The Cider House Rules film review

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THE CIDER HOUSE RULES

Adapted for the screen by John Irving from his own bestseller, The Cider House Rules is a generous slice of home-made Americana about a young man's coming of age in 40s New England.

Dr Larch (Michael Caine) presides over the St Cloud's orphanage in Maine. He is a kind-hearted and fair old coot, and shows a particular fondness for Homer Wells (Tobey Maguire), the boy chosen to be his successor.

As much as Homer loves his surrogate father, he longs to stretch his wings and hitches a ride with soon-to-be married couple Candy (Charlize Theron) and Wally (Paul Rudd), going to work as a fruit picker in the orchards under the supervision of domineering Mr Rose (Delroy Lindo).

Over the course of the long hot summer, Homer receives a crash course in growing up: experiencing the agony and ecstasy of first love, uncovering a dark secret about Mr Rose and his daughter Rose (Erykah Badu), and learning the meaning of self-sacrifice when Dr Larch falls gravely ill.

The Cider House Rules is everything you'd expect from this sort of period fare: flawless art direction, breathtaking locations and a cast of international star names.

Maguire acquits himself well, embodying the figure of innocence who learns several invaluable lessons in the big wide world, but tends to get a little lost against some of the heavyweights, especially Caine who won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his performance.

The film's discussion of abortion, a hot potato today and even more so back in the 30s and 40s, has been softened from the book and seems more than a little muddled. Pro or anti: the film can't quite make up its mind.