Dustin Hoffman: 5 Awesome Performances & 5 That Sucked
3. Raymond Babbitt - Rain Man (1988)
Possibly the role Hoffman is most famous for its definitely his most quoted is Ray Babbitt, the autistic brother of a shady yuppie played by Tom Cruise. While the film has been parodied to death by the likes of The Hangover and Family Guy - and credited with the sudden upswing of actors playing mentally challenged characters in search of Oscar glory - thats ignoring just how great Hoffmans performance is. Everything from his speech pattern to his body language feels believable; he spends the movie walking with a hunched over limp, and refuses to make eye contact with anyone. His screaming fit over hot water is a terrifying feat of performance, and is all the more distressing for how real it feels. Weve all seen bad examples of actors overplaying these types of roles, but Hoffmans turn is beautifully judged and respectful. Even though the film itself can be a little mawkish at times, the quality of the acting Cruises turn is unfairly overlooked is where it shines.
