Major Characters

Charlie Babbitt: A young and ambitious L.A

businessman who sells expensive sports cars.

Raymond Babbitt: A very gifted autistic man who

lives in a home for the mentally disabled in Ohio

Susanna: Charlie's Italian girlfriend.

Dr. Bruner: The director of the institute for the

mentally disabled responsible for looking after
Raymond

Vocabulary - Street language/idioms: Find out the meaning of the following.

1. A time frame:
2. I'm into him for $200,000.
3. I have all my money tied up in these cars
4. I have sharks snapping at my heals, and they could have taken my cars and business days ago.
5. Mr. Bateman wants to back out on his cars.
6. Tell him I'm knocking off five grand on each car because I appreciate their business.
7. Ready for Palm Springs?
8. I'm seconds away from closing this deal and making 75 grand.
9. What's the big to do about thinking?
10. There's really no point.
11. We had a falling out a long time ago.
12. I go to the old man, and I ask him if I can take the car out for a victory drive and he says 'no.'
13. The trustee controls the money.
14. As for my house and property, they should be placed in trust for the beneficiary.
15. I think you feel cheated out of a birthright.

Further comprehension/discussion: Discuss the following questions with your team members.

1) How did Charlie change from the beginning of the film to the end?

2) Was it in Raymond's best interest to travel to Los Angeles with Charlie? Would it have been in his best interest
to stay and live with Charlie?

3) Was Charlie "entitled" to half of his father's estate?

4) Do you know anybody like Raymond?

5) How is it possible to be a genius in math and still think a candy bar and a car both cost about one dollar?

CULTURAL POINT: Your father's dead. I'm sorry. If there's anything I can do....
This is simply an example of what you can say if you are ever told that someone close to the person you're
speaking with has died. How else could you break the news gently?