The Cider House Rules

REVIEW
Heartwarming and inspiring aren't exactly the first two sentiments you'd expect from a filmization of a John Irving novel, but that's precisely what you do get with this moving, beautifully acted adaptation of the author's best-seller. A marvelously understated Maguire is Homer, a serious young man who has spent his entire life in an orphanage in rural Maine. The orphanage is run by the kindly Dr. Larch (Caine in his poetic Oscar-winning performance), who looks upon each orphan as his charge, and who annoints them each night with his majestic blessing, "Good night you princes of Maine, you kings of New England." Dr. Larch has prepared Homer to take over as care giver for the orphans, even though Homer isn't schooled in medicine. However, when Homer meets a stranded couple, it prompts him to leave his life-long home and head out into an unchartered country awash in turmoil from poverty, racism and the second world war. Irving has adapted his own novel, which may explain why the characters resonate with such emotional clarity. Director Hallström's exquisite pacing and superior evocation of wartime America certainly add to the film's overall sense of accomplishment, but it is those trenchant characters, and the great ensemble who brings them to life, which elevates The Cider House Rules to near-classic status.