The Cider House Rules

4/5 stars

The movie follows a young man (Homer; Tobey Maguire) on his first venture away from the orphanage where he grew up. Homer was trained as a doctor at the orphanage (and the director (Dr. Larch; Michael Caine) hoped Homer would succeed him. But Homer needed to see more of the world.

Woven through the main story are statements about abortion, racism, and incest, which make it difficult to watch at some points. However, they also make the story full and rich.