As a fan of John Irving's novels, I just cannot recommend this movie adaption of his wonderful 1985 novel. This is pretty sad, considering the fact that Irving adapted the screenplay himself, and won an Oscar for it to boot! The irony is priceless!
I don't mind so much that this adaptation did away with some of the novel's sub-plots (the character of Melony, and Homer's friendship with Wally) for the sake of economy. What irks me though is that it trades in the original novel's sardonic edge for schmaltz and sentimentality. The movie is designed to make audiences ooh and aah over those cute 'lil orphans. It is a highly manipulative and candy-coated movie. Sure, Irving's novel had a lot of heart and sentimentality as well, but at least it showed some restraint. I probably would have liked this movie adaptation a lot more if it didn't try so hard to be an audience pleaser. What next? A G-rated version of "A Widow for One Year?"
If you want to see a more worthy adaptation of a John Irving novel, I highly recommend George Roy Hill's "The World According to Garp" starring Robin Williams and Glenn Close. This movie does a better job at preserving Irving's voice as well as the caustic humor that is sorely missing in "The Cider House Rules."
I don't mind so much that this adaptation did away with some of the novel's sub-plots (the character of Melony, and Homer's friendship with Wally) for the sake of economy. What irks me though is that it trades in the original novel's sardonic edge for schmaltz and sentimentality. The movie is designed to make audiences ooh and aah over those cute 'lil orphans. It is a highly manipulative and candy-coated movie. Sure, Irving's novel had a lot of heart and sentimentality as well, but at least it showed some restraint. I probably would have liked this movie adaptation a lot more if it didn't try so hard to be an audience pleaser. What next? A G-rated version of "A Widow for One Year?"
If you want to see a more worthy adaptation of a John Irving novel, I highly recommend George Roy Hill's "The World According to Garp" starring Robin Williams and Glenn Close. This movie does a better job at preserving Irving's voice as well as the caustic humor that is sorely missing in "The Cider House Rules."