John Grisham's The Rainmaker John Grisham's The Rainmaker

Thriller · 1997 · 2 hr 15 min Paramount+
Paramount+
Available on Prime Video, Hulu, Sling TV, Paramount+

Francis Ford Coppola is both scripter and director of this drama adapted from the John Grisham novel about broke, inexperienced Memphis law-school graduate Rudy Baylor (Matt Damon), ready to take any job he can find. Signing on with slimy Bruiser Stone (Mickey Rourke), he learns ambulance-chasing tactics from Bruiser's leg man Deck Schifflet (Danny DeVito) and meets battered teen Kelly Riker (Claire Danes), abused by her husband (Andrew Shue). Baylor has his own clients - friendly Miss Birdie (Teresa Wright), who has a large estate to dispose of, and desperate Dot Black (Mary Kay Place), whose son Donnie Ray (Johnny Whitworth) has terminal leukemia. Medical intervention could have spared his life, but the Great Benefit Insurance Company denied coverage, preventing Donnie Ray from getting a life-saving bone marrow transplant. Rudy finds a place to live in the apartment behind Miss Birdie's house. Deck and Rudy split from Bruiser to start their small firm. When they take on the Blacks' case, they go up against the insurance company's high-priced law firm and are continually thwarted by slick lawyer Leo F. Drummond (Jon Voight). Rudy's voiceover narration was scripted by Michael Herr. Filmed on location in Memphis.

Thriller · 1997 · 2 hr 15 min
  • 82%
  • 13+
Starring Matt Damon , Claire Danes , Jon Voight
Director Francis Ford Coppola

Related

Cast & Crew

  • Matt Damon

    Rudy Baylor
  • Claire Danes

    Kelly Riker
  • Jon Voight

    Leo F. Drummond
  • Mary Kay Place

    Dot Black
  • Mickey Rourke

    Bruiser Stone
  • Danny DeVito

    Deck Schifflet
  • Dean Stockwell

    Judge Harvey Hale
  • Teresa Wright

    Miss Birdie
  • Virginia Madsen

    Jackie Lemancyzk
  • Andrew Shue

    Cliff Riker
  • Red West

    Buddy Black

About

John Grisham's The Rainmaker

Thriller

Francis Ford Coppola is both scripter and director of this drama adapted from the John Grisham novel about broke, inexperienced Memphis law-school graduate Rudy Baylor (Matt Damon), ready to take any job he can find. Signing on with slimy Bruiser Stone (Mickey Rourke), he learns ambulance-chasing tactics from Bruiser's leg man Deck Schifflet (Danny DeVito) and meets battered teen Kelly Riker (Claire Danes), abused by her husband (Andrew Shue). Baylor has his own clients - friendly Miss Birdie (Teresa Wright), who has a large estate to dispose of, and desperate Dot Black (Mary Kay Place), whose son Donnie Ray (Johnny Whitworth) has terminal leukemia. Medical intervention could have spared his life, but the Great Benefit Insurance Company denied coverage, preventing Donnie Ray from getting a life-saving bone marrow transplant. Rudy finds a place to live in the apartment behind Miss Birdie's house. Deck and Rudy split from Bruiser to start their small firm. When they take on the Blacks' case, they go up against the insurance company's high-priced law firm and are continually thwarted by slick lawyer Leo F. Drummond (Jon Voight). Rudy's voiceover narration was scripted by Michael Herr. Filmed on location in Memphis.

13+

COMMON SENSE

Legal drama has adult themes, including domestic abuse.

82%

TOMATOMETER
Average 6.8
Reviews 60
Fresh 49
Rotten 11

Information

Studio
Paramount
Released
1997
Run Time
2 hr 15 min
Rated
PG-13 For a strong beating and elements of domestic abuse.
Region of Origin
United States
© 1997 Paramount Pictures. All Rights Reserved.

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English
Audio
English (AD, AAC, ⁨Dolby 5.1⁩), English (United States)
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English (CC)

Accessibility

Closed captions (CC) refer to subtitles in the available language with the addition of relevant non-dialogue information.
Audio descriptions (AD) refer to a narration track describing what is happening on screen, to provide context for those who are blind or have low vision.
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