What is the iRankMovies score for The Cider House Rules?

Name: The Cider House Rules
Director: Lasse Hallström
Genre: drama
Released: 1999
Duration: 2 h 6 min
Rating: 7.4

The Cider House Rules has an iRankMovies score of 73.3/100, based on a weighted combination of IMDb (×3.0), Rotten Tomatoes (×2.0), Metacritic (×1.5), and TMDb (×1.0).

The Cider House Rules (1999)

A story about how far we must travel to find the place where we belong.

Release:1999

Runtime:2h 6m

Country:United States

Director:Lasse Hallström

Language:English

Genre

Drama

See the best drama movies →

Keywords

Based On Novel Or BookOrphanagePregnancyDrug AddictionCigaretteCiderMaineOrphan

iRank73

The Cider House Rules rating: IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic

IMDb7.4/10· 109K votes

Rotten Tomatoes72%

Metacritic75%

TMDb7.091/10· 1K votes

With 72% on Rotten Tomatoes, backed by 7.4/10 on IMDb and 75/100 on Metacritic, critical reception of this film has been positive.

About The Cider House Rules

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?

Cast of The Cider House Rules

Tobey Maguire
as Homer Wells
Charlize Theron
as Candy Kendall
Michael Caine
as Dr. Wilbur Larch
Delroy Lindo
as Arthur Rose
Paul Rudd
as Lt. Wally Worthington
Jane Alexander
as Nurse Edna
Kathy Baker
as Nurse Angela
Erykah Badu
as Rose Rose
Kieran Culkin
as Buster
Kate Nelligan
as Olive Worthington
Heavy D
as Peaches
J.K. Simmons
as Ray Kendall

The Cider House Rules facts

Budget: $24M
Box office: $88.5M

Ranked by the iRankMovies editorial teamUpdated August 2026Methodology Data sources

Audience opinions

What the audience liked

•Nuanced character drama examines moral ambiguity surrounding abortion with thoughtful complexity
•Period setting and literary adaptation establish authentic 1940s atmosphere with gravitas
•Strong ensemble performances convey difficult emotions with subdued acting precision throughout

What the audience disliked

•Slow deliberate pacing emphasizes emotional introspection over dramatic plot propulsion consistently
•Potentially divisive subject matter limits broader audience appeal despite critical recognition