1997’s The Rainmaker is quite an important film in the career of Virginia Madsen, it’s the one that most would and will remember as bringing her back into the acting limelight properly. It’s only a small role to be fair, but a damn good one.
The Rainmaker is an adaption of John Grishams novel of the same name from 1995, it’s directed by Francis Ford Coppola and features some proper Hollywood heavyweights such as Matt Damon, Jon Voight, Micky Rourke and Roy Scheider among others.
The Rainmaker however, might not have been another solid hit Hollywood was hoping for. There isn’t anything wrong with the film as such, it’s just not the most exciting film out there with its focus on the courtroom more than anything else.
The story follows Rudy (Matt Damon) as he battles for justice for a young man whose Insurance Company denied him the money for a life saving bone marrow transplant which could have saved his life in a battle against leukaemia.
The Insurance Company in question, Great Benefit, tries to defend its practices and policies against Rudy but the deeper he digs, the more shady practices come to light.
No great surprise there then.
As I mentioned earlier, Virginia Madsen has a small role in this film, well, small in size, perhaps not in consequence to the overall story.
She plays Jackie Lemanczyk, a woman who used to work for Great Benefit who turns on her former employer and takes on the role of a whistleblower. Her arrival in the film comes at a pivotal moment and her testimony in the case is crucial to the outcome.
Obviously I’ll avoid spoilers here, but the outcome of it all won’t come as any great surprise to anyone.
It’s only a small role for our heroine, but, an important one in her career I think. Her performance here is spot on. At the time of this movie she wasn’t exactly in the limelight and she was amongst some fine actors. Not that she couldn’t hold her own, at all – BUT – What she didn’t do was over perform. She brings a reality to the character of Jackie. A weary woman who has battled her own morals and fought her own demons, not said things she she should have said, and has reached down into her soul to finally say what needs saying.
Which. Seems kind of dramatic when I put it like that, but… It is what it is.
The Rainmaker came at an odd time in Virginia Madsen’s career. At this point, Virginia Madsen had already experienced the highs and lows of Hollywood. She’d reached a high in her career in the early 90’s with films like The Hot Spot and Candyman, but the years following some would consider challenging, with fewer roles coming her way.
By the mid-’90s, she was a new mother and had stepped back from acting to focus on her family. It wasn’t until her son was a little older that she began exploring roles again. On hearing this she was asked by Francis Ford Coppola himself to audition for The Rainmaker and has often spoke fondly of her experience, and gratitude for the film. Speaking with outclique.com she has this to say;
“I learned an incredible amount about acting from Francis Ford Coppola. Because I didn’t go in to the audition nervous, they gave me the role. He trusted that I would be tough enough to go through it and not be destroyed. I think a lot of these directors see a strength in me; they know I can go the distance.“
The Rainmaker might not have done as well as it could have or should have, but as fans of Virginia Madsen we should all be thankful for it, and maybe for that reason alone it belongs in all of our collections.
Availabilty:
Good. Another one you won’t have any trouble finding. In most countries it’s easier to get hold of the DVD over the Blu-Ray, but it’s one of those films that will probably end up getting a boutique release at some point or another.
Gallery:
Trailer:
| < Previous | Home | Next > |
