The Cider House Rules (1999)

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)

Also Known As:

Ciderhusreglerna (Finland: Swedish title) (Sweden) [sv]
L'oeuvre de Dieu, la part du diable (Canada: French title) (TV title) (France) [fr]
Árvák hercege (Hungary) [hu]
Æblemostreglementet (Denmark) [da]
Gottes Werk & Teufels Beitrag (Germany) [de]
Las normas de la casa de la sidra (Spain) [es]
Las reglas de la vida (Argentina) [es]
Le regole della casa del sidro (Italy) [it]
Oman elämänsä sankari (Finland) [fi]
Regras da Casa (Portugal) [pt]
Regras da Vida (Brazil) [pt]
Tanri'nin eseri, seytanin parçasi (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Thea ston okeano (Greece) [el]
Wbrew regulom (Poland) [pl]

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:

The orphan that gets into the pie dough and eats all of it and is shown throwing up all over the orphanage is named 'Steerforth'. Steerforth is the name of one of the main character's friends in the Charles Dickens book "David Copperfield" which Homer reads to the children in their bedroom.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: The scenes at the drive-in feature a full cinemascope-sized screen. Cinemascope was not available until 1953.

Quotes:

[discussing the legality of performing abortions]
Dr. Wilbur Larch: I know it's against the law. I ask you, what has the law ever done for this place?

Movie Connections:

References Wuthering Heights (1939)

Soundtrack:

My Ideal

A Good Movie For A Cold Winter's Day

Despite the various good reviews of the movie, I was a bit skeptical about the movie due to the fact that it was based on a John Irving novel. What I found was a warm, sweet film, that was well cast and proved to be unpredictable just when it appeared you had it figured out. Tobey Maguire gives an excellent performance as a man/boy seeking his place in the world. He is supported by an excellent cast, particularly Michael Caine, despite a number of "accent" lapses. Even though they were relegated to small roles, it was great to see Jane Alexander and Kate Nelligan on the big screen once again. Charlize Theron continues to show that she is not only beautiful, but can act in a wide range of roles as well. Interesting casting as well in using Hip-Hop/R&B artists, Erykah Badu and Heavy D in small, but important parts.

The movie was a wonderful mix of laughter, tears, and human emotion, and magnificently directed by Halle Lasström. Kudos to all those involved.