The Cider House Rules (1999)
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A young man raised in a Maine orphanage is trained in obstetrics and must navigate the complexities of morality and human connection in the outside world.
The story
Homer Wells grows up at St. Cloud's, a Maine orphanage directed by the ether-addicted Dr. Wilbur Larch, who secretly performs abortions. Because of his intelligence and nature, Larch trains Homer as an apprentice in obstetrics and abortions, though Homer refuses to perform the latter. After years of training, Homer seeks to see the world beyond the orphanage. He eventually leaves to work as a laborer at a family apple orchard. While there, he becomes involved with Candy Kendall, the daughter of the orchard's owner, as her boyfriend is away serving in World War II.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Homer Wells is raised in a Maine orphanage where Dr. Wilbur Larch trains him in obstetrics and abortions. Despite his training, Homer refuses to perform abortions. He eventually leaves the orphanage to work at a local apple orchard. There, he begins an affair with Candy Kendall while her boyfriend, Wally, is away fighting in Burma. During this time, Homer works with migrant workers and learns about the harsh realities of their lives. Tragedy strikes when a migrant worker, Rose, becomes pregnant by her father; Homer assists in aborting the pregnancy, leading to a violent confrontation and the worker's death. Wally returns from Burma as a paraplegic, and Candy chooses to care for him. Meanwhile, Dr. Larch dies of an ether overdose. Homer returns to the orphanage to find that Larch had secretly arranged for Homer to become the new director. Homer takes on the paternal role Larch once held, continuing the tradition of blessing the children.
- First release year
- 1999
- Runtime (minutes)
- 125
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Lasse Hallström
- Writers
- John Irving · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Tobey Maguire · Homer Wells; Charlize Theron · Candy Kendall; Delroy Lindo; Paul Rudd · Wally Worthington; Michael Caine; Jane Alexander; Kathy Baker; Kieran Culkin
- Genres
- drama
- Themes
- abortion; father-daughter relationships; parent-child incest; orphanhood
- Tone and mood
- affecting; lovely; old-fashioned
- Premise and plot tags
- medical-themed; drama
- Source material / true-story basis
- John Irving's 1985 novel
- Content notes
- abortion; incest; drugs
- Reception
- The film was positively reviewed, holding a 71% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a weighted average of 75 out of 100 on Metacritic. It received a four-star rating from Leonard Maltin, while Roger Ebert gave it two stars.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 75 · scale: 100 · review count: 32
- Awards and nominations
- Academy Award · Best Adapted Screenplay · win; Academy Award · Best Supporting Actor · win; Academy Award · Best Picture · nomination; Academy Award · Best Original Score · nomination
- Production trivia
- The film marked the first collaboration between Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst (implied by Simmons/Maguire context).
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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