The Cider House Rules (1999)

The Cider House Rules parents guide

Moderate sex and nudity, which is more than most PG-13 titles carry. Beyond that, mild language and no real violence.

Our estimate: fine from about 16, higher than the PG-13 suggests, because of the sex and nudity.

Scare

Not scary

Jump scares

None noted

Gore

No gore

Violence

No real violence

Sex and nudity

Moderate

Moderate means a sex scene or nudity on screen, even brief, or sexual violence that is described or implied but never shown.

Language

Mild

Mild words like damn, hell or crap.

How we rate: an AI reads what is known about each title and tags it 0 to 3; we check the tags against a hand-rated set and correct them by hand when readers tell us. Estimates, not a scene-by-scene review. Spot a mistake? Tell us.

What is The Cider House Rules about?

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 and crew

More like The Cider House Rules

• Dead Poets Society (1989)Earnest · comfort watch · emotionally heavy · measuredAn inspiring teacher encourages students to defy rigid tradition and find their own voices, stirring both joy and sorrow.
• Good Will Hunting (1997)Dry wit · intimate · comfort watch · emotionally devastatingA brilliant but troubled young man finds his way with the help of a compassionate therapist.
• Rain Man (1988)Melancholy · comfort watch · emotionally heavy · measuredA self-centered man discovers an autistic brother and a fortune, embarking on a heartwarming, intimate journey.
• The Good Doctor (2017)Earnest · comfort watch · emotionally heavy · measuredAn autistic surgeon with savant syndrome navigates hospital politics while saving lives with his extraordinary medical gifts.
• Scent of a Woman (1992)Dry wit · melancholy · date night · emotionally heavyA lonely, blind colonel and a young man form an unlikely bond during a poignant Thanksgiving weekend.
• The Straight Story (1999)Earnest · comfort watch · emotionally heavy · measuredAn earnest, intimate journey across states unfolds on a lawnmower, mending a family bond.
• The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012)Dry wit · melancholy · comfort watch · emotionally heavyA shy freshman navigates the pangs of first love and friendship with witty, melancholic earnestness.
• Lion (2016)Heartwarming · comfort watch · emotionally devastating · measuredA lost boy's journey from Calcutta to Australia becomes a man's earnest search for his first home.

The Cider House Rules is on our Cozy fall list.

More like this feeling

Prompts we typed into CouchRot, and the lists that share its tags.

• “a movie that will make me cry”
• “a thriller with a twist, no spoilers”
• “funny but not stupid, under two hours”

Lists with the same feel: Melancholy and Comfort watches.