cider

The Cider House Rules

Rating:

The Info

Directed by: Lasse Hallstrom
Written by: John Irving (adapted from his own novel)
Starring: Tobey Maguire, Charlize Theron, Delroy Lindo, Paul Rudd, Michael Caine
Produced by: Richard N. Gladstein

The Nutshell

A young man leaves his orphanage home in search of his place in the world.

The Review

The Cider House Rules is a labour of love, the result of a fifteen year effort by writer John Irving to bring his epic to the big screen, and it shows. While the majority of cinema in the late 90's has a written-in-a-week feel to it, the characters and thematic content of Cider House are near-impeccable. The film received an impromptu standing ovation from its sneak preview audience, and the reason is obvious; while the film's plot sounds like a simple tale, the characters are so perfectly balanced between black and white that you simply cannot let them go. For a good two hours after the credits rolled I was engaged in a wonderful conversation with my wife about the intricate facets of each amazing character. This is a stimulating film, one that is not easily relegated to that part of the brain reserved for fluff like Bowfinger or The Out-of-Towners.

The film begins in what is arguably its only weak point; an orphanage. While the first twenty minutes are necessary to set up the relationship between Dr. Larch (Caine) and his home-schooled ob/gyn assistant Homer (Maguire), one of the orphanage's longest residents, the scenes have a cutesy feel to them and one expects Robin Williams to pop out at any second wearing a clown nose. While probably realistic (I'm sure *I* would try to look the cutest if it meant a family adopting me), loveable kids with names like Curly and Fuzzy do not fit the rest of the film. The lack of even one rude, violent inhabitant is one of the few implausibilities in this fine film.

Dr. Larch has worked at the St. Clouds Orphanage for years, delivering unwanted babies, performing abortions, even though they are illegal (the film is set in the 40's during the War). His out of the way orphanage in Maine is perpetually under-funded and under-staffed, so Larch trains Homer to be as good at delivering babies as himself. Homer is always willing to deliver babies, but refuses to assist in an abortion, largely due to the fact that he could easily have become the by-products of one. Living in isolation, Homer has seen nothing of the world, watching the same damaged film reel over and over (King Kong) in the orphanage. Once he, Dr. Larch and the state of things at the orphanage is properly set for us, Homer sets out to discover the world, and his place in it.

He winds up picking apples in the family orchard of a couple he meets; Candy Kendall (Theron), the beautiful young woman who befriends Homer, and her husband Wally (Rudd), the very image of dashing bravado as he heads off to war. Homer is set to work under the tutelage of Mr. Rose (Lindo), who heads the troupe of apple-pickers which includes his daughter Rose (yes, Rose Rose) played by Erykah Badu, Peaches (Heavy D) and a couple others. Living with them in The Cider House (the name given to their shack long ago), Homer is unknowingly set on a path of redemption, self-discovery and enlightenment. While that may sound cheery, it is a journey that will severely change the lives of several people around him, not always for the better.

As I said, the characters are the film's main strength. It is amazing, in retrospect, to realize that the film has no antagonist. Homer is clearly the protagonist, but everyone else is somewhere in between. Even when something odious and vile is discovered about one of the characters, their other qualities make you incapable of hating them. Irving understands that we all have a little bit of good and bad in us, and that that is part of what makes us human. This masterful screenplay would be useful however without a strong cast to back it up.

Tobey Maguire is finally getting some notice in Hollywood, something critics have been hoping for for several years now. He is the newest example of the everyman, an actor who can convincingly play a normal person. Bill Paxton has long been my favourite actor for such roles, but as he ages, I am beginning to envision Maguire in his place quite frequently. As Homer, he holds the film together, appearing in most scenes. Another favourite of mine is Delroy Lindo. Appearing in great film after great film (Get Shorty, Clockers to name a few), Lindo is an unmined mountain of talent. As Mr. Rose, Lindo offers up many different emotions, ranging from simple joy and happiness to rage, despair and sorrow. His performance, a performance that could so easily have been over-done, is the film's coup de grace, and he deserves an Oscar nomination for it. Michael Caine uses a convincing American accent as Dr. Larch, and unfortunately appears in many of the more mushy scenes. This performance is one his best in years and is also worthy of consideration for awards. Erykah Badu, Heavy D, Kathy Baker, Kieran Culkin, Charlize Theron and Paul Rudd all also do well with their roles.

Cinematographer Oliver Stapleton and director Lasse Hallstrom have captured the very essence of North-eastern United States in the 40's in the film's beautifully shot scenery. Slow-moving trains surrounded by snow and barren trees, and a gnarled and almost creepy winter forest are just two of the breathtaking shots he sets up, giving the film added depth. The score by Rachel Portman would be well-suited for a more conventional weeper flick, but does the job in setting the mood for the audience. Make no mistake, this is a twelve-hanky cryfest. As for the film's title, it is an ancient typed set of rules posted in the applepicker's shack that gets noticed a couple of times throughout. While any symbolism surrounding the rules eluded me, they do serve at one point to congeal the pickers into a stronger unit, sort of a "what happens on the Cider House stays in the Cider House" thing, to paraphrase a line from the Green Mile.

By using abortions as the base for Homer's troubles, Irving could have easily slid into controversy. Luckily, the emphasis on the moral and ethical issues of the abortion debate is handled just right, never getting preachy, but never losing sight of it either. The motivations behind Dr. Larch's wishes for Homer, the things Homer sees and experiences in his quest, and the strength of the characters make The Cider House Rules one of the year's best written films, possibly the best. The few cuddly orphanage scenes aside, this is a fine film, opening among many other fine films. Whether the film will get noticed while critics are also salivating over the likes of Magnolia, Cradle Will Rock and Man on the Moon remains to be seen. No matter what happens though, make sure you see this film; it is nice to stimulate your brain once in a while.

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