MOVIES - Feb. 25, 1987

Dustin Hoffman, preparing for his role as a severely retarded man in the coming film “Rain Man,” brought co-star Tom Cruise along on a surprise visit Sunday night to a Connecticut school for the mentally retarded. Southbury Training School director Steven Staugaitis said Hoffman--who lives in nearby Roxbury--has visited the facility twice previously. “He is attempting to learn as much as he can about mentally retarded people in institutional settings,” Staugaitis said. “We all found him to be very sensitive and very interested in accurately portraying the characteristics of a severely retarded adult.”