The Cider House Rules (1999)

All Critics (116) | Top Critics (27) | Fresh (80) | Rotten (33) | DVD (15)

Hallstrom's film could have used more dramatic muscle but is nonetheless a touching, old-fashioned charmer that ultimately satisfies.

May 30, 2008 Full Review

David Rooney

Variety

Top Critic

Mr. Irving remains a disturbingly facile spinner of yarns in which the most sordid facts of life are glossed over into comfortably didactic homilies about the innate goodness of people. Yet, I was somehow moved...

April 27, 2007 Full Review

Andrew Sarris

New York Observer

Top Critic

Hallström's humanism is possibly a little low key and romantic given such tough themes as abortion and incest.

June 24, 2006 Full Review

Time Out

Top Critic

[It] is a fable that turns into a 1940s New England variation on Charles Dickens. It is also one dickens of an American movie.

June 18, 2002 Full Review

Bob Graham

San Francisco Chronicle

Top Critic

A deliberately old-fashioned picture that succeeds in nearly everything it tries to do.

January 1, 2000 Full Review

Michael Wilmington

Chicago Tribune

Top Critic

The Cider House Rules isn't one film at all. It's two films, only one of which is successful.

January 1, 2000 Full Review

Paul Tatara

CNN.com

Top Critic

Thought-provoking movie for teens and up.

December 28, 2010 Full Review

Nell Minow

Common Sense Media

Irving's clean, economical dialogue and Hallstrom's beautifully morose direction cut the fat off of the cliches.

July 30, 2007 Full Review

Rob Gonsalves

eFilmCritic.com

A bouillabaisse of all the best soap opera elements - orphans, abortion, debilitating injuries and, of course, death.

July 14, 2007 Full Review

Joe Lozito

Big Picture Big Sound

A softer, kinder version of John Irving's book, which was edgier and more critical, though you can't blame the filmmakers since Irving himself adapted his novel.

June 22, 2007 Full Review

Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

There's quality here and that's a real good thing.

April 9, 2005 Full Review

Robin Clifford

Reeling Reviews

Not since The World According to Garp has a movie based on a John Irving novel captured the wry realism of the author's work.

June 26, 2004 Full Review

Judith Egerton

Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY)

Just as tepid and surface-level as Simon Birch was.

May 22, 2003 Full Review

Jeffrey M. Anderson

Combustible Celluloid

It blends romance with the love of children, the warmth of family with the darker side of human nature, and the all-encompassing belief that everything has a purpose.

February 8, 2003 Full Review

John R. McEwen

Film Quips Online

What the film is really about are CHOICES: the need to make them, how they affect others, and actively dealing with the repercussions of your actions.

December 8, 2002 Full Review

Ron Wells

Film Threat

What's bizarre about the movie is how it grafts greeting-card schmaltz on to a muckraking liberal agenda.

December 2, 2002 Full Review

Peter Matthews

Sight and Sound

It is worth mentioning that this movie looks like a million bucks; cinematographer Oliver Stapleton drenches the scenery in rich, antique tones that add luster to the story's poignant emotion.

October 15, 2002 Full Review

Margaret A. McGurk

Cincinnati Enquirer

It doesn't break anything, but it doesn't have to. I smiled a lot, sometimes had misty eyes and never lost interest.

September 10, 2002 Full Review

Kevin N. Laforest

Montreal Film Journal

Presents a fresh and forceful salute to the spiritual practice of self-esteem.

August 21, 2002 Full Review

Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat

Spirituality and Practice

an extremely pretty movie to look at and listen to, but although Irving's basic plot remains, the richness of his prose hasn't truly transferred to the screen.

June 23, 2002 Full Review

James Sanford

Kalamazoo Gazette

• 1. Dr. Wilbur Larch: Dr. Wilbur Larch: Good night, you princes of Maine, you kings of New England.
  – Submitted by AJ D (4 months ago)
• 1. Dr. Wilbur Larch: I had hoped to become a hero. But in St. Cloud's, there was no such position. In the lonely, sordid world of lost children, there were no heroes to be found. And so I became the caretaker of many, father of none. Well, in a way, there was one. His name was Homer Wells.
  – Submitted by Sara T (8 months ago)
• 1. Mr. Rose: That's right. That's the truth. I'm just tryin' to put things straight. Sometimes, ya gotta break some rules, to put things straight.
  – Submitted by Sara T (8 months ago)
• 1. Dr. Wilbur Larch: 'Sorry'? I'm not sorry. Not for anything I've done. I'm not even sorry that I love you.
  – Submitted by Sara T (8 months ago)
• 1. Dr. Wilbur Larch: I know it's against the law. I ask you, what has the law ever done for this place?
  – Submitted by Sara T (8 months ago)
• 1. Homer Wells: I've looked at so many women. I've seen everything, and felt nothing. But when I look at you, it hurts.
  – Submitted by Sara T (8 months ago)

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