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The Rain People

Play trailer Poster for The Rain People R 1969 1h 42m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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88% Tomatometer 16 Reviews 61% Popcornmeter 500+ Ratings
Upon learning that she's pregnant, housewife Natalie Ravenna leaves her husband and embarks on a road trip of self-discovery. On her odyssey across America, Natalie picks up troubled hitchhiker Jimmie Kilgannon, a college football player whose life was shattered when he sustained brain damage. But, as she later learns when she meets a lovelorn police officer named Gordon, trying to help these lost souls isn't without its dangers.

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The Rain People

Critics Reviews

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Variety Staff Variety 12/11/2007
An overlong, brooding film incorporating some excellent photography. Go to Full Review
Tom Milne Time Out 06/24/2006
Coppola's fourth feature, a fascinating early road movie made entirely on location with a minimal crew and a constantly evolving script. Go to Full Review
Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times 10/23/2004
4/4
As for Coppola and his world, It's difficult to say whether his film is successful or not. That's the beautiful thing about a lot of the new, experimental American directors. Go to Full Review
Danielle Solzman Solzy at the Movies Jul 24
3.5/5
The Rain People reflects a period of experimentation as Coppola honed his voice and visual language—just before entering what would become the defining decade of his career in the 1970s. Go to Full Review
Megan Fisher Loud and Clear Reviews 01/11/2025
Coppola’s touch is impressionistic and bittersweet as the two new Don Quixote and Sancho Panza, Huck and Jim, George and Lennie criss-cross the country trying to find a place where they belong. Go to Full Review
Matt Brunson Film Frenzy 05/20/2024
3/4
An interesting drama notable for being an early example of feminist cinema. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Wayne K @RT88290232 4d A classic early example of American New Wave filmmaking, with a loose plot, unconventional cinematography, more focus on character than story and a lot of ambiguity that allows us to fill in the blanks. The Rain People will test the patience of most, as its structure is inherently repetitive and frequently directionless. Sometimes the camera is switched on, pointed in a single direction and the characters just, for lack of a better term, do stuff. Knight and Caan make for an enjoyable pairing, different in every way but both lacking something in their lives, and the 3rd act addition of Robert Duvall is a welcome injection of both warmth and brutality. Shortcomings are evident in the editing, with some scenes and conversations abruptly halting without rhyme or reason. It doesn’t match up to Coppola’s subsequent films, but its clearly the work of an auteur slowly coming into his own. See more RedApple A @RT71152999 May 15 Coppola’s early feminist road movie. The first half drifts at times—slow, even a little boring—but it gradually finds its rhythm and becomes genuinely engaging. Coppola skilfully frames helplessness and despair, yet the final scene is absolutely abrupt and heartbreaking. Aslo, Knight, Caan, and Duvall deliver perfect performances. See more thiago s @Thiagostone Aug 17 Filme fraco, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são fracas, a história é fraca, o elenco é fraco, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, os personagens são fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes, para fazer o filme ser bom See more Isa B @RT32418990 10/06/2024 I love this film! It is shot in a cimena verite style. There is something to be desired in the editing at times. It is a well acted, truly unique and interesting film made by a filmmaker who would soon come into his own. James Caan and Robert Duvall are awesome in this. The Rain People is a great film, and I definitely recommend it. 91/100 See more CodyZamboni @CodyZamboni 08/02/2023 Road trip movie where two people try to find purpose in life, and find an emotional bond with each other, despite some severe limitations, Movie's strengths are the first rate performances by Shirley Knight and James Caan, as damaged, empathetic, original characters. See more Steve D @RT35616104 03/23/2023 I can't believe this talent made this bad of a film. See more Read all reviews
The Rain People

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Movie Info

Synopsis Upon learning that she's pregnant, housewife Natalie Ravenna leaves her husband and embarks on a road trip of self-discovery. On her odyssey across America, Natalie picks up troubled hitchhiker Jimmie Kilgannon, a college football player whose life was shattered when he sustained brain damage. But, as she later learns when she meets a lovelorn police officer named Gordon, trying to help these lost souls isn't without its dangers.
Director
Francis Ford Coppola
Producer
Bart Patton, Ronald Colby
Screenwriter
Francis Ford Coppola
Production Co
Warner Bros., Seven Arts Pictures, American Zoetrope
Rating
R
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Jun 22, 2009
Runtime
1h 42m