This is a well done film, filled with nuance and careful character development. It shows humans with all of their foibles and how they cope. The lead actors are very good, and Michael Caine truly deserved his Oscar. The reason for the less than stellar overall rating is due to the anti-choice fanatics that obsess over the fact that women are given a choice and then give the film low marks. The anti-choice fanatics show their obsession to control lives extends well beyond another's womb, but want total control.

The Cider House Rules is a beautiful, beautiful film. Based on John Irving's novel, it's set in the years before WWII, as a boy who's spent his entire life in an orphanage chooses to explore the outside world. It's extremely difficult to sum up the story, or even to describe central themes, because this film means so many different things to different people. For some, it's about the relationship with between a father and son, how the father tries to impart his wisdom, and how the son wants to forge his own path. For others, it's a story of youth and maturity. Others still will look at it as a historical film preserving a way of life that doesn't exist anymore.While it lost the Oscar in 2000 for Best Picture to American Beauty, it won gold statues for Adapted Screenplay and Supporting Actor; the latter was a highly competitive contest, including Michael Clarke Duncan in The Green Mile and Haley Joel Osment in The Sixth Sense. I'll leave it to you to decide which extremely talented performance deserved the award that year, but if I had my way, I'd have given a two-way tie, plus a special award for Outstanding Juvenile Performance. If you read the book of The Cider House Rules, you'll see that Michael Caine's character is actually the lead in the story, but in the long, complicated process of turning his novel into a screenplay, John Irving made the focus of the story Tobey Maguire's journey. Michael Caine is still the heart and soul of the film; his lines are the most memorable long after you leave the theater, and his scenes inspire the most tears.Tobey Maguire, who was not even nominated that year, also completely embodies his role. He's raw and emotional, mature in some ways but completely inexperienced in others. It's truly exhausting to watch this film, because as Tobey lives through his imprinting experiences, his face shows every hurt.Lasse Hallstrom, whose films are sometimes a little more sweet than serious, gives incredible love and care to his direction. The colors are beautiful, paying tribute to New England, and the scene transitions are smooth, paying tribute to the time period in which the film is set. He compiled a star-studded supporting cast, all of whom are authentic and full of emotion: Paul Rudd, Kathy Baker, Jane Alexander, Kate Nelligan, Delroy Lindo, Erykah Badu, and J.K. Simmons. Charlize Theron plays the love interest, and while I don't happen to like her as an actress, she doesn't really detract from the film too much. There's so much more to love, so whenever I watch it, I concentrate on the other cast members, the poignant and heart-wrenching script, beautiful music, and lovely scenery.I watched the film before reading the novel, and as much as I absolutely love the book, I recommend watching the film first. The novel spans decades, and if you read it first, you'll probably be disappointed that certain plot points and characters are cut out. The book starts decades before the film, and continues decades after the ending. However, watching the film first allows you to fall in love with the story and then learn more about it. I love both versions of The Cider House Rules, even though it inspires buckets of tears every time I watch and read it. It's so incredibly lovely, and it's so rare that this degree of near-perfection is reached.Kiddy Warning: Obviously, you have control over your own children. However, due to adult subject matter, a rather intense sex scene, and scenes of abortion, I wouldn't let my kids watch it.

Tobey Maguire pulls you in with is eyes and his hint of a smile, and you can't believe that Charlize Theron will throw him over. I love movies that get me choked up, and this one has a lot of great heart- tugging scenes. This is a movie I save for special times when I want to feel sad, but when Homer returns to the orphanage the tears are joyful. There is a purity about this movie and it comes from so many places not the least of which is the stunning Maine scenery, as well as the sparseness and closeness of the settings. The train station at the opening is bare. The orphanage is surrounded by forest. The apple farm is shot at close range, from above, only the buildings are seen. The ocean scene takes place in a closed cove. There are almost no wide shots, vistas, no crowds, no village, It's isolated, insular, a little world where Homer Wells becomes the benevolent father in a little lost world of love.

The Cider House Rules (1999): Dir: Lasse Hallstrom / Cast: Tobey Maguire, Charlize Theron, Michael Caine, Delroy Lindo, Paul Rudd: Boring drivel staged as an art film. Too many disjointed subplots, none of which regard those stupid Cider House rules so the title functions on absolutely nothing. Tobey Maguire was raised in an orphanage by an abortionist played by Michael Caine. When a couple arrive for an abortion Maguire travels to the Cider House where he will pick apples and have sex with Charlize Theron while her husband is off to war. A real yawner with three pointless deaths that present nothing to the movie. There is a knife guy that is suddenly written out of the story. The incest factor leaves more questions than answers. Does any of this garbage matter? Director Lasse Hallstrom is backed with fine production. Maguire is miscast as this apple picking playboy who will ultimately make a controversial decision. Theron is there for no other purpose other than to sleep with Maguire then feel guilty when her husband turns up injured as oppose to dead. Caine begins well then witnesses pointless death scenes. Delroy Lindo is wasted as another apple picker. Paul Rudd has the misfortune of playing Theron's cuckold husband who was risking his life while she spread her legs. Its appeal depends on one's view of abortion. Overrated mess that should be aborted with a shotgun blast. Score: 2 / 10