Opens December 10, 1999

The Cider House Rules is, flat out, one of the best movies of the year. Adapted by John Irving from his novel and directed by Lasse Hallstrom, this film is a warm and gentle celebration of life in all its complexity. In fact, it is so rich in allegory and metaphor that it's worth a second viewing, just to catch what you might miss the first time out. Yet, what truly makes this a film of import is the fact that you come out of the theater feeling transformed, viewing the world and your place in it a little more clearly.

In Lasse Hallstrom, Irving has found a muse who shares his particularly tender, compassionate view of the world. Together, they have crafted a film of languid intensity that never shies away from the tough issues, while still embracing the simpler moments. Irving has made some brilliant choices in his adaptation, not the least of which is his decision to compress fifteen years of his hero's life into fifteen months. In this way, emotions are intensified and actions take on more meaning.

We meet our hero Homer Wells (Tobey Maguire) when he is a newborn babe, left at the isolated St. Cloud's orphanage managed by Dr. Larch (Michael Caine), "the caretaker of many and father of none" who sniffs ether just to achieve a peaceful sleep. Adopted by an eager couple, Homer is returned because he "doesn't cry", a behavior that foretells the boy's later quiet nature. As Homer grows up, he is taken under the wing of Dr. Larch, who instructs him in all aspects of gynecology.

One of the most moving elements of the film is the tacit disagreement between Larch and Homer about abortion. While Larch believes he is helping young women to start over and leave their mistakes behind, Homer chooses to value the child's life and the mother's sexual responsibility. Irving aptly zeroes in on the abortion debate here without becoming political. He gives both sides their due, showing that there is never just one choice for one's actions in this life and that, no matter what, we are responsible for what we do.

As Homer grows up, he yearns to see the great wide world beyond the orphanage where he has spent all his formative years. When Wally Worthington (Paul Rudd) and his girlfriend Candy Kendall (Charlize Theron) arrive in St. Cloud's to get Candy an abortion, Homer sees the opportunity, like Candide, to escape his confined existence. As he leaves with Wally and Candy, Dr. Larch poignantly tells the anguished nurses, "I fear we may have lost him to the world." Homer quickly accepts a job offer from Wally to work at his family's apple farm. With his trademark innocence, Homer says that he thinks he will like "working with apples." Settling in with the migrant apple pickers and their boss Mr. Rose (Delroy Lindo), Homer is assailed by a world that mirrors the orphanage in so many ways. The migrant workers, like the orphans, form a tight-knit family where everyone depends on one another.

Yet, in this world, Homer is forced to deal with ambiguities and face events he never expected. With Wally away at war, he gets involved with Candy, experiencing love for the first time. He also grapples with the unwanted pregnancy of Mr. Rose's daughter Rose Rose (Erykah Badu). Finally understanding what Dr. Larch meant about giving these young women a chance to live, Homer makes an enormous emotional leap and offers to give Rose an abortion. And finally, after Larch's death, Homer returns to St. Cloud's to take his place as the facility's doctor. Homer's return symbolizes one of the central themes of the book and the film: That we can all go home again.

Irving's story is infinitely simple and complex at the same time. Recalling the wide-eyed idealism of his The World According to Garp, The Cider House Rules is less quirky and more focused. It is also a truly American story of courage, family and self-discovery. Together, Hallstrom and Irving offer us some of the most honest, empathetic and real characters to come down the pike in a long while. No one is immune to mistakes and no one, even Homer, is completely pure. It is this honest approach to human nature that hooks you and leaves you speechless in the end.