# The Rainmaker (1997 film)
**The Rainmaker** (marketed as *John Grisham's The Rainmaker*) is a 1997 American legal drama film written and directed by [Francis Ford Coppola](https://www.edgepedia.org/francis-ford-coppola), based on [John Grisham](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-grisham)'s 1995 novel of the same name. It stars [Matt Damon](https://www.edgepedia.org/matt-damon) as Rudy Baylor, a broke Memphis law school graduate who takes on an insurance company that refused to pay for a bone marrow transplant that might have saved a dying young man's life.[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/60861) • [2](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1997/11/21/the-rainmaker-legal-drama-with-a-winning-appeal/87b0ac82-75a7-4044-b741-93b5f704266b/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | November 21, 1997 (wide), distributed by Paramount Pictures[3](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0119978/) |
| Director and writer | Francis Ford Coppola, adapting John Grisham's 1995 novel[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/60861) |
| Running time / rating | 137 minutes, rated PG-13[4](https://www.paramount.com/movies/john-grishams-the-rainmaker) |
| Lead cast | Matt Damon (Rudy Baylor), Danny DeVito (Deck Shifflet), Claire Danes (Kelly Riker), Jon Voight (Leo F. Drummond), Mary Kay Place (Dot Black), Mickey Rourke (Bruiser Stone)[4](https://www.paramount.com/movies/john-grishams-the-rainmaker) |
| Box office | $45,916,769 domestic on a $40,000,000 production budget; opening weekend $10,626,507[3](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0119978/) • [5](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Rainmaker-The) |
| Critical reception | 82% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer (60 reviews); Metascore 72 from 19 critic reviews[6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1080867-rainmaker) • [7](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-rainmaker/) |
| Recognition | Jon Voight nominated for a Golden Globe for best supporting actor; named to the National Board of Review's 1997 Top Ten Films[8](https://www.nexttv.com/news/nbcu-finally-pours-water-on-usa-network-series-reboot-of-john-grishams-the-rainmaker-is-linear-networks-first-unshared-scripted-original-since-2000) • [9](https://www.filmaffinity.com/uk/film520832.html) |
## Spoilers
### Plot
Rudy Baylor is a poor law school graduate living in his car when he signs on with Bruiser Stone ([Mickey Rourke](https://www.edgepedia.org/mickey-rourke)), a shady Memphis TV lawyer whose office keeps a tank full of sharks. There he meets Deck Shifflet ([Danny DeVito](https://www.edgepedia.org/danny-devito)), a "paralawyer" who has repeatedly flunked the bar exam, and the two eventually strike out on their own.[2](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1997/11/21/the-rainmaker-legal-drama-with-a-winning-appeal/87b0ac82-75a7-4044-b741-93b5f704266b/) • [4](https://www.paramount.com/movies/john-grishams-the-rainmaker)
Their case is a bad-faith insurance suit against the giant Great Benefit company on behalf of Dot Black ([Mary Kay Place](https://www.edgepedia.org/mary-kay-place)), whose dying son has been denied coverage for a bone marrow transplant. Opposing them is the insurance company's lawyer Leo F. Drummond ([Jon Voight](https://www.edgepedia.org/jon-voight)) and his battery of experts. In parallel, Rudy becomes involved with Kelly Riker ([Claire Danes](https://www.edgepedia.org/claire-danes)), an abused wife whose husband complicates matters when he confronts Baylor.[2](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1997/11/21/the-rainmaker-legal-drama-with-a-winning-appeal/87b0ac82-75a7-4044-b741-93b5f704266b/) • [6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1080867-rainmaker)
The title refers to a legal-industry term: in the profession, a rainmaker is a lawyer skilled at bringing in and keeping clients, often through showmanship or self-promotion.[10](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119978/faq/)
## Production
Coppola, who wrote and directed the film, said he picked up *The Rainmaker* in an airport, was intrigued by the story, and asked to direct it.[11](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-rainmaker-1997) The film was produced by [Michael Douglas](https://www.edgepedia.org/michael-douglas), Steven Reuther, and Fred Fuchs for American Zoetrope and Constellation Films, with John Toll as cinematographer, Barry Malkin as editor, Howard Cummings as production designer, and a score by [Elmer Bernstein](https://www.edgepedia.org/elmer-bernstein).[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/60861) • [4](https://www.paramount.com/movies/john-grishams-the-rainmaker)
The source novel was Grisham's sixth and a commercial success, selling 300,000 copies in its first four days; the film adaptation followed two years later.[12](https://www.usanetwork.com/usa-insider/john-grisham-the-rainmaker-usa-network-series)
## Cast
The ensemble pairs then-rising Matt Damon with established character actors. Danny DeVito plays Deck Shifflet, Claire Danes plays Kelly Riker, Jon Voight plays Leo F. Drummond, and Mickey Rourke plays Bruiser Stone. [Dean Stockwell](https://www.edgepedia.org/dean-stockwell) appears as Judge Harvey Hale, Teresa Wright as Miss Birdie, Virginia Madsen as Jackie Lemancyzk, and [Andrew Shue](https://www.edgepedia.org/andrew-shue) as Cliff Riker.[4](https://www.paramount.com/movies/john-grishams-the-rainmaker)
[Danny Glover](https://www.edgepedia.org/danny-glover) plays the newly appointed judge who nudges Rudy's case along, but he refused a screen credit, a decision that was his own; his performance was substantial enough to earn a nomination for an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture.[10](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119978/faq/) • [2](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1997/11/21/the-rainmaker-legal-drama-with-a-winning-appeal/87b0ac82-75a7-4044-b741-93b5f704266b/)
## Reception
The film opened wide on November 21, 1997 in 2,317 theaters and grossed $10,626,507 on its opening weekend, 23.1 percent of its eventual domestic total of $45,916,769 against a $40,000,000 production budget.[3](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0119978/) • [5](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Rainmaker-The) [Box Office Mojo](https://www.edgepedia.org/box-office-mojo) records no international gross, giving a worldwide figure equal to the domestic one.[3](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0119978/)
Critics responded well. On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds an 82 percent Tomatometer from 60 reviews and a 78 percent audience score; its critics consensus calls it "a satisfying legal drama" invigorated by its cast and Coppola's direction.[6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1080867-rainmaker) Metacritic assigns a Metascore of 72 based on 19 critic reviews, with 74 percent positive and none negative.[7](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-rainmaker/) Janet Maslin of *The New York Times* called it Coppola's best and sharpest film in years, and the Los Angeles Times ranked it among the year's most entertaining movies.[13](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-rainmaker/critic-reviews/) The National Board of Review named it one of its Top Ten Films of 1997, and Jon Voight received a Golden Globe nomination for best supporting actor.[9](https://www.filmaffinity.com/uk/film520832.html) • [8](https://www.nexttv.com/news/nbcu-finally-pours-water-on-usa-network-series-reboot-of-john-grishams-the-rainmaker-is-linear-networks-first-unshared-scripted-original-since-2000)
The Washington Post's review described Coppola's take as something like a Southern-fried film noir, and noted that in the wake of five earlier Grisham adaptations, this one best deciphered the satirical subtext beneath Grisham's legal fiction.[2](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1997/11/21/the-rainmaker-legal-drama-with-a-winning-appeal/87b0ac82-75a7-4044-b741-93b5f704266b/) Roger Ebert's review highlighted the give-and-take between Damon's earnest rookie and DeVito's courthouse handyman as the soul of the film, noting that unlike most Grisham films it did not have to build itself around a high-paid superstar.[11](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-rainmaker-1997)
## Legacy
The film is now frequently described as a classic courtroom drama and is often ranked by viewers among the best of the 1990s Grisham adaptations.[12](https://www.usanetwork.com/usa-insider/john-grisham-the-rainmaker-usa-network-series) Its story returned to television when [USA Network](https://www.edgepedia.org/usa-network) greenlit a series adaptation from Lionsgate Television and Blumhouse Television, written by Michael Seitzman, with Grisham, Jason Blum, Jason Richman, David Gerner, and Seitzman executive producing; the series premiered on USA on August 15, 2025, with Milo Callaghan as Rudy Baylor and Lana Parrilla in a gender-swapped version of the Bruiser Stone role.[12](https://www.usanetwork.com/usa-insider/john-grisham-the-rainmaker-usa-network-series) • [14](https://apnews.com/article/7e4ece60e84e0d230f2e83a802223d21)
## References
1. [John Grisham's The Rainmaker (1997), AFI Catalog](https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/60861)
2. ['The Rainmaker': Legal Drama with a Winning Appeal, The Washington Post (November 20, 1997)](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1997/11/21/the-rainmaker-legal-drama-with-a-winning-appeal/87b0ac82-75a7-4044-b741-93b5f704266b/)
3. [The Rainmaker (1997), Box Office Mojo](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0119978/)
4. [John Grisham's The Rainmaker, Paramount Pictures](https://www.paramount.com/movies/john-grishams-the-rainmaker)
5. [The Rainmaker (1997), The Numbers](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Rainmaker-The)
6. [John Grisham's The Rainmaker, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1080867-rainmaker)
7. [The Rainmaker Reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-rainmaker/)
8. [NBCU Finally Pours Water on USA Network, Next TV](https://www.nexttv.com/news/nbcu-finally-pours-water-on-usa-network-series-reboot-of-john-grishams-the-rainmaker-is-linear-networks-first-unshared-scripted-original-since-2000)
9. [The Rainmaker (1997), Filmaffinity](https://www.filmaffinity.com/uk/film520832.html)
10. [The Rainmaker (1997) FAQ, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119978/faq/)
11. [The Rainmaker movie review, RogerEbert.com (November 21, 1997)](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-rainmaker-1997)
12. [USA Network Greenlights TV Adaptation of John Grisham's The Rainmaker](https://www.usanetwork.com/usa-insider/john-grisham-the-rainmaker-usa-network-series)
13. [The Rainmaker critic reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-rainmaker/critic-reviews/)
14. [USA Network is bringing back scripted TV. First up? John Grisham's 'The Rainmaker', AP News (2025)](https://apnews.com/article/7e4ece60e84e0d230f2e83a802223d21)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Drama and biographical films (individual works) › Drama films 1990s*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license