The Cider House Rules

The Cider House Rules (1999)

  • 71% of critics liked it
    (110 reviews)

  • 75% of users liked it
    (50,759 ratings)

John Irving scripted this screen adaptation of his 1985 novel. Set during World War II, The Cider House Rules concerns Homer Wells (Tobey Maguire), an orphan who spent most of his childhood at the St. Cloud Orphanage in rural Maine, where he grew up under the strong but affectionate care of Dr.… More

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PG-13, 2 hr. 11 min.
Directed By
Lasse Hallström
Written By
John Irving
Genres
Drama
In Theaters
Dec 10, 1999 Wide
On DVD
Aug 15, 2000
Miramax

Critic Reviews

  • David Rooney, Variety

    Hallstrom's film could have used more dramatic muscle but is nonetheless a touching, old-fashioned charmer that ultimately satisfies.

  • Andrew Sarris, New York Observer

    Mr. Irving remains a disturbingly facile spinner of yarns in which the most sordid facts of life are glossed over into comfortably didactic homilies about the innate goodness of people. Yet, I was somehow moved...

  • Bob Graham, San Francisco Chronicle

    [It] is a fable that turns into a 1940s New England variation on Charles Dickens. It is also one dickens of an American movie.

  • Michael Wilmington, Chicago Tribune

    A deliberately old-fashioned picture that succeeds in nearly everything it tries to do.

  • Paul Tatara, CNN.com

    The Cider House Rules isn't one film at all. It's two films, only one of which is successful.

Read all 21 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

  • moon r


    Engaging story of the complicated relationshop between a father and a son and the orphanage they run. While the very word "orphanage" conjures visions of such mawkish emotionalism that one is prepared to ignor the film outright, the screenplay (an adaptation of his novel)… More

  • Jameson W


    Great film! There's not really much to say about this movie other than the fact that it is extremely solid! Everything about it is good and it's hard to find many flaws at all in this film, which is hard. The story, cast, emotion, score, acting...it was all right on,… More

  • Brad W


    A amazing tale. Micheal Caine steals the show, as we have seen from his Oscar win. The plot was amazing, but had some slow parts. The movie itself, is not one of my favorites, but is a very great one though.

  • Randy T


    I enjoyed this John Irving adaptation more than I expected to. It's a flawed film but one with substance and heart. Irving is famous for populating his landscapes with unusual, multi-dimensional characters and <i>The Cider House Rules</i> is no exception. An… More

  • ♥Robyn


    i loved this movie! a strong cast and a great script in my opinion

Read all 20 featured audience ratings

Cast

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