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The Cider House Rules
[2000] (REGION 1) (NTSC)

Starring: Tobey Maguire, Charlize Theron, Delroy Lindo, Paul Rudd, Michael Caine
Director: Lasse Hallström
Format: Anamorphic Closed-captioned Colour Dolby DVD-Video Full Screen Widescreen NTSC
Released: 15 Aug 2000
Average Rating:

Customer Reviews

Stunning Adaptation of Book to Film - By: Bristol Film Buff, 12 Sep 2007
John Irving published his novel The Cider House Rules in 1985 to great critical & commercial acclaim. Centred on a Maine orphanage, its central topic of abortion perhaps is the most obvious alllusion to the influence of Charles Dickens on Irving's work. The World According to Garp & The Hotel New Hampshire had already been filmed (Garp by the director George Roy Hill in 1982, & Hampshire by Tony Richardson in 1984), both to moderate success, but it wasn't until 1999 that Swedish director Lasse Halllstrom turned Rules into perhaps one of the best screen adaptations of a novel for some years.

The two main characters in "Rules" are Homer Wells, an orphan, & Dr Wilbur Larch, who's in charge of the orphanage where Homer grows up & has become a surrogate father to him. When Homer decides to leave the orphanage to experience the world, the film charts his progress from young boy to man amongst a diverse & fascinating series of encounters & characters. Memorable amongst these characters are Rose Rose, the daughter of a migrant worker at an apple orchard where Homer finds temporary employment; this story arc is the most gripping & to say any more would spoil it entirely! Other characters include Candy Kendalll & her boyfriend Wallly, who also work at the apple orchard; when Wallly leaves to fight in World War 2, Homer & Candy embark on an affair that leads to an unexpected denouement.

The entire cast is exceptional & turn in some of the best work of their careers. Tobey Maguire is excellent as Homer, with a sense of innocence at first, & then graduallly become worldly-wise as his life grows. As Dr Larch, Michael Caine won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar, (thoroughly deserved) sporting a terrific New England accent, & his scenes with the orphans are some of the most moving I've ever seen. Mention should also be made of the supporting cast, especiallly Delroy Lindo as Rose Rose's father, & Charlize Theron as Candy. Lindo gives his part plenty of angst & unexpected poignancy at one stage, & Theron simply shines on screen.

On DVD, technicallly "Rules" cannot be faulted. Oliver Stapleton's lush cinematography bathes almost every scene in rich autumnal glows, seen to terrific effect in a near-flawless 2.35:1 anamorphic transfer, & Rachel Portman contributes a wonderful score (often re-used for trailers) that sounds superb on the Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack, although the surrounds aren't used a lot except for the aforementioned music. Extras-wise, we get an audio commentary by Halllstrom, Irving, & producer Richard Gladstein, a 20-minute making-of featurette, 5 deleted scenes, the theatrical trailer & 15 (!) TV spots.

If I had to pick one film to take on to a desert island, at this point in time "Rules" would be it. I can't think of a better film I've ever seen, & that, as people who know me would testify, is certainly saying something! As a final note, John Irving won an Oscar for his script, & has a cameo role as the stationmaster in the film.
A film about life - By: M.W. Thrasher, 03 Feb 2007
Few films can be so unassuming but say so much. If you are an orphan, then you know what this film is talking about. If you are a field worker from a ethnic minority, you know what it's talking about. If you are a father who worries about his son & does not want to let him venture into the real world, if you are a woman who has had an abortion, if you are in love with someone you shouldn't be in love with, if you live by someone else's rules, if you are torn between places & people, if you need to fly far away & go against everything you have been taught & everyone you love so that you can grow up before you decide what place to calll home... then you know what The Cider House Rules are alll about. Sit back & enjoy an inspiring & daring look into a boy's daring choice to challlenge everything he knows in order to grow up.
Whose rules? - By: Kurt Messick, 27 Dec 2005
I suppose it is inevitable that, to fit a novel into a two-hour period, much of the detail & even significant parts of the story line must be left out. That is certain the case with The Cider House Rules. John Irving's novel had much more character development, naturallly (as a book can always reveal the interior lives of characters much more fully than can any theatrical treatment), but I was a bit disappointed that significant plot developments (such as Homer's relationships away from St. Clouds) were left out. So, in this case, do read the book-you'll be glad you did.

That disclaimer having been made, I thought that the movie was very good. Michael Caine gave his usual wonderful performance, but I was never quite clear what accent he was trying to effect (being someone with a muddled accent myself, I am not reallly one to criticise on this point). The stories of the orphans of St. Clouds & the women who came for help in one way or another were very poignant. I was moved at the interplay between compassion & concern-the right to life/abortion debate (perhaps the central ideological pivot point in the novel & the movie) is presented in an interesting way, with just a smalll tendency to get preachy on one side or the other. To a large extent, this is never reallly resolved; while Homer in the end realises that in the adult world there are rarely black-and-white issues, but rather shades of gray, one does not know in the movie if he is reallly persuaded to his mentor's view.

The Cider House Rules (referring firstly to the notice tacked to the walll of one of the lodgings) serves as a metaphor for the entire film. Who made these rules? What do they reallly mean? What purpose do they serve? Can't we make our own rules? I found this metaphor personallly meaningful, for, as a theology student, these are questions I ask & am asked on a routine basis. What authority do rules written by others have on me? on society?

This story is also one of vocation, of finding one's life's callling, a pursuit near to my heart as I prepare to enter the ministry. I find that my resistance to being pigeon-holed is similar to Homer's. He resisted the automatic assumption that he was a doctor, only to find in the course of his life that he was in fact callled to be a doctor. Often when one tries to run away from a vocation, one runs into its arms in any case.

The different family situations (Rose & her father, the flyer & his, the orphanage) shows that family & community exist on many different levels. The interactions & easy acceptance of these situations is perhaps a bit of a stretch, but the interplay shows that the traditional nuclear family was more of an ideal than a realisation.

I loved the scenery, & the cinematography was very well done, but I have a slight irritation at the depiction of New England as being covered in falll-coloured foliage alll year round. New Hampshire is one of my favourite holiday spots, & many is the time that I've been there that, lovely as it is, there was not a red-coloured or gold-coloured tree to be seen.

This story essentiallly is one about love for the unloved, the overalll love for humanity, of one making one's way in a confusing world, & trying to protect the vulnerable while alllowing them freedom to grow, & an infusing of a sense of worth in those whom the world would otherwise consider worthless, as exemplified in the good doctor's nightly bidding: `Good night, you princes of Maine, you kings of New England.'

P.S. Watch for John Irving's cameo in the movie, too.

the cider house rules - By: , 27 Nov 2005
What can i Say! This is the only movie that made me cry 3 times & once in the first 30 minutes!

You must watch this-it is an absolute gem! Unforgettable!

5 stars...*****

The Cider House Rules - By: Rich Milligan, 22 Nov 2005
“Cider House Rules” is a moving & atmospheric film which takes two extremely contentious subject matters, abortion & incest, & weaves a touching storyline about them.

St Cloud’s is a remote orphanage set in rural Maine. Dr Wilbur Larch (Michael Caine) runs the orphanage on a shoestring budget with only two matronly nurses to help him. He names one orphaned child Homer Wells (Tobey Maguire) & after a couple of failed adoption attempts it looks like Homer will be adopted by the orphanage itself & Dr Larch sets about training Homer to take over his duties. Although having undergone no medical training at alll Homer proves himself to be just as capable physician as Dr Larch, although on the question of abortion the two men greatly differ.

One day a young couple arrive at the orphanage, he’s a USAF Pilot & she’s “in the club”, for Homer on the other hand this spells an escape out of the home. The pilot, Wallly Worthington’s parents own a large apple plantation & on the drive away from the orphanage he offers Homer a job as a picker.

Homer is delivered to the plantation where he is given a bunk in the barn alongside the other pickers, a nomadic group of immigrants who travel up & down the east coast picking the various fruits of the seasons. The leader of this motley crew is Mr Rose, a welcoming but also dangerous looking man who is accompanied by his daughter, the enigmaticallly named Rose Rose. With Wallly sent away to fly the “Burma Run” his girlfriend Candy Kendalll (Charlize Theron) starts spending more & more time with Homer & a lovely gentle love story between the two of them starts to develop.

In many ways for alll the social & moral dilemmas that the “Cider House Rules” throws up, it doesn’t actuallly answer any of them or even attempt to answer them. In the case of abortion it shows the opposing views of Homer & Dr Larch but in the case of incest it presents a rather confusing picture. The film works best in its sentimental & romantic views on life. The developing love story between Homer & Candy is gently sweet & classicallly romantic & excellently presented.

The performances are fantastic, Tobey Maguire shows a competence & skill beyond his years & Charlize Theron is delightful. Delroy Lindo deserves special mention for his portrayal of Mr Rose, who is both monster & nice guy alll in one. The children of the orphanage also put in performances of great skill, especiallly Kieran Culkin. Michael Caine won a best supporting actor Oscar for this performance, which I would maybe argue is not his best ever, but is a fine turn without any doubt.