MovieChat Forums > Rain Man (1988) Discussion > Rain Man's portrayal of Autism

Rain Man's portrayal of Autism

posted 8 years ago by Cinephile18
14 replies | jump to latest

I've seen this film three times before today and the thing that I question every time I see it is 'How accurate is Dustin Hoffman's portrayal of someone with autism or Asperger's syndrome?' To prepare for this role, Hoffman visited those with autism and watched what it is they did to fully flesh out the character of Ray. While at the time this movie was praised and hailed by the public and critics, 30 years on and medical science has improved immensely. I want to know what you think of autism's representation in the film as well as any others that showcase the lives of those with autism and the impact they had on others like Ray and Charlie.

[–] Briimdb 8 years ago

I wonder if he would still be considered high functioning in this day. To me he seemed lower functioning although not extremely low. He seems like he has more difficulties than someone high on the spectrum.

[–] MoviemanCin 8 years ago

246 toothpicks. Definitely 246. 246.

Schrodinger's cat walks into a bar and doesn't.

[–] John Kyle (682) 4 years ago

Dibbs Sally, 461-0192

[–] gcarras (2776) 7 years ago

Agreed.

[–] EleazarHisSon (754) a year ago

In the 1980s when this film was released, Asperger's syndrome was not widely recognised. Most people diagnosed with autism then had low IQs and those with Asperger's (which no longer exists as a diagnosis but is now called Type 1 out of 3 autism) have normal to high intelligence.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized as a very heterogeneous child-onset disorder, whose heterogeneity is partly determined by differences in intelligence quotient (IQ). Older epidemiological studies suggested that the IQ-related spectrum tends to be skewed to the left, i.e., a larger proportion of individuals with ASD have below average intelligence, while only few individuals with ASD may have an IQ above average. This picture changed over time with broadening the spectrum view.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9058071/

[–] esskayess 8 years ago

There was a 60 Minutes episode a few years earlier that spotlighted "savants" and Hoffman's character was based on one of them. The man's named was Kim Peek and they tested him by naming dates hundreds of thousands of years in the future and asking him what day of the week they would take place on. He got every one of them right.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kim_Peek

My people skills are fine. It's my tolerance of morons that needs work.

[–] slimone (7996) 5 years ago

Dustin Hoffman's portrayal of an autistic man was amazing!

[–] strntz (12668) 5 years ago

'How accurate is Dustin Hoffman's portrayal of someone with autism or Asperger's syndrome?'

Not Asperger's Syndrome. I'm an old dude now, but when I was a kid, there were kids in school who seemed just a bit "off". Once my wife became a Special Education educator I realized that listening to her talk, a lot of those odd ducks were likely Asperger's kids. Nobody back then identified these kids as anything other than a bit weird.

But as a commissioner in our town (Commission for People With Special Needs) along with my wife (career Special Ed High School teacher), I've personally seen the whole range of the autism spectrum, from high functioning to barely. Hoffman's portrayal was eerily accurate. His autism character's spectrum was about midway, maybe closer to the non-functioning side.

[–] Furienna (3353) 5 years ago

Hoffman's portrayal was eerily accurate. His autism character was about midway, maybe closer to the non-functioning side.

As an aspie, I concur with this.

[–] Strazdas (2472) 3 years ago

This. People saying the portrayal was not realistic must have never seen a low-functioning autist.

[–] marktayloruk (2554) 3 years ago

I have Asperger's myself. I don't find the film in the least offensive.

[–] Destinata (3507) 2 years ago

Few people took acting to the level of reality that Dustin Hoffman does.

[–] tom8 (3119) 2 years ago

There are many levels of it........ on some folks you can't hear or see it.

[–] Destinata (3507) 2 years ago

Like Elon Musk.