Much of the story of The Cider House Rules, which is set in the 1940s, centres on a Maine orphanage run by Dr. Wilbur Larch (Michael Caine) in one of his finest performances. One of the orphans, Homer Wells, (Tobey Maguire), grows up to become the doctor's assistant, though he lacks medical qualifications. Larch carries out abortions, and that's how Homer meets Candy, (Charlize Theron), brought her by her airman boyfriend. An attraction develops between the two, and the second half of the film unfolds in the apple orchard and cider house run by her parents.
Swedish director Lasse Hallstrom has crafted a beautiful but not especially memorable film from this sprawling material, which encompases rather too many characters and sub-plots for complete enjoyment. As a result the film seems a touch ponderous and, given that it deals with the tricky subject of abortion, it seems rather sanitised. A decent, rather stolid literary adaptation.Margaret's comments: Not having read John Irving's novel I was nevertheless disappointed with this latest film from director Lasse Hallstrom. Hallstrom's great with edgy material – My Life as a Dog, What's Eating Gilbert Grape – but with this film the edginess has been turned into bland. None of the potentially controversial issues in the film – abortion, drug abuse – have been dealt with in a way that is anything less than sentimental. There's potentially a terrific story here, but by the end you wonder just what it was meant to be all about. It's a narrative rather than a drama, all the elements that could have created some sort of dynamism have been diluted rather than distilled into a film experience that skims over the surface of things. A shame really because there are fabulous performances here from Tobey Maguire and Michael Caine, who obviously relished the chance to develop a really different and interesting character in Dr. Larch. Even the climactic drama in the cider house fails to make much of an impact.
