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Overall Rating
  Awesome: 37.86%
Worth A Look: 48.54%
Average: 7.77%
Pretty Bad: 2.91%
Total Crap: 2.91%
9 reviews, 49 user ratings
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| Cider House Rules, The |
by Bob, Lord of Evil
"A film about knowing your business and the purpose of rules..."
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This was an interesting year for films. Does the Cider House rules deserve it's Best Picture nomination? No. Does that make it a bad movie? no, it simply means it's been done before, but it was done very well. The uniqueness found in this film was it's heard but not spoken philosophy. it didn't talk down to it's viewers. It didn't make it easy.Basic plot of the movie; Michael Caine plays an orphanage doctor who finds himself coming attached to one child, called Homer Welles (he claims he named him when in fact, it was a nurse), played pitch perfect by Tobey Maguire. Homer grows up in this orphanage and finds himself becoming a doctor much like Caine. But without that little certificate that says he is one, he refuses to accept it. In his heart, he just wants to be someone normal. He wants a different business.
One day, Charlize Theron and her air force boyfriend come to the orphanage seeking an abortion (Caine's character is a firm advocate of this, for in his eyes, if he doesn't do it, someone who doesn't know what they're doing as well will). Homer sees a chance to leave the orphanage and he does so, despite Caine's protestions. Obviously, it's the missing of a son he fears, but how he describes the outside world is " You can't help them. Nobody helps each other out there." This doesn't hurt Homer's stride to leave.
What follows is a story of how he comes to realize what he really is deep down. In order to come back to that same place he was before he left, he became an apple picker, a lobster catcher, a cheater, and an abortionist.
The second theme here is that rules apply to where you are. There was a list of rules in a cider house where Homer was staying. The men staying with him laughed it off, as the person who wrote them did not live where they lived, nor did they live how they lived. It was ludicrous to let other people make decisions for you when they have nothing to do with you. This applies to three scenarios in the film, all which become somewhat less wrong through these lessons.
The flaw of this movie is that while the messages and the themes are good, it has been done before. This movie was made exceptionally well, but it didn't feel particular original and it didn't feel particularly heartfelt. It felt like a great story that got translated into a good film. I don't think the director had the same passion the author did, and if they did it didn't show.
And about Michael Caine's nomination- he deserves it, but I do not think he deserves to win. He did a fantastic job, but he did not blow anyone away with it. I am more apt to see Haley Joel Osemont or Michael Clarke Duncan take it (I have not seen magnolia yet so...)My favorite part was the touching end when Michael Caine and Tobey Maguire finally have a heart to heart- even after death. You'll see what I mean.
 del.icio.us 
link directly to this review at http://efilmcritic.com/review.php?movie=1669&reviewer=150
originally posted: 03/17/00 14:00:14
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USA
17-Dec-1999 (PG-13)
UK
N/A
Australia
13-Jan-2000 (M)
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