“The Cider House Rules” is a 1999 Miramax movie, a production company that I find traditionally does excellent movies. At 116 minutes the English language movie is just about the perfect length. I never felt like it was padded to occupy more screen time nor did I feel cheated that something had been left out.
In “The Cider House Rules” Tobey Maguire plays Homer Wells an orphan, raised in an orphanage who one day decides to leave the orphanage despite the objection of Dr. Wilbur Larch (Michael Caine). Larch had raised Homer to take his place as the doctor and director of the orphanage. Over the next couple of years Wells falls in love, picks apples for a living, and discovers where he should spend the rest of his life. The movie is delightful and charming. . . . .
. . . Toby Maguire is a good young actor who appears a sensitive, caring person in many of his movies, including “The Cider House Rules.” Unfortunately the commercial success of the “Spiderman” series may be typecasting him into simple-minded, action films. He does have a couple of movies in production that show promise. “Brothers” deals with a family where one member has disappeared in Afghanistan. In the in-production movie “Quiet Type” Maguire plays a mute who travels to New York in hopes of conducting an orchestra. Both movies promise to return Maguire to what he does best and leave the arachnids behind.
