L'oeuvre de Dieu, la part du diable

The Cider House Rules is a folksy tale about a boy from an orphanage and his coming of age. He's been trained to deliver babies at the orphanage by the benevolent Dr. Wilbur Larch (Michael Caine).

Notably this boy's passage into manhood necessitates him accepting the responsibility of also performing illegal abortions! Now there's a twist. John Irving, also wrote the books The World According To Garp and The Hotel New Hampshiire, made into films of the same name, as well as A Prayer For Owen Meany which was made into the puzzling Simon Birch, a film Irving vigourously disowns. Irving subsequently, in the case of Cider House, has also written the screenplay.

The actual cider house rules are a minor element of a rambling film that is full of such minor events.They are a non-consequential, ignored set of laws meant to govern the behaviour of the workers who bunk in the cider house on an apple farm.

But life's like that, or so John Irving and his film would have you believe. It's just that usually films concentrate a little more on life's more tumultuous moments.

Young Homer Wells (our budding unlicensed doctor) is played delightfully by Tobey Maguire (Pleasantville)with a sweet smile and sleepy eyes. Those of you who prefer your actors to be more dynamic might find Maguire to be too even, but in this film his style was just the ticket.

He's one of the boys who were never chosen to be adopted at the orphanage. There are some touching scenes centred around the children in particular not being selected, hovering with their bags packed.

Homer sets off to see the world with new friends Candy (Charlize Theron) and Wally (Paul Rudd). They had attended the orphanage for an abortion.

Homer sees the sea for the first time. He learns how to pick apples and to get on with his work mates. He has a romance. And he learns how to accept responsibility for his and other's actions away from the shelter of the orphanage. And that's about it. And that's just enough.

The mood of the film accentuates a dreamy continuance; years and seasons merge. Life goes on. The apples grow. Relationships develop. The scenery is beautiful. The black labourers accept their lot.

This is life (and death) seen from the personal; a snapshot of middle, rural America; a land where you're meant to just get on with it and accept your lot.

The Cider House Rules is sensitively directed and written with an emphasis on people caring for each other. It's a bit of a weepy. Even villains are given their good sides.

Part of the charm of "Cider House Rules", a coming-of-age movie with Tobey Maguire at the center, is the finesse with which it presents itself as a "feel good" movie when most of the characters have precious little to feel good about. The film could easily have had a harder edge to it. However, the makers of this carefully crafted film tiptoe so adroitly around such issues as abortion, murder, infidelity, and incest as to leave the audience with an ample helping of the warm and fuzzies. The film deserves high marks for enjoyability and for bringing back the charm of Hollywood's golden years.

I was getting agitated while reading these reviews because I found it hard to believe that so many people missed the point of this movie. John Irving's main focus was not "pro-choice" in terms of abortion, but pro-choice in terms of each and every one of us making important and responsible decisions for ourselves. The fact that the title is "The Cider House Rules" reveals that the author thinks this idea sums up the whole narrative. Those rules posted in the cider house represent a more powerful, outside force attempting to control those that live within that cider house. It was also rhetorically inquired earlier at the isolated orphanage: What have their [the outside's] laws ever done for you? The intent of the film was profound in its simplicity: There are no absolute rules (in a cider house or anyplace else) which govern our lives other than those which we out of necessity construct for ourselves. One needs to "know their business," and caring human beings have the responsibility to develop rules that are appropriate to the unique circumstances in which they find themselves. The only time where imposing across the board rules that automatically prescribe responses to every situation is in a robot. We are not robots. Irving's views on abortion follow directly from this mentality, and this story is an attempt to explain the rational reasons behind them. But please realize that it is merely an example. If you were to get hung up about your own staunch views, be it pro-choice or pro-life, then you are missing out on a bigger picture that transcends both. If you can't see the forest for the trees, then you're better off watching Saturday morning cartoons.

Outstanding Features: Story, Acting

IMDb rating: 8

This movie was very inspirational to me and was very hopeful. I think that Michael Caine and Tobey Maguire did a fabulous job and some of the scenes were so moving that I was almost in tears just because of the emotion. Definitely not cheesy, I respect that it raises important issues, makes you consider your values. It made me think again about everything I've always believed, and challenged me to think beyond the obvious.

Although I haven't read the book, clearly this is an original story by John Irving, and more sentimental than I would expect from him.

Note: Not appropriate for children under 14, many friends of mine have said it should have been rated R.

Sentimental but well-told, visually beautiful and enjoyable story of an orphanage and the moral dilemmas of abortion, exploring emotional issues from leaving home and fatherhood, to first love, self-discovery and the burdens of responsibility. "Sometimes you have to break the rules to make things right."