This was an amazing movie. Completely gut-wrenching and heart-felt, this film tells the story of an orphan boy coming of age and trying to find his place in the world. Based on the novel of the same name by John Irving , THE CIDER HOUSE RULES has all the wonderful characters, dialogue, plot twists and delicate intricasies that I have come to love in his novels. An excellent performance by Michael Caine and very strong supporting performances by Delroy Lindo, Charlize Theron, Paul Rudd and newcomer Erykah Badu all add to the brilliance of the film. If you haven't gotten out to see this one yet, I highly recommend it.

I may have just seen the best written, best directed, and best acted film of the year!

When the author of a book writes the screenplay for the movie, it DOES make a difference, especially when the author is John Irving. In this film, the fantastic world of John Irving is allowed to unfold at a pace usually reserved for the best of European films. This coming-of-age story features an astonishing ensemble of actors, each of whom is deserving of an Oscar nomination. They are: Michael Caine, Tobey Maguire, Delroy Lindo, Charlize Theron, Jane Alexander, Kathy Baker, Kate Nelligan, and an unforgettable debut performance by Erykah Badu. The brilliant director is Lasse Hallstrom. I couldn't even begin to try to summarize this intricate, surprising, and beautiful plot. It's a masterpiece of a film.