Customer Reviews

The Cider House Rules [VHS]

5 star:		(112)
4 star:		(59)
3 star:		(25)
2 star:		(21)
1 star:		(17)

 

 

Just when thoughtful adults despair that Hollywood will never again make movies for them to enjoy, Cider House Rules comes along and gives everybody reason to hope. From its wide, opening shot to its literary ending, this film delivers to its audience an old-fashioned, satisfying, movie-going experience while at the same time focusing on quite a surprising topic: abortion. Framed with Dickensian sympathy for all its characters, Cider House weaves its way in and out of the lives of half a dozen startlingly original people, many of them quite unusual for mainstream cinema. Michael Caine picked up the Oscar (he's a great actor but he's become a kind of beloved pet for middle-aged movie fans) as a drug-addicted humanitarian, yet Delroy Lindo gives the most haunting and complex performance as the black foreman of an apple-picking crew who loves his daughter too much. Tobey Maguire and Charlize Theron make this long film continuously watchable and even warmly sunny despite its repeated turns into dark material, and a gaggle of adorable moppet orphans keep tugging at the heart strings, but not so much you feel abused. A rare modern day classic.

A sensitive and intelligent character-driven film, adapted from John Irving's novel by the author himself, which features truly breathtaking cinematography, a lush musical score, and uniformly excellent performances by a formidable cast which includes Tobey Maguire, Charlize Theron, Delroy Lindo, Paul Rudd, Kathy Baker, Jane Alexander, and supporting Oscar-winner Michael Caine. The main plot line centers around a young man (Maguire), raised in an orphanage headed by a charismatic doctor (Caine), who decides to venture out into the world and learns the hard way that life is not merely black and white, but many subtle variations of gray. While this is hardly a unique theme, the characters in "Cider House Rules" are so exquisitely drawn, and the movie so masterfully produced, that everything which might in lesser hands seem overly familiar appears fresh, new, and distinctive.

The DVD offers a perfect sound and video transfer, and includes a nice selection of "extras", including a documentary on the making of the film, the original Theatrical Trailer, and highlights of the television ad campaign. Overall, the DVD is an exemplary presentation of a bona fide modern classic, and one that's well worth multiple viewings.

Director Lasse Hallström joins his formidable talent with novelist/screenwriter John Irving and the results are so pleasantly literate and dramatically satisfying. I haven't read the novel so I can't compare the two but films vs. their novels' comparisions are almost impossible anyway since each media of expression is so unlike the other. For one, film is a collaborative medium whereas fiction writing is a solitary pursuit. Judged on its own, the film works perfectly. It revolves around a young man, Homer (Tobey Maguire), raised in an orphanage by its doctor (Michael Caine) who loves him like his own son. Homer eventually needs to go out into the larger world and experience what it has to offer. He has had problems with the doctor's inability to see the black and white of right and wrong. In his exposure to the outside world, by working in a Cider House in Maine, Homer too is forced to confront the gray areas inbetween right and wrong. Delroy Lindo, as the crew boss of the Cider House, does a formidable job playing the pivotal character from whom Homer will learn the inexact rules for living his life. Caine and Irving deservedly won Oscars for their work.

Based on the novel by John Irving, set in the 1940s, the Cider House Rules is a heartwarming story of relationships bonded by love and care.
The movie starts in a narrative style of Dr.Larch (Michael Caine) who is the caretaker of an orphanage in rural Maine. The orphanage has several kids managed lovingly by Dr. Larch along with two nurses. It is also a hospital, which takes care of delivering babies and terminating unwanted pregnancies in a discreet manner. Sometimes, prospective parents wishing to adopt a child visit the orphanage and a lucky one is taken away while the other children sadly wait their turn. One such orphan is Holmer ( Tobey Maguire) who is no longer a kid and has a special place in Dr.Larch's heart. While, the doctor shows no outward love for him, he has trained Holmer in the practice of gynecology and taken care of him in many ways known and unknown to the latter. Holmer is popular with all the kids and the one Dr. Larch has groomed to take over after him.

Then , one day a young couple arrives to get rid of an unwanted pregnancy, Wally ( Paul Rudd ) who is a pilot and his girlfriend Candy ( Charlize Theron ) have chosen this place because of it's remote location. Dr.Larch and Holmer take good care of her. Holmer is friendly with the couple and asks for a ride to town. He wants to see the world outside , he wants to do other jobs and things. His life so far has been confined to the orphanage. He decides to leave the orphanage alongwith Wally and Candy to see the world. Dr.Larch can't accept this and is hurt, he howver, does not prevent Holmer as he knows that it was bound to happen. Everybody go out to wish Holmer an emotional goodbye , but Dr.Larch who is unable to face the parting prefers to watch from his room. Holmer too cannot muster the courage to bid farewell to Dr.Larch.
Now, he is on his own , he sees the ocean and the country side. Wally willingly offers him a job at his apple orchard. You must be the most overqualified apple picker he says. But, Holmer takes it and quickly learns his job. He makes friends with the other black workers in the Cider House.He learns a thing a two about rules and about the tragic lives of his black co-workers.
Inevitably, he falls in love with Candy who also fancies him especially when Wally is on war duty in Asia. The two have developed a relationship where the future is uncertain so, they prefer to wait and see. Meanwhile, Dr.Larch's health is failing and is to be replaced. What does Holmer do now? He is caught between the non-commital Candy and his moral duty of taking over the orphage and hospital after Dr.Larch.

The movie has a relaxed pace.The rural settings have a calming effect on all the characters. Their emotions have been brought out in a quiet, dignified manner without any melodrama. You will pause to think about the life of orphans and the immense love and care their caretakers offer them. The acting is superlative. Michael Caine has won an Oscar for his role. Tobey Maguire as the young Holmer has delivered well. The movie makes it's characters your own as they have their mind and heart in the right place. Definitely worth watching.

"The Cider House Rules" stars Tobey Maguire as Homer Wells, an orphan who spends his young life growing up in an orphanage, while being mentored by Dr. Larch(Michael Caine) on gynocology.

St. Cloud orphanage is the setting for the beggining of the film and while here, we learn that Dr. Larch is performing more than simple baby deliveries. He is also performing abortions, which at this point in the United States, is illegal. Dr. Larch performs these abortions, because as he says "If I don't do them properly or turn these women away, somone else will perform the abortion improperly" and we are shown the horrible results of a situation where that happens.

Homer is very appreciative of everything that Dr. Larch has taught him, but feels that he must decide for himself what path his life will take. He also has a serious issue with the idea of abortion. So, Homer decides to leave with a young couple Candy(Charlize Therion) and Wally(Paul Rudd), whom just went through an abortion of their own. Wally is a pilot for the air force, on a leave to help his mother with the harvesting of their apple orchards. Homer decides that he would like to try his hand at apple-picking and gets a job at the orchards.

While here, Homer stays with the rest of the apple-pickers; a group of southern, black men, very different from anyone that Homer has ever known in his sheltered life. He takes to all of the men and finds that he really enjoys apple-picking. Homer also falls deeply in love with Candy, while Wally is sent back to war.

The boss of the apple-picking crew, Mr. Rose is a tough, mean boss, who prefers for his workers to "mind their business" and remember that their business is "the apple business, nothing else." Well, the movie really gets interesting when we find out that Rose, Mr. Rose's daughter, is hiding a pregnancy. Homer discovers this immediatly, seeing as to how he is a trained physician. He tries to talk Rose into taking a trip to St. CLoud to have a proper abortion, but his pleas fall on deaf ears.

Then we discover that the father of Rose's baby is none other than her father, Mr. Rose. At this point, Homer must make and face a critical decision. He knows that if he does not perform the abortion, Rose will attempt to handle it on her own. He also knows that their is no way that Mr. Rose will be willing to let Rose leave to go to St. Cloud. So, Homer goes against his earlier morals and decides to perform the abortion on his own. After he does so, Dr. Larch overdoses on ether, a drug he has somewhat of an addiction to and Homer realizes that the real world is really no different than the illegal one he knew at St. Cloud, only at St. CLoud, he was actually making the world better for many people, whereas in the real world, nobody else cared enough to let him help, when he felt he was capable of helping.

This is an extremly fascinating movie, complete with a great cast, great writing, a great score and wonderful setting. This movie tackles controversial issues such as abortion and incestial rape and shows very grapically the repercussions of both.

The title is intriguing, because when Homer reads the Cider House rules to his fellow apple-pickers(none of them can read), they all laugh, because they either break those rules all of the time or have no intention of ever doing what is forbidden in the others; except of course, sitting on the roof. Prior to Home reading that rule about no sitting on the roof; none fo the apple-pickers had ever done so. Well, after he read that rule to them, we see them on the roof numerous times. As Mr. Rose states "Those ain't our rules. They was written by folks that don't live here. We live here. We make our own rules." And that is basically the plot of this story. Dr. LArch had been "making his own rules" everytime that he decided to perform an abortion or when he forged a Harvard diploma with Homer's name on it. He was doing things his way and, in the end, the best way for everyone. Homer "made his own rules" when he decides to hep Rose and perform an abortion for her.

This movie is really excellent and thought-provoking and is really worth watching. Very boring for children, so don't even bother showing to them. No extreme violence or sex scenes and although numerous abortions are performed in this movie, nothing very graphic is shown---THANK GOD.

A definate movie to check out!
Great Job to the cast on this one!!

This Review refers to the Miramax Collector's Series DVD edition of "The Cider House Rules"

Sixty years before the release of "The Cider House Rules", we learned in a heartwarming story, from a girl named Dorothy, that if we are ever looking for our heart's content we shouldn't look past our own back yards. In 1999 in a more adult tale, one that is also heartwarming, but no fantasy, a young man named Homer, sets his cap to see the world and discovers also, that home is where he belongs. Naturally, this film is nothing like "The Wizard of Oz", and I am not, and would never presume to compare the two, only the idea of youth looking for something more out there. But "The Cider House Rules" is a fine film in it's own right.

All that Homer Wells knows of life is the orphanage in Maine where he has grown up.The orphanage is run by Dr. Larch who has been like a father to Homer and has passed on all his medical knowledge to him, in hopes that someday Homer will take his place.The orphanage by the way also doubles as place where unwed mothers come to have their babies...or not...as abortion is also one of the choices. The time is the early fourties, and not only was abortion as controversial as it still is today, but also, illegal.

Homer feels, it is his time now, and decides to strike out on his own. Not knowing where he will go or what he will do, doesn't really matter. What matters is that he experiences life.And so he does.Love, happiness, sadness and loss are all part of life's experiences that Homer gains on his journey.

Lasse Hallstrom("Chocolat"/"What's Eating Gilbert Grape")has masterfully directed this wonderful film that captivates from start to finish.The cast is a brillant mix of seasoned veterans and outstanding young performers.Michael Caine took home a Best Supporting Oscar for his touching portrayal of the ether addicted, but caring Dr.Larch. Tobey Maguire, is perfect as the young and intuitive Homer. Charlize Theron, Delroy Lindo, Jane Alexander, and Kathy Baker all add their wonderful talents as well. The film also garnered an Oscar for Best Screenplay by John Irving and was nominated for several others including, Best Picture, Director,and Music.

It's not only a beautiful story, but beautifully filmed as well, and the DVD is an excellent quality that shows off all the great cinematography. It's the reason we love our DVDs so much. The picture in widescreen(2.35:1) is crystal clear, with wonderful colors and the 5.0 surround sound is marvelous.Lots of extras are included too. Commentary, deleted scenes, a "making of" feature, and more. It may be viewed in French and has subtitles in Spanish. And although it doesn't say it on the tech info here or the back of the case, there ARE captions in English for hearing impaired viewers.

I highly recommend this to anyone who loves touching tales of life....enjoy...Laurie

also recommended for more of life's touching moments:

Empire Falls (Every Small Town Has a Big Story) Vol. 1and Empire Falls (Every Small Town Has a Big Story) Vol. 2

The Ice Storm(also with Tobey Maguire)

The Color Purple

The boundaries of our lives sometimes seem self-ordained, while at other times they seem predetermined by a higher power, and life itself often becomes a quest to ascertain which is which. And so it was with a young man who grew up an orphan in the State of Maine, in the years preceding World War II, in "The Cider House Rules," directed by Lasse Hallstrom. Under the tutelage and watchful eye of Dr. Wilbur Larch (Michael Caine), the administrator of the orphanage in which Homer Wells (Tobey Maguire) had lived his whole life, Homer, by 1943, had become quite knowledgeable and adept in the field of medicine. What he lacked, however, was the formal education that would have enabled him to practice what he had learned, if indeed, he had so desired; which in fact he had not. The orphanage was a world unto itself, a loving haven for unwanted children, but a place apart; and a larger world loomed just beyond it's perimeter, a world Homer Wells wanted to see. And when circumstances present Homer with an opportunity to get away, he grabs it, and embarks upon his journey of discovery, much to the consternation of the good Dr. Larch, who fears that he has lost Homer-- whom he loves as a son-- to the world forever. And forever is a long, long time. Hallstrom presents the story with acuity and care, drawing upon the innate humanity of the characters--especially Dr. Larch and Homer-- to bring it all to life. While Dr. Larch epitomizes the benevolent nature of man, one who has known the world and has come into his own, has found the place from which he can do some good, Homer represents the longings of youth; no longer a boy, but a man who must discover on his own what Dr. Larch already knows. And, as it is in real life, it becomes a matter of experience; and though fate ultimately intervenes with a nudge in the right direction, it is Homer who decides the direction his own life will take-- it is he who finally realizes what is meant to be. And under Hallstrom's steady and skillful hand, the journey becomes, not only Homer's, but the viewer's as well, as he mines the emotional depths of the characters, making them people with whom the audience will be readily able to identify. Affecting an American accent for the first time in his career, Michael Caine gives a performance that deservedly earned him the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. He brings Dr. Larch so vividly to life, capturing the deep concern and humanity of the man, while conveying his sincerity and exposing his vulnerability; it's a complete and real portrayal, enriched with nuance and altogether memorable. As good as Caine is, however, the film clearly belongs to Maguire, who gives a masterfully understated performance as Homer. There is such expression in the pacific nature he lends to the character, along with a sense of mature acceptance that serve to accentuate his inner yearnings, that make Homer so believable, a person with whom it is easy to sympathize and relate. There is something of a wistful poet beneath his stoic, though gentle, outward appearance that makes him endearing. With a subtle ability, Maguire makes it clear that Homer is a person of intrinsic good, and it gives not only the character, but the performance, a ring of truth and integrity. It's exceptional work, and taken in conjunction with his turns in "The Ice Storm" and "Wonder Boys," firmly establishes Maguire as one of the best young actors in the business today. The extraordinary supporting cast includes Delroy Lindo (Mr. Rose), Charlize Theron (Candy), Paul Rudd (Wally), Jane Alexander (Nurse Edna), Kathy Baker (Nurse Angela), Kieran Culkin (Buster), Kate Nelligan (Olive Worthington), K. Todd Freeman (Muddy), Erykah Badu (Rose Rose) and Erik Per Sullivan (Fuzzy). Highlighted by outstanding performances and the sensitive interpretation and delivery of the story by Hallstrom, "The Cider House Rules" is a touching excursion into the depths of human emotions, and a taste of what life is all about. More than just a film, it's an experience; one that will create a lasting impression on your soul, and one that absolutely must not be missed.

I watched "The Cider House Rules" last night and so thoroughly enjoyed it. I never moved once during the entire movie. It held your attention the entire time. It made me laugh out loud, cry, think about my own life, and the fact that this kind of simple love and caring should exist more today in our fast paced, complicated world that fails to remember the little things that really count. I. too, agree, with some of the other viewers comments that this movie was a far better motion picture than "American Beauty." Kudos to John Irving for writing such a beautiful novel. I also that that the acting was suberb, with all cast members working together to produce this wonderful movie.

After seeing his work mauled by Simon Birch, Irving made a vow to do his own adaptations. And what a novel to start with: The Cider House Rules is a beautifully written ode to love. But read the book, then watch the film. You'll be amazingly disappointed at what was important and beautiful in the novel has become cheap and Hollywood-ized in the film (especially the ending). I missed this film during Oscar-hype and kept vowing to see it, then bought the DVD since I enjoyed the book so much. I was keenly disappointed. Don't get me wrong, though. On its own, the Cider House Rules film is a nice work of motion picture, with well-written dialogue, beautiful cinematography, and good performances. But to see what Irving did to his novel (in what I'm assuming is the interest of time and to give the film a more traditional happy ending) is to see utter disappointment in this film. ATTENTION: Don't watch this movie and read the book because it intrigues you...and if you've read the book but haven't seen the film, don't. Let the characters live and breathe inside you.

Some people may find this film too philosophical, and then it is so condensed that some say it is unfocused.

Yes, it talks about rules and laws, about morals. What is the point of laws and alternatively rules, if they are not helping those whom they are trying to help? It talks about sex impulse, about incest and abortion( in a forgiving way ), whether we should legalise abortion or whether we prefer more and more abandoned orphans grown up to be torn apart between the forces of the wish to find and show their biological parents how well they are now doing on the one hand, and "killing them" for abandoning them on the other, that is to say if they are lucky enough to get that far. How are they supposed to find their place in this world? Take note how Dr Larch prepared and launched Homer (and others: i.e. "Kings of New England") into this world.

So, once upon a time in a forlorn small place called Maine, there were some orphans who strived to survive and one of then chanced to intermingle with the folks in the fishing industry and the cider industry not too far away. A perfect fragment of this broken tiny Universe, a perfect elegy for Dr Larch.

Well, this is more like a vivid watercolour painting of this part of the Universe with characters so round and so real; not just Dr Larch or Homer, but also the Lieutenant and his girlfriend (Charlize Theron), and even the two Roses. The watercolour effects are well deployed. The sights of the operation theatre(s) full of apparatus with the pregnant women in bed would otherwise be too stupefying. Furthermore, there are so many scenes of premature deaths of the orphans and then the tragic ending of Mr Rose etc. Have they been depicted in the oil like "My Life as a Dog," the impact would simply be too shocking. Moreover, the way how it is depicted now would suggest some sort of intransience, some kind of timelessness.

All in all, the film is enchanting and thought provoking all at the same time. I will soon come back to it for a second time comparing it in detail with "My Life as a Dog" by the same director.