Save your money for something good and enjoyable

The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

The Cider House Rules is a great movie with a well developed plot and a very talented cast. It is a very hard hitting movie that deals with some very surreal themes. As we follow Homer Wells leave the orphanage that he spent his whole life in, we get to experience a young, naive man seeing the world for the first time, and being put in to his shoes in such an effective way by the writer and director makes it feel like it is our first time as well. I have to agree with the late great Roger Ebert in saying that this movie has far too many sub plots that is barely gets a chance to touch on several of them. I understand that it is based on a book that had all these stories, which works out fine for a novel, with a movie, however, it would have been far easier to cut it down to under five stories that could fit in to a two hour gap effectively. The cast is phenomenal from beginning to end, Tobey Maguire delivers a rich, layered performance, and his chemistry with Charlize Theron makes for an effective on screen relationship that is without a doubt one of the movies highlights. Michael Caine delivers one of his most versatile performances to date in this role, playing a loud, well spoken Amerocan, he showcases his range and takes home an Academy Award for this role, which he could not deserve more. Slow moving plot that is a pleasure to watch unfold. Well written with top notch performances, The Cider House Rules is certainly worth the watch for anyone looking for a good drama. A young medic clashes with his mentor at the orphanage where he was raised and takes a job on a cider farm. Best Performance: Michael Caine

This film takes a premise and lets its characters move in and out of it along the way. Each of the characters is fully developed and has baggage and ambitions. Nothing is black and white. That's the strength of John Irving, who gave us Gary, and has not stopped since. In this film, which takes place on an apple orchard, we have people coming and going. Some are there to be protected. Others are there because of the promise of an abortion. However, life keeps going on around them. War come and goes. People are whole, then disabled or fragmented. I'd forgotten that Toby Maguire appeared in this film as the protagonist. He is quite marvelous in it, with a simple innocence and a past that is humbling. Also, one can bank on Michael Caine to deliver the goods. I'm sure some will see this film as painful, but so is life. Life brings smiles and life brings grimaces. Life brings joys and life brings pain. A fine film made from a fine book.

"Goodnight, you princes of Maine, you kings of New England."Michael Caine's second Oscar win came from his 1999 supporting role in The Cider House Rules, and despite delivering a solid performance I wouldn't even rank it amongst his best work. The true standout here was Tobey Maguire who delivers a very subtle performance and is the main reason why the story works so well. I'd say it's the best performance of his career. The film is old-fashioned (and the references to Dickens' David Copperfield reinforce that claim even more) as it manages to capture the humanity in the story with a wonderful adaptation from John Irving of his own 1985 novel. The film isn't afraid of tackling some moral dilemmas such as abortion and incest, and it does so without forcing a point of view on the audience. Lasse Hallstrom directs this film with his characteristic beautiful visual style although at times the melodrama can be a bit too sentimental. I felt like the film was much more similar in style to his prior film, What's Eating Gilbert Grape, as it focuses on several family dynamics and various subplots in a similar way. This is also as close as a Dickens movie we will get set in America. The film isn't perfect however and there are several relationships that feel forced, but I assume it has to do with trying to fit the most important elements of the novel into a two hour movie. The film opens with a voice-over narration from Dr. Wilbur Larch (Michael Caine) explaining how he became the orphanage director at St. Cloud, Maine. He takes special interest in a young boy named Homer Wells who is returned back to the orphanage immediately by every foster parent who attempts to adopt him. After a while it becomes evident to Dr. Larch that Homer will stay with them for a long time so he begins to teach him everything he knows about being a doctor. After several years, now Homer is a grown man (Tobey Maguire) who becomes Dr. Wilbur's assistant in the orphanage. When Lt. Wally (Paul Rudd) and his pregnant girlfriend Candy (Charlize Theron) show up at the orphanage to have an abortion that Dr. Larch is willing to do, Homer decides it is time to explore the outside world and leaves with the young couple. Wally offers him a job at his family's apple farm which he gladly accepts. Before heading back to war, Wally and Candy take Homer to see the ocean for the very first time and this is just the first of many first time experiences that Candy will go on to introduce him to. Meanwhile, Dr. Wilbur has hopes that Homer will return and carry on the work which he has groomed him for, but he refuses to consider himself a doctor and seems to be enjoying life picking apples and spending time with Candy. There are a couple of strong supporting performances from Delroy Lindo as one of the men in charge of the apple picking group and Erykah Badu who plays his daughter. Jane Alexander and Kathy Baker are two of the nurses in the orphanage who work with Dr. Larch. Some of the child actors playing orphans deliver some strong scenes as Kieran Culkin, Erik Per Sullivan, and Paz de la Huerta specially stand out. My greatest complaint with the cast however is that J.K. Simmons is given absolutely nothing to do here playing Candy's father. He seems to be only in a couple of montage scenes, but they completely misuse him. One of the strengths of the film however is that despite a shocking discovery surrounding Delroy Lindo's character, he is never portrayed as a one dimensional character. There is some complexity to his character and he isn't simply portrayed as a villain. On the moral dilemma surrounding the issue of abortion we have two characters with differing points of views, on the one hand Dr. Larch is very much for it, while Homer who has more faith in humanity is against it. The film may take a slightly pro abortion stand, but it doesn't feel heavy handed considering the main issue here is Homer's struggle to discover his own identity or follow the destiny Wilbur has traced for him. http://estebueno10.blogspot.com/

"The Cider House Rules" has been in my wish list for years, and I finally found it on a local store. The movie's get go is made with simplicity and beautiful moments, making you feel like you're on a romantic cruise. The relationship between Homer Wells and Paul Rudd's character is a little awkward, and it feels very strange to see these two actors so young. Photography and overall directing are GREAT all the way through, delivering a nostalgic feeling of peace, mainly due to the simplistic yet complex subject we're given. Other than that, even thought I tend to enjoy dramatic stories that aren't filled with melodramatic situations, sometimes the lack of boldness in this plot frustrated me. I mean, maybe a stronger moment between the doctor and Homer would've made it a lot more memorable. "The Cider House Rules" is, in my opinion, a great movie involving parenting, growing up and letting go, but I understand why it's so unknown for most of the people.