AIn the legal profession, a rainmaker is a lawyer skilled at bringing in and keeping clients. This often involves a degree of showmanship or self-promoting, like a tribal "rain dance."
AThe film follows the format of the book rather closely, but there are a few major omissions. The book details Rudy's trouble with finding a job after the firm at which originally had an offer was absorbed by Leo Drummond's. Rudy goes to work for another plaintiff's firm as a paralegal, but they attempt to cut him out and take the Black case. After that, Rudy goes to work for Bruiser Stone.The characters of Booker Kane, Rudy's best friend, and Professor Leuberg, his mentor, are not in the film. Both characters provide valuable assistance during the trial and Rudy's various run-ins with the police. In the film, the pre-trial hearing and trial are shown to be more harrowing for Rudy, with Drummond clearly exposing his naivete.The book's Drummond is clearly ill informed by his client and caught off guard by the strength of Rudy's case.Also, in the book Judge Kipler is much more protective of Rudy than in the film. In the film, the trial closes with the examination of Keeley, Great Benefit's CEO. In the book, Rudy conducts his examinations well and the defense case is uninspired, while in the film, his questioning of Keeley redeems him after Drummond weakens Jackie Lemancyzk's testimony by exposing her relationship with Great Benefit executives and her psychological problems.In the film, Rudy leaves Memphis with Kelly to protect her from Cliff's relatives and to teach law. In the book, he also leaves to protect Kelly, but completely breaks from anything to do with the law or legal system, including voting and jury duty.
