The Cider House Rules

Along with Miloš Forman, Lasse Hallström is one of those European directors who have adapted best to the American environment and have managed to combine European artistic ambition with decent craftsmanship and the commercial interests of major studios. Like Forman, Hallström focused on adaptations of notable works by famous novelists under these new conditions and managed to process them with exceptional care and a sense of detail. The Cider House Rules is a cultivated and sensitive film about coming of age, the search for life values, a sense of duty, and love and friendship. It is not easy to set a film in an orphanage setting and avoid cheap sentimentality, but Hallström, in my opinion, succeeded perfectly. I often come across false tones in similar films, but I didn't hear them here. The film has excellent casting, with Maguire and Caine acting in a measured and precise manner. Both of them are very significant and unmissable actors of their generations. The only flaw in the film's beauty may be the slower pace for some viewers, but it certainly didn't bother me. Irving is not a writer whose works can be easily made into a film, but Hallström succeeded in this case. Overall impression: 95%. (11/06/2011)

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)

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)

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)