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Review by Susan Granger
4 stars out of 4
Adapted by John Irving from his own best-seller, this is
the extraordinary story of one boy's journey into maturity in the
1940s. Homer Wells (Tobey Maguire) grew up in a sheltered existence at
an orphange in St. Clouds, Maine, under the kindly, paternal care of
ether-addicted Dr. Larch (Michael Caine) who, each night, after
reading a chapter from Charles Dickens, bid the wistful, unwanted boys
a poignant "Good night, you princes of Maine, you kings of New
England." As Larch's favorite, Homer learns a lot about performing
safe, if illegal, abortions but less about right and wrong. Which is
why he decides to explore the outside world, hitching a ride with a
young woman (Charlize Theron) and her fiance (Paul Rudd), an Air Force
pilot. Taking a job as an apple picker, he joins a black migrant
worker crew, headed by Mr. Rose (Delroy Lindo) and his daughter
(Erykah Badu). Director Lasse Hallstrom is sensitively and
affectionately in tune with Irving's off-beat, idiosyncratic
characters, eliciting substantial, Oscar-caliber performances as Homer
copes with a crisis of conscience involving abortion, medical ethics
and racial prejudice. Wide-eyed and impressionable, Tobey Maguire is
delicately convincing, particularly as he's dazzled by luminous
Charlize Theron. Michael Caine not only masters the elusive accent but
captures the fierce intensity and enormously touching vulnerability of
Larch. And edgy Delroy Lindo is tender yet terrifying, never hitting a
false note. The fable-like quality is greatly enhanced by Oliver
Stapleton's vivid, impressionistic photography. On the Granger Movie
Gauge of 1 to 10, The Cider House Rules is a haunting 10. Mixing
quirky humor, menace, and pathos, it's an emotionally uplifting
experience - one of the best pictures of the year.
Copyright © 2000 Susan Granger
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out of 4
