within him as he starts reevaluating his life and choices. That is only a minor gripe however as I feel he played the part very well and the chemistry between him and Hoffman was funny, heartwarming and believable.
Hoffman is astounding in this role and he really respected the part he was playing. Of course this film is of its time and has a different view of autism than how it is understood today. With that being said Hoffman never feels like a caricature. Having spent a lot of time around people with autism, he nails the little idiosyncrasies that some people possess when living with autism. Not all people with autism act the same or experience it in the same two ways, but for the purposes of this film it was acted very tastefully and respectful.
The only other gripe I would have with this film is the original score by Hans Zimmer does not entirely fit with the theme of the film in my opinion. It does feel dated with the synthesisers being used but as it is an old film, not all of these choices will translate to a modern audience.
With all that being said, this was a beautiful story with a heartwarming/heartbreaking ending.
Bravo.
4.5/5
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