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Michael Douglas did a couple of bad films at this time: Shining Through and Falling Down. My main issue with the latter film is Douglas himself. I've always found him way too pompous and self-righteous for his own good. And consequently, just watching him act is barely tolerable. When he tries to pull off a tough guy persona it's even more annoying and preposterous. In this role he's not even tolerable. This was a big eye-roller for me.

Of course this is supposed to be an urban allegory of some flatfoot regular guy going berserk, but we aren't given any backstory that earns him the right to fall off the deep end other than losing his job. In the beginning, as the camera shows his face through the car windshield, it's as if he suffering from some form of dementia or heat stroke. Is this a Black comedy, a social commentary? What are we in for?

When we witness this idiot trash a Vietnamese business owners store, because he's charging $1.12 for a pack of powdered donuts, a holdup at a Fast food restaurant for ending breakfast at 11:35 AM and a tirade against geriatric golfers, we have long lost our patience for any buildup or credible payoff. It's just a series of cliched' nuances that are played out to fulfill some Reactionary Right-wing fantasy. I guess this wouldn't have been so bad if his character had a dramatic arc that leads him to this state. But there isn't any. It's a flat and one-dimensional performance. As problematic as the story is, it could have been better if a more suitable actor was given the role instead of Douglas. Watching his pursed mouth and screechy voice uttering lines like "Is the beef 3 inches thick and good as advertised?" I couldn't stand looking at Michael Douglas, or even hearing him talk. His performance is so cringe that it's the type of movie you are embarrassed to watch around friends or family. Robert Duvall gives a banal and lethargic performance. Hershey's character as the ex-wife is difficult to relate to and everything and everyone else gets misused to a blatant stereotype. If you were to explain the premise to someone it would seem pretty good and interesting. The problem here is the execution and Michael Douglas. One person remarked that this movie was ahead of its time. It really isn't. It's more of a product of its time that has aged poorly.

This early work by Francis Ford Coppola would have a hard time finding an audience today due to its meandering plot line and lethargic feel. At times we can see the precursors of Coppola's genius which would later lead to his greatness in following films: The Godfather films, Apocalypse Now and The Black Stallion, etc. The Waspy woman who marries into a traditional Italian-American family would later be used in the Godfather as it is here.

Upon learning she's pregnant, Newlywed Natalie Ravenna (Shirley Knight), runs out of town to do some soul-searching and to get a respite from her responsibilities as a wife and would-be mother. Her aimless trip brings her to pick up a Down and Out hitchhiker, Jimmy (James Caan) and have a traffic ticket issued by a Motorcycle Cop, Gordon (Robert Duvall). We later learn in a flashback that Jimmy had a head injury in a college football game that lead to some permanent cerebral damage. What may have seemed like a brief need to get some sexual gratification, Natalie soon realizes she wants out of this problem and to cut ties. But she ends up being stuck with him due to pity or by chance. She doesn't have the heart to leave him on his own, because he's incapable of surviving due to his limited faculties. While trying to unravel herself from this mess, she gets invited to Gordon's Mobile home. Now she learns this man has some serious complications of his own. So, as she ventures off from her husband to find some brief freedom, she gets entangled in a set of new problems. These men are damaged people.

When viewing Rain People we look for inner conflict rather than outer conflict. Because this is a slow moving plot, it's one of those late 1960's films where group dialogue has people talking over each other and the camera moves from one face to another capturing brief expressions in the characters. You have to invest in the character's situation to get anything out of it, or else, you might get bored and tune out of the story.

The Rain People falls in line with the few other Road movies of this era: Easy Rider, The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, Scarecrow,etc. Where troubled souls or empty lives converge. This may not be great entertainment, but for those who are willing to invest time with this modest piece of introspection this film is moderately interesting.