The new Special Edition DVD of Rain Man isn't the first time this poignant film has been available to home audiences, but it's the first release since the movie was placed on moratorium in 2002. In addition to new added features, the enthralling story of Charlie (Tom Cruise) and Raymond Babbit (Dustin Hoffman) is so much fun it can be watched again and again.
 
Charlie is a self-centered hustler who will use anyone to get ahead, probably his own mother if she were still alive. He hustles at buying and selling cars, but is always one step away from dealing with angry customers.

After learning that his estranged father has died, Charlie is summoned back to the wealthy neighborhood where he grew up. At the reading of the will, he's not surprised to discover his father has left him practically nothing, but he's stunned to learn that nearly the entire estate was left to a special-care facility. That cannot compare, however, to Charlie's shock when he learns he has an autistic brother at the facility, or his outrage that no one ever told him about Raymond.

Charlie goes to meet Raymond and learns about his tics, his special needs, and how autism works. He tries to relate to Raymond, but cannot. Full of revenge because the institution will get millions and he will have nothing but his dad's classic car, Charlie takes Raymond (without approval) and hits the rode.

The trip begins both a journey to discovery and an amusing window into watching two brothers, totally different in every way, who oppose each other and then connect in a powerful way.

Cruise is excellent at taking Charlie though his character's growth, going from selfish and uninvolved to tender and caring. Hoffman, always an amazing and focused actor, does not disappoint in Rain Man. He's totally believable throughout the story and responsible for many funny scenes in which his character worries about getting underwear at K-Mart, pleads with  Charlie to let him drive, and insists on watching "Judge Wapner" at a specific time of day.

There's a reason Rain Man won four Academy Awards in 1988 (Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor and Best Original Screenplay), and watching the DVD again authenticates those awards.

Extra features on the Special Edition DVD include: a deleted scene in a grocery store showing Raymond's obsession with Cheetos; director and screenwriter's commentaries; 40 behind-the- scenes stills; and cast and crew interviews from 1988.

(Released by MGM Home Entertainment and rated "R")