The Cider House Rules

Written by: John Irving (from his novel) Starring: Tobey Maguire, Delroy Lindo, Michael Caine, Charlize Theron

A sweet natured but failed attempt at filming Irving's novel. It may simply be that it is impossible to make a good movie out of one of his books. Certainly the track record so far is poor. He writes huge novels, and demonstrates such a command of both literary technique and plot that any adaptation (even his own, as it turns out) seems thin and thrown together. The problem with an Irving novel is that when you lift the twenty or so sequences to put in your film, you've still left about eighty percent of the novel behind, and usually it's the eighty percent that has the heart, soul, and language. The same fate befell "Simon Birch," another sweet natured but failed attempt (based on "A Prayer for Owen Meany"--one of my favorite Irving books--though I read that Irving didn't like the way it turned out and so disavowed it) (maybe that's why he decided to write this one himself). I thought "The Cider House Rules" (the novel) was a brilliant, entertaining, and even important book, but the filmed version only has one of these three qualities, and that just barely.

The story is that of Homer Wells, an orphan growing up under the tutelage of Dr. Larch, a Maine obstetrician, orphanage director, abortionist--and Homer's surrogate father. When Homer gets older, he must must make the painful separation from home that all children eventually must. He leaves the orphanage and sets out for adventures in the real world. It would not be giving too much away to say that in the end he must recognize where his true destiny lies. Tobey Maguire makes a virtue of underplaying as Homer; he rarely raises his voice, and his face has an open, earnest aspect that is perfect for this innocent abroad. Unfortunately, Caine does not fare so well as Dr. Larch.

What possessed Hallström to cast this most British of actors as this most American of characters is beyond me. Caine's American accent is terrible; he sounds like Michael Caine doing a poor impression of an American (contrast with Kenneth Branagh in "Dead Again"). I simply could not accept him as Larch, and it nearly crippled the picture for me. It would have been better if they had just let him speak normally (he has a great voice, after all); he would have been more believable as an expatriate Brit. Charlize Theron is OK as Candy, the love of Homer's (admittedly limited) life. Delroy Lindo, as Mr. Rose, the boss of the apple picking crew, makes a strong impression, as always. (Also, Heavy D, of all people, does a nice turn in a small supporting role.) And the picture is great to look at; Hallström has a good eye, and he and his his cinematographer capture the wonderful New England landscapes beautifully. The title of the picture refers to a list of rules posted in the cider house where Homer takes up residence after leaving the orphanage.

Now, I don't remember every detail of the book, but it strikes me that the list carried a lot more weight in the novel than it does here, and this is a good example of the problems one encounters with adapting an Irving novel. There is simply no context in which to place the rules; they are there because they are a neat device, and kind of funny. But the attempt to make them resonate beyond that simply doesn't work; it seems forced. It is worth noting that this movie, and the book from which it is adapted, come out in the end as extremely pro-choice. Part of what makes the novel important is that it speaks directly to the issue (I mean, Homer and Larch literally debate it), and engages both sides of the debate fairly, but there is no question where the book stands. I do not know for certain if Irving intended it to make a political statement, but I suspect that he did (a writer of his caliber doesn't do things like that by accident). In any event, the movie carries the same message, and I was surprised to find it stated so explicitly in a film that could easily have devolved into sentimental mush. I give Hallström credit for this, at least; he did not shy away from the topic. He puts it right up there on the screen (even while managing to retain a PG rating) but swathes it in such sweetness and light that it doesn't seem like a manifesto at all. (2/11/00)