by Lars Lindahl
"The Cider House Rules" (1999)
Directed by Lasse Hallstrom Written by John Irving
Starring Tobey Maguire, Michael Caine, Charlize Theron, Delroy Lindo, Paul Rudd, Kathy Baker, Jane Alexander, Erykah Badu, Kate Nelligan, Heavy D, Kieran Culkin, K. Todd Freeman, and J.K. Simmons.
Towards the end of The Cider House Rules, a dying character informs protagonist Homer (Tobey Maguire) of the most important lesson in life: "Sometimes you gotta break the rules to put it straight." The quote sums up the moral of the entire film. Individuals are so unique that they must create their own rules to survive and never become enslaved by what someone else thinks is suitable. Tagging along and depending on another person for an enjoyable existence can only make you blind to the rest of the world, you can only see through their eyes, you see what they want to see and don't want to see. Homer at first is blind to the rest of the world. Working in an orphanage performing illegal abortions with his kind mentor Dr Larch (Michael Caine), the bright ingenuous Homer has never seen a city or the ocean or anything at all outside of the small town in Maine where he was born and raised. Even though Homer knows his life contains nothing but joy in which younger orphans lionize him and nurses respect him, he inexplicably yearns for more in life. From the books he has read or from the only film he has ever seen (King Kong), he knows there is much more out there to explore and cherish. When a young couple seeking an abortion visit the orphanage, Homer decides that leaving town with them is the best chance he'll have to answer his curiosity.
The message of the story is very clear, that this boy wants to discover what the world is like by himself, without having to lean on another for assistance. However, throughout the movie, in my opinion, Homer never actually completes his true goal. There are very few times in which he is actually by himself discovering and learning something different from before. It seemed like he left the orphanage to avoid Dr. Larch's protectiveness, yet when he is on his trip, he is always around someone else, as if this other person is a valid replacement for the doctor. Homer hangs around co-workers during work time and at night, around the beautiful and confused Candy (the ubiquitous Charlize Theron) at other times, and around Candy's WWII pilot boyfriend Wally (Paul Rudd) when he is in town. Wasn't the whole point of Homer's travels to discover who he actually his as an individual? Or to make some decisions without asking another person's opinion first? There were a some moments in which Homer takes control but certainly not enough. Another irritating section of the story is that Homer does not even leave the state of Maine in his journey for self-clarification. It doesn't seem like much of an effort if you barely travel a day's worth of time. Supposedly an attempt to "see what the world is really like," Homer doesn't even change time zones. With such a short distance of travelling, it is really hard to believe that Homer has really changed.
These unsatisfactory elements of the plot fortunately have no harm on the fantastic acting from the splendid cast. Delroy Lindo and Michael Caine were particularly superb as completely different men teaching Homer completely different lessons. Tobey Maguire, who understandably is starting to get the same roles in his films, is also perfectly naïve as the main character. The only problem with the acting was that there were so many characters that some talented actors, including Jane Alexander and Kate Nelligan, were underused.
John Irving, adapting his own novel of the same name, writes a fine script, which contains a number of examples of characters breaking the traditional rules to become happier in life. At times the message is a little too obviously thrown in to conversations but at other times it is perfectly subtle and thought provoking. Lasse Hallstrom (My Life As a Dog, What's Eating Gilbert Grape) adds his talented directorial skills to the picture. The New England scenery is beautifully detailed and colorfully attractive to the eye.
Some unbelievably realistic acting, directing, and screenwriting make The Cider House Rules fun to watch, but afterwards when trying to identify the true moral of the story, some of the details are downright disappointing.
Grade: *** (out of four)
© 2000 Lars Lindahl by Lars Lindahl
Lars Attacks! http://www.angelfire.com/ny3/larsattacks
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