Irving's mistakes sour 'Cider House' By Erin Podolsky Daily Arts Writer "The Cider House Rules" tries to be a great many things and fails at nearly all of them. It's a moderate failure, to be sure; it's a moderate movie trying to mask itself as something more. It has its bit of charm and its warm period magic, but it lacks something far more important: subtlety. Adapted by author John Irving from his own novel, the film suffers from the same problems that plague its literary counterpart. Unfocused and lacking direction after an excellent opening act, "Cider House" peters out - and wimps out, avoiding an ending that, had it been chosen, would have seemed much more in line with what we know of our main character. But alas, at the end hero Homer Wells (Tobey Maguire) returns to the beginning, passing off everything he has done for the previous 90 minutes as a phase. Born and raised at the orphanage in St. Clouds, Maine, Homer turns out early on to be impossible to send out into the world. Several times he is adopted, and several times he is returned. Dr. Larch (Michael Caine), the agingly stern but soft-hearted man who runs the orphanage, sees that Homer is a true son of St. Clouds and takes him under his wing. Homer becomes Larch's apprentice and in the process an accomplished if not accredited ob/gyn, a necessity in the barren wintry land of Maine. Larch seems to have little to say to Homer and his other charges other than informing them that they are "princes of Maine, kings of New England" and imploring them to be of use. Okay, maybe that's not fair; he also teaches Homer the ins and outs of the female reproductive system, including how to deliver babies - and how to deliver mothers. There are times when "Cider House" strains towards abortion drama, but it ends up being downplayed to the point of being innocuous. That's about the best that can be said about the movie as a whole, too. Once Homer escapes from the orphanage via visitors (to deliver the mother, not the baby) Wally Worthington (Paul Rudd) and Candy Kendall (Charlize Theron), his adventures tumble out of the narrative with boredom masquerading as grace. Homer lives on Wally's farm and picks apples in his orchard, making himself generally indispensable once Wally goes off to fly for the ol' red, white and blue in WWII. A group of black migrant workers show up each year to harvest the apples and tolerate Homer's pale face. Homer has an affair with Candy. Dr. Larch gets old and needs a replacement director for the orphanage. Does this sound matter-of-fact? That's because it is. What "Cider House" really needs is a strong hand to guide a misguided tale, a tale that spins out of the control of the usually masterful Irving. Lasse Halstrom directs the movie with little of the flair he brought to "What's Eating Gilbert Grape." Things just keep on happening without much rhyme or reason. The motivations behind Homer's egress from the orphanage are clear, but his decision to return is explained with the simple echoing of Larch's instruction to be "of use." His passion for Candy is equally impenetrable, as is their silent decision to break off the affair when a wounded Wally returns from overseas. Although Irving wisely compresses much of his book's final act for the screen, it is not enough. "The Cider House Rules" had the potential to be a touching story about an orphan and his interactions with the world. Instead it is a not-very-bright piece of work that dimly meanders around interesting issues and plot developments, always skirting the passionate stuff in favor of a duller view and resolution. It's disappointing to see Irving unable to rectify his mistakes of years gone by. It's disappointing to see him drag down a talented cast and crew with him. Courtesy of Miramax Films Charlize Theron decides to "wait and see" in "The Cider House Rules."