Now its portrayal of autism is seen as somewhat crude. However, there is no denying the power of the story and of Dustin Hoffman’s Oscar-winning performance as Raymond Babbitt.

Yet his [Tom Cruise's] charisma is what keeps Barry Levinson’s film running smoothly.

It's the Christmas picture that cares, the UNICEF epic, and that must explain why no one seems to notice, or to care, that from minute to minute. the story itself is second-hand hokum.

the pairing of Hoffman and Cruise was lightning in a bottle, although on the surface it seemed like an utterly incongruous pairing