The Cider House Rules

Perhaps the only really good movie adaptation of any of Irving’s works. The screenwriter (and author of the novel) transferred the book sensitively to the screen and so the brutal cuts from the original don’t matter, because the right atmosphere remains. Hallström holds the picture in his sure hand and everybody puts on good performances. A great and very pleasant movie to watch. (02/06/2007)

An emotionally charged film, where the director focuses a bit too much for my taste on the beauty of the cinematography, the dreaminess of the setting, and the visual aesthetics. If Lasse Hallström had pushed a little harder, the film would have gained the much-needed dynamism. Nevertheless, the performances were very good. (08/07/2004)

These intimate human stories have an undeniable charm, and when a talented director takes the helm and you have figures like Michael Caine (an exceptional performance!), the young "Spidey" Tobey Maguire or the beautiful Charlize Theron in the lead roles, the charm turns into magic, and The Cider House Rules is a great example. The story of a talented boy who grew up in an orphanage and has decided to follow his own path in life is full of positive and negative emotions depicted in such a natural form that it’s perhaps impossible to grasp them completely at first. Lasse Hallström dictates the slow pace with precision, playing a poignant game full of understanding and love that can occur even between completely different people...) And yet, I can’t give it a full rating. In films like this, it's very important to dig deep into the viewer's skin with their ideas and the execution, but that kind of narrative power was a bit lacking here. (07/03/2012)

If it weren't for the top-notch performances by Michael Caine and Tobey Maguire, The Cider House Rules would probably seem like a simple calculus, designed to wring emotions out of the viewer and bring tears to their eyes. But thankfully, nothing like that happened (and if it did, it wasn't too obvious) and I was able to calmly follow the story, which was predictable, but also full of such believable and human characters that it deserved no less than four stars. (07/05/2011)

I really cried at the end, this is something that will get everyone. A beautiful, moving story, sensitively filmed. How on earth does Lasse Hallstrom manage to make every one of his films a true cinematic event? And the actors? I really like Tobey Maguire's austere style, Michael Caine was excellent (but I can't help it, it wasn't Oscar-worthy), and Charlize Theron has long since ceased to be just a model, she’s a really good actress and an extremely glamorous one at that. And so, in conclusion, my friends, let's thank fate that this didn't get into the claws of Jan Svěrák. He would have thrown in some sad eyes or something similar and viewers would have missed out a profound experience. (09/19/2003)