Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #188028 in DVD
• Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 1.77:1
• Format: PAL
• Original language: German

Amazon.com essential video
In adapting his own novel The Cider House Rules for the screen, John Irving sacrificed at least some of the depth and detail that made his humanitarian themes resonate, while the film--directed with Scandinavian sobriety by Lasse Hallström--is often vague about the complex issues (abortion, incest, responsibility) that lie at its core. Allowing for this ambiguity (which is arguably intentional), the film retains much of what made Irving's novel so admired, and like Hallström's earlier feature What's Eating Gilbert Grape?, it's blessed with a generous, forgiving spirit toward the mistakes, foibles, and desires of its many engaging characters.

Central to the story (set during World War II) is Homer (Tobey Maguire), a young man raised in a Maine orphanage, where the ether-sniffing Dr. Larch (Michael Caine) rules with benevolent grace while performing safe but illegal abortions. To expand his horizons, Homer follows a young couple (Charlize Theron, Paul Rudd) to do fieldwork on an apple farm, where his innocent eyes are opened to the good and evil of the world--and to the realization that not all rules are steadfast in all situations. By the time Homer returns to the orphanage, The Cider House Rules--which features one of Caine's finest performances--is memorable more for its many charming and insightful moments than for any lasting dramatic impact. Is Homer fated to come full circle in his kindhearted journey? It's left to the viewer to decide. --Jeff Shannon

From The New Yorker
The director Lasse Hallström has come to specialize in grownup movies about kids and teen-agers, especially of the luckless variety. This new picture, adapted by John Irving from his own novel, teems with scores of the little beggars; the tale begins at a snowbound orphanage in Maine, where Dr. Larch (Michael Caine) tends to the bodies and souls of the unwanted, even extending his skills to an illegal abortion practice. His protégé is Homer Wells (Tobey Maguire), who is set to follow in Larch's footsteps until those of Candy (Charlize Theron) appear. Homer departs for the wide world, where he learns about apples and sex, in that order. As an older and wiser man, he returns to his destiny, although the getting of that wisdom has been oddly unengaging. The orphan scenes have an imaginative solidity that fades as the film proceeds, and you can't work out whether the gruelling social issues, like incest and abortion, are the subject of the movie or simply ballast. As apple movies go, this one lacks a core. -Anthony Lane
Copyright © 2006 The New Yorker

Customer Reviews

A Guide to the Rules
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.

Lassa Hallstrom does it again.
I haven't viewed all of Hallstrom's work,however what I have seen is brilliant. I didn't sit and watch this film,I was in the film ,these actor's were people I knew.This is how to describe the reality the movie projects, it pull's you into the story line,which deals with some heavy subject matter.You are given the material, some of wich comes right to the core of your soul and thoght. You are never left with the feeling of being right or wrong on your own opinon's of these issues,only this reality,the world is so much more than my thoughts alone.The old saying "Good People can do Bad Things"never hit so clear in a movie as this one did.This was Michael Caine at his best,period.Tobey Maquire was just as good,you looked at this character and saw the innocence of youth, you could feel the pain that comes with maturity that he had to endure. This movie will stay with you for some time after you leave the theater,you probably won't change your opinions you've had for years to form,it just may make you less critical of those that differ from yours.This is the movie to see,if you only see one this year, this is it.

The Cider House RULES!
What attracted me to this film was the combination of Michael Caine and Tobey Maguire. Caine's subtle yet effective performance is the work of a master. You gotta give the old dog a ton of credit, and hell, throw in a "trophy" as well! He's got to be the hardest working actor in the business. Maguire's role as Homer Wells amused and impressed me. He's got a style all his own. Delroy Lindo is simply a force to be dealt wth, a major presence on the screen. The supporting is cast is incredible. This film's got it all: wide -eyed lonely kids, funny moments, intense situations and the harsh sting of reality. Director Lasse Hallstrom delivers a heart-wrenching slice of Americana, the likes of which haven't been seen in cinema in a very long time.