The Cider House Rules (1999)

User Rating:

7.4/10   

Director:

Lasse Hallström

Writers (WGA):

John Irving (novel)
John Irving (screenplay)

Release Date:

13 January 2000 (Australia)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

A story about how far we must travel to find the place where we belong.

Plot:

A compassionate young man, raised in an orphanage and trained to be a doctor there, decides to leave to see the world.

Plot Keywords:

Orphanage | Abortion | Orphan | Apple | Doctor

Awards:

Won 2 Oscars. Another 5 wins & 28 nominations

Cast

Tobey Maguire	...	Homer Wells
Charlize Theron	...	Candy Kendall
Delroy Lindo	...	Arthur Rose
Paul Rudd	...	Lt. Wally Worthington
Michael Caine	...	Dr. Wilbur Larch
Jane Alexander	...	Nurse Edna
Kathy Baker	...	Nurse Angela
Erykah Badu	...	Rose Rose
Kieran Culkin	...	Buster
Kate Nelligan	...	Olive Worthington
Heavy D	...	Peaches
K. Todd Freeman	...	Muddy
Paz de la Huerta	...	Mary Agnes
J.K. Simmons	...	Ray Kendall
Evan Parke	...	Jack (as Evan Dexter Parke)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for mature thematic elements, sexuality, nudity, substance abuse and some violence.

Runtime:

126 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

USA:PG-13 (certificate #36692) | Iceland:L | Malaysia:U | South Korea:15 | Taiwan:GP | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:14A (Alberta) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Canada:PG (British Columbia) | Chile:14 | Finland:K-12 | France:U | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:IIA | Ireland:18 | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:M | Norway:11 | Peru:14 | Portugal:M/16 | Singapore:NC-16 | Sweden:11 | UK:12 | USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Bellows Falls, Vermont, USA

Company:

FilmColony

Trivia:

One of the attractions of adapting the film for author John Irving was that he wanted his son, Colin Irving, to play Wally Worthington. However, as the development process took over a decade, eventually his son was too old for the part and was not known enough to be considered for it in any event. However, the role of Major Winslow did ultimately provide Colin Irving a part in the film.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: When the orphans watch King Kong (1933), the giant ape peels off Ann Darrow's clothes. That scene was cut shortly after the premiere, and was not publicly available until 1971.

Quotes:

Homer Wells: I've never actually seen a lobster.
Candy Kendall: Are you serious?
Homer Wells: I've never seen the ocean either.
Wally Worthington: You've never seen the ocean? That's not funny, that's serious.

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in "The Venture Bros.: Return to Spider-Skull Island (#1.13)" (2004)

Soundtrack:

Alligator Crawl

Sometimes you must break rules to straighten the situation.

This movie will be looked at from many different views. I forgot about race and religion and watched a very good movie about the human condition. John Irving did the screenplay of his own novel. A young boy, played by Tobey Maguire, is born and raised in an orphanage. He is taught the ways of childbirth and abortion by the headmaster, Dr. Larch, played by Michael Caine. The young boy wants to be more useful in life and goes on his own way to end up working in an apple orchard and learning about lobster fishing.

The Maguire boy/man character fights with his own morals and lack of worldliness as the movie progresses. The predictable ending probably couldn't have been any better. Life happens. Bad things often happen to good people. This movie does question your thoughts of humanity.

I found raw emotion, humor and tenderness in this movie. The story is set in Maine; but actually filmed in Vermont and Connecticut too. Scenery is awesome. Maguire's timid, monotone character does take some getting used to. Caine was very good. Charlize Theron proved that not only is she beautiful, but she can act as well. Erykah Badu did extremely well in a small, but important role. This movie is worthy of its many Oscar nominations.