The Rainmaker is a compelling legal drama that showcases Francis Ford Coppola's return to form after the less successful Jack. Adapted from John Grisham's novel, the film follows Rudy Baylor, a novice attorney portrayed by Matt Damon, as he takes on a powerful insurance company in a wrongful death lawsuit. While the case's outcome may seem predictable, the narrative remains engaging, keeping viewers invested throughout. Matt Damon delivers a strong performance, capturing Rudy's earnestness and determination. 1997 was indeed a significant year for Damon, with Good Will Hunting also releasing, further establishing his presence in Hollywood. The supporting cast, including Danny DeVito as Deck Shifflet and Jon Voight as the opposing attorney, adds depth and nuance to the story. Coppola's direction brings a grounded realism to the film, focusing on the intricacies of the legal process and the moral dilemmas faced by the characters. The courtroom scenes are particularly well-executed, balancing tension and drama effectively. With Coppola's direction and the performances, The Rainmaker is notably one of the better adaptations of Grisham's work. Despite its strengths, The Rainmaker didn't achieve significant box office success, grossing $45.9 million domestically against a $40 million budget. However, it received generally positive reviews. In summary, The Rainmaker is a well-crafted film that combines strong performances with insightful direction, making it a noteworthy entry in Coppola's filmography and a testament to Damon's early talent.

A great and profound indictment of [a large portion of] both the legal profession and the insurance industry. Matt Damon is superb as a brand new lawyer who exposes them and puts them in their place: damned to hell.

(Spoilers) Or " The Drizzle-dropper". Slick, commercial and somewhat phony courtroom melodrama tries to push a "David and Goliath" narrative; (when this multimillion dollar blockbuster production, with it's Murderers Row of A-Listers, and developed from John Grishman's mega-bestseller, is ANYTHING but a struggling Underdog!) The movie has young idealistic Memphis attorney Rudy Baylor (Matt Damon) taking on an Insurance Malpractice case for Donnie Ray Black; a man who was denied coverage from his carrier The Great Benefit Life Insurance Company; and who grew gravely ill and soon developed cancer likely as a result of this...Rudy has ofcourse never argued a case before a judge yet; and yet still, ofcourse, he crushes the evil insurance company with one swift blow. (Beginners luck! So Convenient!). This movie was loved by both critics and the public; but it just seems like a big con job to me; like some ambulance chasing shyster lawyer arguing about "The Twinkie Defense" and "Diminished Capacity" to some captive jury somewhere... Overall: 👎 Not Recommended

As far as John Grisham film adaptations go, The Rainmaker is pretty good. I don't think it's as thrilling as The Client or The Firm, but it manages to tell a captivating story and offers a few surprises along the way. Matt Damon does a convincing job as the naïve lawyer, and I really like Danny Glover in his role as the judge. However, I feel like Danny DeVito was underutilized. There were a few odd editing choices, too, when I thought we were going to get more from a scene and then it jumped away. And the ending isn't as satisfying as I had hoped. Still, The Rainmaker is a solid courtroom drama.

Fans of John Grisham or legal dramas in general will enjoy this story. Francis Ford Coppola's film features a stellar cast that includes Matt Damon in the lead, Danny DeVito as a supporting actor, Jon Voight who does a wonderful job as the rival attorney, in addition to a then-unknown Claire Danes who plays a budding love interest. The amazing cast alone is a reason I would watch this again.

F. Ford Coppola must have had a good excuse to direct a legal drama, based on a novel by John Grisham. The result is not close enough to his masterpieces but the performances above all make the 135 minutes satisfying. And that's what matters.

Here's a picture that I can't help but stop to see when channel surfing. Is it Francis Ford Coppola's steady direction? Could it be Matt Damon and the rest of the cast's performances, filled with dignity and authenticity? John Grisham's story? All of the above? Perhaps.

This one could persuade you to get a law degree and take on the big companies.

Great movie. Great acting. The only unsatisfying thing about it is the ending, but that is very realistic.

If you only watch one film version of a John Grisham novel, make it this one. It is a great story with characters you love or hate. The acting, especially Damon & DeVito, is really wonderful. Even has a happy ending, if that's important to you.

This courtroom drama was really good. Matt Damon, Danny Devito, Jon Voight, Claire Danes, Danny Glover, and the rest of the cast did a fantastic job in this movie. The plot of the movie was dramatic, thrilling, and entertaining. It's David vs Goliath story about a rookie lawyer taking on a powerful insurance company for rejecting clients claims on purpose. If you haven't seen this movie yet, check it out sometime. It's a definite must see.

This is one of the better John Grisham book adaptations I've seen. I liked it in terms of the human drama angle - there is certainly suffering shown, different forms of it via different characters. I felt the film lacked clear direction at the start, although I did feel more engrossed in it mid way through and indeed I found myself quite keen to see what the outcome would be for a number of characters who are in less than ideal situations its fair to say. I also noticed there are some fairly amusing things that happen from time to time, to the young, newly qualified laywer, Rudy Baylor (played by a fresh faced Matt Damon) - his nerves are made very clear and I imagine many people could picture themselves in his shoes, wanting to fight his corner etc. This film is well cast, with Jon Voight, Danny DeVito and Claire Danes present. I certainly found Voights character someone easy to think badly of, to look down your nose at. I think this film stands out a bit more than other film adaptations of John Grisham novels as its not a crime action film, its not the formulaic sort of film that some of the other ones are, its more about peoples individual stories, rather than focussing on special effects and constant action. Of course there are courtroom scenes but these don't make up the majority of the film and I thought they were pretty watchable and thus not entirely bland. Ok there is an element of predictability and even cheesiness present but its better than some similar films, so I'd say its worth a watch if it sounds of interest to you - its not perfect but it is good.

A new young lawyer must take on a major corporation to fight for his client who is dying from the negligence from the evil corporation.

This film is quite long, so I'm glad I was at home watching my DVD. As usual, Matt Damon is great in his role. All of the cast portrayed their characters well. The storyline is certainly believable, knowing how much corruption exists in big corporations. It was enhanced by having a side story about a battered wife, whom Rudy Baylor could relate to because of his own childhood. The ending was slightly surprising and refreshing really, as it had an upside to it.

Anyone who likes a lawyer/court drama movie, I recommend this one. However, this one focuses more on the personal life of the lawyer then the big case that gets resolved at the end.

Everything makes a high class achievement here - Writing, direction, talented cast. Memorable piece of film making.

It's is an intelligent perspective on lawyers and well written dialogs between the characters. It's delighting to see Matt and Danny switching from seriousness to fun.!

The first time I saw this film, I had to have the context of it explained to me because I didn't understand why the young man and the family in the film would need a law suit and all the bullshit with the insurance company to access life saving treatment. 25 odd years later, the film stands up because it's well made and well acted, with solid performances all round and some unexpected casting, but most of all because it's still a great argument for universal as opposed to for-profit health care.

The Rainmaker is one of the better courtroom dramas and easily the best John Grisham screen adaptations. The film is full of strong character actors to support Matt Damon who was still in his earlier career roles. The success of the film lies on the strength of Francis Ford Coppola's handling of the material. The film doesn't have that standard book adaptation vibe and it's the filmmaker who guilds this from beginning to end. It's a shame the film wasn't more successful as it's a great film and deserved all the recognition for that year. The film ensures each character has a moment to shine and Matt Damon handles the central role perfectly. The freshness of the task of handling a heavy role for a filmmaker who has made some of the greatest films ever made is a testament to the actors abilities. This is one film to watch and one of the highlights for its year of release. 17/11/2020

This was alright. I've seen better from everyone involved. OK concept. OK execution.