The Cider House Rules

The Cider House Rules Information

The Cider House Rules is a 1999 American drama film directed by Lasse Hallström, based on John Irving's novel of the same name. The film won two Academy Awards, and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture, along with four other nominations at the 72nd Academy Awards. John Irving documented his involvement in bringing the novel to the screen in his book, My Movie Business.

John Irving won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, while Michael Caine won his second Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor (his first came in 1986 for the film Hannah and Her Sisters).

Plot

Homer Wells (Tobey Maguire), an orphan, is the film's protagonist. He grew up in an orphanage directed by Dr. Wilbur Larch (Michael Caine) after being returned twice by foster parents. His first foster parents thought he was too quiet and the second parents beat him. Dr. Larch is addicted to ether and is also secretly an abortionist. Larch trains Homer in obstetrics and abortions as an apprentice, despite Homer never even having attended high school.

The film continues as Homer decides to leave the orphanage with Candy Kendall (Charlize Theron) and her boyfriend, Wally Worthington (Paul Rudd), a young couple who work at the Worthington family apple orchard. They had come to the clinic to have an abortion. Wally leaves to fight in World War II. While Wally is away, Homer and Candy have an affair. Later, Wally's plane is shot down and he is paralyzed from the waist down. When he returns home, Candy takes care of him and leaves Homer.

While he is away from the orphanage, Homer lives on the Worthington estate. He goes to work picking apples with Arthur Rose's (Delroy Lindo) team. Arthur and his team are migrant workers who are employed seasonally at the orchard by the Worthingtons. Arthur rapes and impregnates his own daughter (Erykah Badu), and Homer, who disapproves of abortions, realizes that in Rose's case, he must perform one for her. Later, when Arthur makes another attempt to rape his daughter, she stabs him, and as a last request, the dying Arthur asks the other workers to tell the police that his death was a suicide. Eventually Homer decides to return to the orphanage after Dr. Larch's death from inhaling an ether overdose, and works as the new director.

At the end of the film, Homer learns that Larch had faked Homer's medical record to keep him out of the war, and later made fake credentials for Homer in order to convince the board overseeing the orphanage to appoint him as the next director. Finally, Homer fills the paternal role that Larch previously held for the children of the orphanage.

Cast

Tobey Maguire as Homer Wells
Michael Caine as Dr. Wilbur Larch
Charlize Theron as Candy Kendall
Paul Rudd as Lt. Wally Worthington
Delroy Lindo as Arthur Rose
Erykah Badu as Rose Rose
Heavy D as Peaches
K. Todd Freeman as Muddy
Kieran Culkin as Buster
Jane Alexander as Nurse Edna
Kathy Baker as Nurse Angela
Kate Nelligan as Olive Worthington
Spencer Diamond as Curly
Paz de la Huerta as Mary Agnes
J.K. Simmons as Ray Kendall
Evan Parke as Jack
Jimmy Flynn as Vernon
Erik Per Sullivan as Fuzzy S.
Skye McCole Bartusiak as Hazel

Reception

The film received a generally positive reception from critics. Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times awarded it just two stars, saying: "The story touches many themes, lingers with some of them, moves on and arrives at nowhere in particular." By contrast, Leonard Maltin awarded the film a rare four-star rating. On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes it holds a favorable 71 percent rating.

The American Film Institute nominated the film for its 100 Years...100 Movie Quotes list, for the line, "Good night, you princes of Maine, you kings of New England."

Differences from novel

Due to time constraints, the film excludes many portions of the novel, including the characters Melony (another orphan) and Angel (Candy and Homer's secret child) who were major characters in the book. John Irving, who wrote the film's screenplay, has stated that he made this decision because he would rather have omitted subplots and characters than write an adaptation that could not really do justice to them.

Academy Awards

The Cider House Rules won two Academy Awards and was nominated for an additional five:

Won - Best Actor in a Supporting Role: Michael Caine;
Won - Best Adapted Screenplay: John Irving;
Nominated - Best Picture: Richard N. Gladstein;
Nominated - Best Director: Lasse Hallström;
Nominated - Best Editing: Lisa Zeno Churgin;
Nominated - Best Music, Original Score: Rachel Portman; and
Nominated - Best Art Direction: David Gropman and Beth A. Rubino.

Cultural references

"The Cyber House Rules", an episode of Futurama set in an orphanage, makes several references to The Cider House Rules.
"Radio Free Sealab", the pilot episode of Sealab 2021, sees Captain Murphy close a broadcast with the line "Goodnight you princes of Sealab, you kings of the ocean" as part of a Michael Caine impersonation.
"Return to Spider-Skull Island", an episode of The Venture Bros., sees Dr. Orpheus looking after the titular brothers. In his usual bombastic manner, after putting them to bed, he proclaims "Goodnight, you princes of Venture, you kings of sleepovers."
"Gang Gets a New Member", an episode of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, the gang opens up a time capsule filled with "valuables" including "The Cider House Rules" on laser disc.
Music from Rachel Portman's original score has been used for the Pure Michigan tourism campaign in television and radio advertisements.
In American Dad! Episode 7x03, Roger says to Steve at bedtime, "Goodnight you prince of New England, you Toms of Maine."

Songs Featured in the Film

Several famous songs written by Richard A. Whiting are featured in the film. notably "Ukulele Lady" written by Richard A. Whiting and Gus Kahn in 1925. In the film it was performed by Vaughn DeLeath

"My Ideal" was featured in the film written by Richard A. Whiting, Newell Chase and Leo Robin in 1930. In the movie the song was sung by Margaret Whiting (Richard A. Whiting's Daughter) with Billy Butterfield & His Orchestra.

The song "All I Want Is Just One Girl" featured in the film was written by Richard A. Whiting and Leo Robin in 1930. In the movie the song is performed by Gus Arnheim and His Coconut Grove Ambassadors