The Cider House Rules, based on the book of the same name by John Irving, while predictable at times, features superb acting by veterans and newcomers alike and a great story which molds into a tale of moral good, true love, and one man's search for self.

Clichéd as it may be at times and with it's predictable storyline, The Cider House Rules manages to emerge from the pack of other movies of the same type by combining great acting from the likes of Tobey Maguire, Michael Caine, and Charlize Theron (The Astronaut's Wife) and newcomer to the acting scene, Erykah Badu. The story manages to weave together multiple small stories with one overall larger story (to which you already know the eventual ending) by following the life of Home Wells (Maguire), born at the orphanage atop St. Cloud's mountain where he has lived most of his life learning the profession of doctor, following in the steps of his mentor, Dr. Larch (Caine). At the orphanage, we meet other less fortunate children such as Fuzzy, Curly, Buster, and Mary Agnes (among others). They all look up to Homer who has always been there to read books to them, cheer them up, and keep them company. But all that changes when Wally (Paul Rudd) and Candy (Theron) show up for medical help. Homer immediately falls in love with Candy and decides to go wherever she goes and leaves the orphanage.

Where he ends up is on an apple farm where he decides to work for Wally's mother as an apple picker. He is also introduced to the world of lobster farming (Candy's father's profession), sees the ocean for his first time, learns what true love is, and realizes what his true calling is. There are many mature themes within The Cider House Rules and I'm surprised it received the PG-13 rating that it has. The Cider House Rules is actually quite a good movie. Director Lasse Hallström is able to weave the stories together and keep the movie going in the right direction. Although the ending could be guessed and many of the plotlines are easily discernable, the movie is still very moving and emotional. The audience gets emotionally attached to many of the characters and thus involved in the movie. Maybe not appropriate for children under 15, I still think that this would be a good movie for most kids and adults alike.

Genres: Drama
Rated: PG-13
Runtime: 131 minutes
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