I Am A Cider Thinker

It’s easy to get the wrong idea. When I heard the title of this movie, I imagined it spoken in a thick Southern Californian accent – “Thu Cider House rools, dude!”. Thank the stars *that* doesn’t happen. And when I found out Michael Caine was making a comeback, I imagined him in Cock-er-nee tones, threatening people and saying “bladdy ‘ell!” Again, the stars are to be thanked. This is not a typical Caine performance (perhaps explaining the Academy Award). This is The Cider House Rules. And it does. Dude.

By 1943, Homer is a popular fixture with the staff and children of St Clouds. He has avoided the war through having a heart defect, but the war comes to him, in a way, through World War 2 pilot Wally (Paul Rudd) and his girlfriend Candy (Charlize Theron). Homer has the itch to see the world, and convinces the pair to take him with them to work on Wally’s parent’s apple farm. Larch is not keen to see Homer go, as he is the nearest thing he has to a son, but cannot stop him. He does, however, warn him about the nature of the world.

The supporting cast are far better – Lindo’s character being a disquieting surprise, and Badu as his daughter is excellent – it seems R’n’B stars are taking over the movies at the moment, and with portrayals like this, it’s looking good for crossover stars. There is even a turn from Malcolm In The Middle’s Erik Per Sullivan (Malcolm’s youngest brother) as Fuzzy, one of the orphans, who is a real find – I hope he manages to carry on into adulthood as a comedy actor. Paul Rudd (Romeo & Juliet) is okay, but he’s also a bit typecast as the all-American pilot who just says his lines and looks handsome. The stars are undoubtedly Maguire and Caine.

I loved this movie. It’s a quiet piece of film that pulled me in with a good blend of humour and bitter-sweetness at the beginning, and before I knew it, an hour had gone by. To me, when I lose perception of my surroundings during something, I know it’s doing its job, be it film, music or literature (or whisky!). Through action films, I sometimes find myself standing up and getting something from the kitchen. Not during this. As events unfold, you kind of anticipate that Homer’s purpose in life will find him again, but it’s the lessons he learns along the way that are important – to him and the viewer. And as his journey comes to an end, make sure you have something to wipe your eyes with – for a solid five minutes. Like a bank account, investment guarantees a return, and this pays out quite nicely.