The Cider House Rules (1999)
Directed by Lasse Hallström
Homer is an orphan who was never adopted, becoming the favorite of orphanage director Dr. Larch. Dr. Larch imparts his full medical knowledge on Homer, who becomes a skilled, albeit unlicensed, physician. But Homer yearns for a self-chosen life outside the orphanage. What will Homer learn about life and love in the cider house? What of the destiny that Dr. Larch has planned for him?
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Hunham talks to Angus a lot about the platonic ideal of a “Barton man.” They never lie or misbehave, they get good grades and go on to the Ivy League, and become, well, literal “kings of New England,” as Michael Caine’s character in The Cider House Rules says to the young men in his charge. Barton men are supposed to be destined for greatness.
Also good are Steve Burton, who plays Captain Peretz, the real power behind Colonel Winter, Clifton Collins Jr., who plays Corp. Ramon Aguilar, the son of a bricklayer, Delroy Lindo of "The Cider House Rules," who plays Gen. James Wheeler, Brian Goodman, an actor who really was in prison once, plays prisoner Beaupre.
All of these stages are part of Dear John, a drama directed by the inimitable Lasse Hallstrom ( My Life as A Dog , The Cider House Rules , Chocolat , An Unfinished Life , What's Eating Gilbert Grape ).
It's a disappointment coming from the Swedish filmmaker who's given us much better, particularly 1999's critically praised "The Cider House Rules," based on the John Irving novel and starring Tobey Maguire and Michael Caine, and his other Oscar-nominated film, "My Life as a Dog."
This one, at least, comes from not-always-corny director Lasse Hallström (“The Cider House Rules”) and stars two legitimate up-and-comers.
He left the 90's with a literary adaptation, John Irving's "The Cider House Rules," but began the 2000's with the far less successful adaptation, "The Shipping News."
It’s surprisingly beside the point that the film is directed by Lasse Hallström, once the capable chaperone of “My Life as a Dog,’’ “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape,’’ “Chocolat,’’ and “The Cider House Rules.’’
Director Lasse Hallström ("What's Eating Gilbert Grape," "The Cider House Rules," "My Life as a Dog") keeps things from getting too syrupy and Tatum and Seyfried have a sweet, easy connection.
Director Lasse Hallstrom (The Cider House Rules, Chocolat) contributes a solo audio commentary, which is a pretty low-key, dry, and friendly affair.
“The Cider House Rules,” “Chocolat,” “The Shipping News” and 2005’s “An Unfinished Life” are all competent, enjoyable films with a smattering of emotion and a dash of soft-focus romance.
Instead, Hallstrom ("My Life as a Dog," "The Cider House Rules," "Chocolat") has used Casanova's mystique for half of a dumb romantic morality play, one which expects us to believe that after meeting one centered, smart young woman, Casanova suddenly learned to get over himself!
The light-hearted Casanova is also a breath of fresh air after his saccharine literary adaptations for Miramax, which have rolled in like clockwork for Oscar season since 1999’s The Cider House Rules.
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Reminding me of Michael Cane in The Cider House Rules, Dafoe’s bittersweet go lucky head of management is all heart and soul, giving as much leeway as he can to the residents he looks after.
He was a revelation in The Ice Storm, Pleasantville, The Cider House Rules, Wonder Boys, and others.
That all of this is bearable — and it is, to a surprising extent — is surely due to the discretion of director Lasse Hallstrom, whose long career has included “The Cider House Rules” and “The Hundred-Foot Journey.”
In this gooey melodrama from director Lasse Hallström (The Cider House Rules, Chocolat), a dog's spirit, given voice by Josh Gad, is reincarnated in a series of canine bodies to serve humans and ascertain "the meaning of life."
Director Lasse Hallström, a Swede with a résumé that includes My Life As a Dog, What's Eating Gilbert Grape, The Cider House Rules, and Chocolat — to say nothing of a treasure trove of ABBA videos — worked with canines before on Hachi: A Dog's Tale, an English-language adaptation of a Japanese hit about the relationship between man and dog.
But even though Hallström (Chocolat, The Cider House Rules) seems to have taken care to make sure A Dog's Purpose, based on W. Bruce Cameron's novel , isn't too harrowing for the tenderhearted, a behind-the-scenes drama has threatened to mar the pleasures of the film: after TMZ posted a disturbing tape showing an apparently terrified dog actor, a German shepherd named Hercules, being forced to perform a stunt, PETA called for a boycott.
Based on the beloved bestselling novel by W. Bruce Cameron, the family film from director Lasse Hallström ("The Cider House Rules," "Dear John," "The 100-Foot Journey") shares the soulful and surprising story of one devoted dog (voiced by Josh Gad) who finds the meaning of his own existence through the lives of the humans he teaches to laugh and love.
Director Lasse Hallström has helmed a plethora of fine movies, including "The Cider House Rules", "Chocolat", "What's Eating Gilbert Grape" and "Salmon Fishing in the Yemen" to name a few.
Compared to this film, the euthanasia advocacy of Million Dollar Baby , the anti-Catholicism of The Magdalene Sisters and and the abortion activism of The Cider House Rules are practically childs play.
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Considering this is his second Sparks film, following 2010's "Dear John," it appears that Oscar-nominated filmmaker Lasse Hallström ("My Life as a Dog," "The Cider House Rules") has become Sparks' go-to guy.
Maybe it’s the realization that she’s stuck in a movie by Lasse Hallström, aka Mr. Hugs, The Great Homogenizer, the King of Creamed Corn, maker of Dear John and The Cider House Rules.
And he's got his hooks deep into director Lasse Hallström (My Life as a Dog and The Cider House Rules), who's on board here for a second tour of duty (after Dear John).
This one is directed by Lasse Hallström, a filmmaker who once made movies like “My Life As A Dog,” “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape?” and “The Cider House Rules.”
The glorious badness of Safe Haven comes from the way the veteran director Lasse Hallström applies the greeting-card tastefulness he’s used for What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, Something to Talk About, The Cider House Rules, Chocolat, Dear John, and Salmon Fishing in the Yemen to a movie whose punch line is so delightfully absurd that even after you pretty much know what’s coming you spit out your Pepsi anyway.
Alas, the filmmakers - Lasse Hallstrom ("Salmon Fishing in the Yemen," "The Cider House Rules") in the director's chair and Gage Lansky and Dana Stevens behind the keyboard -- can't leave well enough alone and just let that budding romance build and play out on its own.
The Cider House Rules director Lasse Hallström helms this adaptation of the best-selling novel by Joanne Harris, and delivers yet another pretty package of tempered social messages -- this time preaching about social tolerance instead of abortion.
Directed by Lasse Hallstrom ("The Cider House Rules") with his customary pastoral reverence, "Chocolat" is, in concept, an appealing idea, even if it does liberally pillage its themes and constructs from a variety of older, better movies.
Director Lasse Hallstrom ("The Cider House Rules") gives "Chocolat" a sugary self-awareness from its opening minutes, with a shot of an idyllic French village of cocoa-colored buildings flocked by marshmallow-snow hills.
Director Lasse Hallstrom's last project, "The Cider House Rules," was so desperately overrated that it's good to see his latest film, "Chocolat," turn out so light and frothy there's no way it can suffer the same fate.
That surface peacefulness is churned up when a cold North wind blows the red cloaked Vianne Rocher (Juliette Binoche, "The English Patient") and her daughter Anouk (Victoire Tivisol, "Ponette") into town in director Lasse Hallstrom's ("The Cider House Rules") "Chocolat."
Director Lasse Hallstrom delights in stories about trouble-making eccentrics with good hearts (think of Richard Dreyfuss in "Once Around," or Michael Caine in "The Cider House Rules"), and Vianne fits perfectly into his gallery of upbeat outcasts.