Excellent, Without a doubt!!

I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible

The movie is wonderful and true, an act of love in all its contradictions and complexity

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

RELEASED IN 1997 and written & directed by Francis Ford Coppola based on John Grisham's book, "The Rainmaker" stars Matt Damon as an idealistic newbie lawyer in Memphis who takes on a fraudulent insurance company with Danny DeVito as his paralegal and Claire Danes an abused potential love interest. Jon Voight plays the lead lawyer for the insurance company and Roy Scheider the CEO of the corporation.Beyond Coppola's renowned expertise, the cast is stellar, which also includes Mickey Rourke as a smooth legal mogul, Virginia Madsen as a witness and Dean Stockwell & Danny Glover as judges. This was Damon's break out role as a leading man, paving the way for hits like "Good Will Hunting" (1998) and "Saving Private Ryan" (1998). He's affable as the principled young lawyer and I liked the way the movie discreetly shows his new home life with the elderly lady, plus other budding relationships.This is decidedly a drama with many courtroom scenes, so don't except the thrills of other Grisham-based films, like the excellent "The Firm" (1993) and action-packed "The Pelican Brief" (1993), although there is an intense action sequence in the second half. While the first half confidently take its time with the drama, throwing in moments of realistic amusement, it segues into a compelling third act. Furthermore, "The Rainmaker" is a must for anyone interested in the good, the bad and the ugly of the legal arena in America.The movie made $46 million domestically from a budget of $40 million (not including revenue from other countries), but it was still considered a disappoint in comparison to "The Firm," which cost roughly the same amount and made six times as much at the box office. Coppola subsequently took a decade break from directing before reentering the fray with the inscrutable "Youth Without Youth" (2007).THE FILM RUNS 2 hours, 15 minutes and was shot in the Memphis area of Tennessee, as well as Cleveland, Ohio and California (Alameda, Oakland, San Francisco).GRADE: B

Outstanding cast and top notch acting. The script follows the book closely. How can you go wrong with this. One of my all time favorites.

Rated this a 7 of 10 because, in the great scheme of the movie universe, that is what it is. Especially notable -- and this where the magic comes from -- are the scenes where Damon finds his inner Jimmy Stewart and faces off against Jon Voight who, late in his career, morphed into one of the best movie "bad guys" of all time. These scenes, trust me, are to be savored because the rest of the movie is simply an exercise in what could have been. No less than the uncrowned King of film, Francis Ford Coppola, wrote (adapted) and directed. How common is that? This reviewer has seen the Godfather series AT LEAST 10 times and I would see it again tomorrow. Can't say that for Rainmaker. It just seems to diminish talent rather than enhance it. De Vitto's character never rises above caricature. Ditto for Claire Danes. Ditto for everyone else. The final 5 minutes is especially maudlin and it staggers the imagination that one of the greatest directors of all time left it in the cut...?

Rudy Baylor (Matt Damon) is fresh out of law school. He has no family, or any connections. He starts to work for notorious lawyer Bruiser Stone (Mickey Rourke), and with street smart Deck Shifflet (Danny DeVito) who can't pass the bar. They take on a case against a health insurance company who refuses a claim from a seriously sick boy. Meanwhile, he falls for Kelly Riker (Claire Danes) who is in constant fear of her abusive husband.This is a simple David vs Galioth story from the pen of John Grisham and the directing skills of Francis Ford Coppola. There are big time talents involve in this. Matt Damon is superb in the boyish charm department. Danny DeVito likewise is superb. The acting in this movie is top notch. However the Claire Danes battered wife storyline is too simple and too separate. It doesn't really connect with the rest of the movie. The romance seems to be sidelined in importance and short shrifted. It needs more attention. On the other hand, the courtroom drama has good fun and good tension.