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Review by Jack Foley |
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LASSE Hallstrom's The Cider House Rules surprised many when it was nominated
for no less than seven Oscars (including Best Picture and Best Director),
but as a beautifully shot and compelling human drama it is more than worthy
of such accolades.
Set in 1940s New England, Tobey Maguire stars as Homer Wells, a young orphan
about to embark on a coming of age journey of self discovery which will teach
him about love, loss, happiness and pain.
Having twice been adopted and twice returned, Homer is resigned to spending
his life in the Maine orphanage he has grown up in, under the loving tutorage
of his doctor, Larch (the excellent Michael Caine). But things change when
a radiant young woman (Charlize Theron's Candy) arrives at St Cloud's with
her World War II boyfriend (Paul Rudd) requiring an abortion, thus presenting
Homer with the chance to depart and discover the world.
Smitten by the young beauty, Homer gets a job picking apples and, when Rudd
is called back into service, embarks on an affair with her, during which he
is forced to make some life-changing decisions which bring his own ideals
into conflict.
Hallstrom's movie - based on the epic John Irving novel - is a slow building
and extremely poignant film, packed with brilliant performances which tug
at the heart strings.
As Homer, Maguire builds on a fast-growing reputation with a performance that
perfectly combines the awe-struck vulnerability of a young man discovering
the world, with that of someone forced to make difficult decisions for the
first time.
His relationship with Caine's paternal Larch forms a central part of the movie
and is always believable, as the older man struggles to persuade his would-be
heir to return to the Orphanage.
Caine, also, is magnificent, discarding his trademark Cockney accent in favour
of an American one, and delivering a fascinating interpretation of a drug-addicted
doctor willing to provide abortions at a time when they were still illegal
while caring for the young charges at the home.
It is a role which has rightly been recognised with a Best Supporting Actor
nomination and one which helps elevate the movie to a higher level.
The
rest of the cast is uniformly good - Delroy Lindo, in particular, stands out
as the incestuous leader of the apple-pickers, while Theron proves she is
more than just a pretty face (but what a face!) - and several of the orphans
(particularly Erik Per Sullivan's bronchial Fuzzy) will have you laughing
and crying in equal measure.
The Cider House Rules also scores highly by having its author as screenwriter,
so while large chunks of the novel are missing (key characters have been omitted),
it remains a gripping story afforded a generous running time (2hrs and 11mins).
Some may accuse the film of being a little too emotionally manipulative, while
others will yearn for a faster pace, but as a heart-warming character study
laced with tragedy, it deserves to be considered as a minor classic.
