while screen adaptations of john irving 's novels have been disappointingly uneven , the films have all shared one particular strength : key casting . who can forget john lithgow as roberta muldoon , the transsexual quarterback of " the world according to garp , " or nastassja kinski as susie the bear in " the hotel new hampshire " ?
a lot of good casting decisions have gone into the making of " the cider house rules , " an adaptation of irving 's poetic 1994 novel about a restless young man called homer wells .
among those sound judgments was the decision to have the splendid tobey maguire assume the pivotal role ; the decision to cast michael caine as his mentor and father figure , dr .
wilbur larch , the ether - addicted head obstetrician of the st .
cloud 's orphanage , maine ; and the decision to offer jane alexander and kathy baker supporting roles as his head nurses .
then there are the brethren who populate the apple orchard where homer wells finds himself shortly after leaving st .
cloud 's , including delroy lindo , oscar ?
-worthy as the foreman of the migrant work detail that drifts up and down the coast as the seasons take them .
there 's kate nelligan as the matriarch of the cider house , and charlize theron as candy , the lovely , lonely wife of a wwii bomber pilot ( paul rudd ) sent away on a mission overseas leaving candy to set lobster traps with homer wells , a man who 's never seen the ocean before let alone a lobster .
am i forgetting anyone ?
yes .
kieran culkin and paz de la huerta as dissolute orphanage residents who make you sit up and take notice every time they 're on the screen .
but with " the cider house rules , " the good people decisions do n't end with the cast .
irving has written his own screenplay in order to get it right this time ( last year 's " simon birch , " loosely based on his " a prayer for owen meaney , " was a big - screen example of irving handled sub - standardly ) ; the author appears fleetingly as a stationmaster here .
rachel portman , a composer of such sweet and lyrical tenderness , provides a score that 's absolutely right for the project -- sweet , lyrical , and tender .
there 's impressive new england photography by oliver stapleton too .
last but by no means least is " my life as a dog " director lasse hallstr ?
m , who shows enormous skill in pulling this collective together and helping bring irving 's marvelously touching story to life .
for the many beloved who pass away in " the cider house rules , " it 's an extraordinarily life - affirming story .
and now , thanks to these talented individuals , it 's an extraordinarily life - affirming film .
marvelously touching story provides a score that 's absolutely right for the project -- sweet , lyrical , and tender a lot of good casting decisions have gone into the making there 's impressive new england photography it 's an extraordinarily life - affirming story shows enormous skill