Released: December 10, 1999
Directed by: Lasse Hallström
Rating: 4 1/2 stars
Description: A boy named Homer that is raised in an orphanage in Maine, leaves to see the world and becomes an apple picker on a family's apple farm. He learns about life and love and what it means to belong in the process. It's a coming-of-age story that is based off a book by John Irving of the same name.
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed this movie and felt that I related to Homer in some ways. Here's a man who's never left the orphanage and was taken in by Dr. Wilbur Larch (Michael Caine) and he taught him all the things he knew about being a doctor, even though Homer wasn't actually certified. He appreciated what he learned and Dr. Larch thought of him as a son, but he didn't think that he would amount to anything else if he left, so he didn't really approve, but Homer did anyway. He wanted to find out where he belonged. He wanted to help others, but he didn't feel like he had to be a doctor to do that. In the end though, he ended up going back to help at the orphanage he had left. I think he came back because he felt like that was the right thing to do, but he had learned some lessons while he was gone that he could bring back with him to the orphanage. He never knew his real family, but he had found a family within the orphanage with Dr. Larch, the nurses and the kids who looked up to him.
Charlize Theron gave a great performance as Candy Kendall and her in a way finding herself also. Being there for Homer, not wanting to be alone while her boyfriend was off at war and the experience she and Homer had together. I loved that it was set in the 1940s since historical, period films are some of my favorites. The scenery was so gorgeous. It was so beautifully shot and it made me want to visit the New England states that much more. They are the most beautiful during Autumn. I loved what he learned and the experiences he was able to have by leaving, but then after he had them, he came back and stayed there. It was like he just needed that time to find out who he was and where he belonged and ultimately he belonged back at the orphanage. It came full circle and it shows that even though we leave and need to find our place, in the end we always come back to where we came from. I also undeerstand where the title for the movie came from because the were rules in the Cider house that no one could read and Homer reads them. The symbolism of it all is that the rules were pretty much never followed to begin with and that life isn't necessarily all about rules. They made mistakes, they learned. Homer got to make those mistakes. Same with Candy and all the others that worked there. It was a place where mistakes and experiences happened. That's what makes life so interesting and fun and I think Homer had his "fun" so we he went back to what he knew and mayeb he will go outside of that orphanage again and help others or maybe he will just stay there with those kids. That's what is left for us to think about.
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