The Cider House Rules

In Lasse Hallström's oeuvre, I place The Cider House Rules in an imaginary second place, right behind What’s Eating Gilbert Grape. I quite wonder if John Irving was already thinking of Hallström as a future film director when he wrote the book :)), as such a theme is quite typical "Hallström". The fact that John Irving is the author not only of the book, but also of the screenplay itself, certainly contributed enormously to the excellent result, which should please both readers and audiences untouched by the book. The musical score is again pleasantly intimate, the direction civil and unobtrusive. What more could you ask for? :)) 95% (03/13/2010)

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)

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)

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)

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)