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Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.
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Cider House Rules, The
Miramax Films
FILM:
MPAA RATING: PG-13 for mature thematic elements, sexuality, nudity, substance abuse and some violence
Starring
Tobey Maguire,
Charlize Theron,
Delroy Lindo,
Michael Caine,
Jane Alexander,
and
Kathy Baker
This is the story of a compassionate young man (Maguire), raised in an orphanage and trained to be a doctor by the abortionist (Caine) who runs the orphanage.
| GENRE(S): |
Drama
|
| WRITTEN BY: |
John Irving (also novel)
|
| DIRECTED BY: |
Lasse Hallström
|
| RELEASE DATE: |
DVD: August 15, 2000
Video: August 15, 2000
Theatrical: December 10, 1999
|
| RUNNING TIME: |
125 minutes, Color |
| ORIGIN: |
USA |
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
90
Chicago Reader
David Kehr
Impeccably crafted and utterly impersonal, Lasse Hallstrom's adaptation of John Irving's novel has many of the qualities Oscar is known to appreciate.
88
Baltimore Sun
Ann Hornaday
The Cider House Rules is about many things -- chance, passivity, free will and self-invention -- but ultimately it comes back to Larch, who emerges as a toweringly noble figure even in his weakest moments.
88
Charlotte Observer
Lawrence Toppman
To adapt it for a 130-minute movie, Irving ruthlessly cut away subplots, eliminated supporting characters and pared down the traits of the ones that remain.
88
Christian Science Monitor
David Sterritt
Leaves out portions of John Irving's novel that would have given it more balance and perspective, but the acting by Maguire and Caine is first-rate by any standard.
88
New York Daily News
Lewis Beale
"I write 19th-century stories; they're supposed to affect you emotionally," says Irving, explaining why Tinseltown keeps knocking at his door.
88
Boston Globe
Jay Carr
It's filled with vivid characters and action. Beneath its modesty of gesture, it's one of the year's richest, most humane films.
88
Chicago Tribune
Michael Wilmington
A deliberately old-fashioned picture that succeeds in nearly everything it tries to do.
83
Entertainment Weekly
Lisa Schwarzbaum
Lasse Hallström calms Irving's typically busy 1985 best-seller with a balm of the Swedish director's typically soothing lyricism.
83
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
William Arnold
Many will find the subject matter disturbing, but it's clearly one of the holiday season's richest and most daring movie entries.
80
Los Angeles Times
Kevin Thomas
That Irving adapted his novel to the screen himself and, even more, that Hallström directed it, makes Cider House a far better film than other film adaptations of Irving's work.
80
Variety
David Rooney
A touching, old-fashioned charmer that ultimately satisfies.
80
The New York Times
Stephen Holden
The author's fantastical world of wonders and the director's tender-hearted compassion mesh into what is easily the finest film realization of an Irving novel.
80
Mr. Showbiz
Richard T. Jameson
Hallström, a past master at cockeyed coming-of-age chronicles ("My Life as a Dog," "What's Eating Gilbert Grape"), has a near-genius for unpatronizing tolerance, and for seeing beauty in the world and nature and seasons without turning them into postcards.
80
TNT RoughCut
Christopher Brandon
This is a warm, accessible story with delightful characters and a nice metaphor about following your own rules.
80
Washington Post
Michael O'Sullivan
More honest than any conventional morality tale. Here there are no heroes and no real villains; the good guys are all flawed and even bad guys are sometimes capable of the noblest of acts.
80
Film.com
Robert Horton
Part of the appeal of John Irving's writing is its sense of bounty, the way the world is offered up as a horn of plenty. The Cider House Rules movie, by contrast, feels narrowed down to small slices of experience.
80
Time
Richard Corliss
A small epic with subtle strengths.
80
Film.com
Peter Brunette
Always consistently watchable, but you get the feeling that in the novel --- the treacle is cut with the nasty edge that Irving's writing is capable of.
80
Dallas Observer
Jean Oppenheimer
Rich in story, character, and design, The Cider House Rules is obviously a collaborative effort, but above all it is a triumph for director Hallström.
75
San Francisco Examiner
Wesley Morris
What remains of the book's psychological underpinnings -- there are enough here to leave a permanent dent in the couch of any Freud-loving shrink
75
San Francisco Chronicle
Bob Graham
Has that Dickensian spirit wherein simple acts of kindness can bring an audience close to tears.
75
Philadelphia Inquirer
Desmond Ryan
He (Irving) has been able to capture the quirky tone of the popular novel.
70
LA Weekly
Ernest Hardy
It's Tobey Maguire, doing fine, subtle work, who holds it all together -- he puts a human touch to what is otherwise expertly wrought hokum.
70
Village Voice
Amy Taubin
This adaptation of John Irving's novel--- is as paternalistic, puffed-up, and dull as a congressional debate about abortion rights.
70
Washington Post
Stephen Hunter
The movie is pure pro-choice agitprop, as it tracks Homer's conversion to the cause of choice and posits the heroism of the abortionist. Pro-lifers will hate it on that point alone.
67
Portland Oregonian
Diana Abu-Jaber
Has many affecting moments, but you may tire of the tugging on your heart strings.
67
Austin Chronicle
Marjorie Baumgarten
Oddly, most of the elements needed for a good movie are present here, but when added together they equal less than the sum of the parts.
63
New York Post
Lou Lumenick
A major disappointment, The Cider House Rules pales by comparison with the gutsier, more full-bodied adaptation of Irving's "The World According to Garp."
63
USA Today
Mike Clark
This being Irving, the story straddles the sweet and the creepy.
50
TV Guide
Steve Simels
Hallstrom's leisurely adaptation of John Irving's unconventional coming-of-age novel is so well crafted and intelligent that it feels churlish to point out that it's easier to admire than actually like.
50
Chicago Sun-Times
Roger Ebert
The story touches many themes, lingers with some of them, moves on and arrives at nowhere in particular. It's not a story so much as a reverie about possible stories.
50
Miami Herald
Rene Rodriguez
Feels like the shell of a wonderful story.
 The average user rating for this movie is 7.1 (out of 10) based on 16 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
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