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The Cider House Rules

(2000, Rated PG-13, Drama, Starring Michael Caine, Tobey Maguire, Charlize Theron)
  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 13, age appropriate for kids over 15; suggested age 14.
  • Is it any good?

    3.0
  • Common Sense says

    Thought-provoking movie for teens and up.

Why We Rated This iffy for Ages 14–15

The good stuff

  • Messages:

    Teamwork of diverse group.
 

What to watch out for

  • Violence:

    Deaths of characters, brief knife fight.
  • Sex:

    Nudity, sex, and sexual references, including incest.
  • Language:

    Mild.
  • Consumerism:

    Not an issue.
  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    Character abuses drugs, much smoking.
 

What Parents Need to Know

About The Cider House Rules

Parents need to know that the movie includes incest, non-explicit scenes of abortions, nudity, drug abuse, and a non-explicit scene of an unmarried couple having sex. There are also some very sad character deaths, including a child.

Read our full review by Nell Minow

Did this review help you decide?

Families Can Talk About

  • Families can talk about rules, how they are developed, when, if ever, breaking rules is justified, and, when it is justified, how important it is to be willing to take the consequences. Some characters in the movie seem to let life decide things for them, but others take the situation into their own hands, and it is worth discussing how to know when to act.

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Our Members Say

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Most Recent Reviews

  1. Teen Reviewer Age 14
    Lives in New York
    I rate this title iffy for age 13 and give it 4.0
    My concerns are:
    • Inappropriate sexual content

    • My highlights are:
    • Positive messages

    if you liked Forrest Gump, then I'm sure you'll like this movie

    ****CONTAINS SPOILERS**** Sorry, Didn't mean to post that first rating =o. Anyways, I'm suprised CSM didn't give this movie more stars, cause I watched it just recently and I really liked it! It was pretty okay, not much innapropriate, until I got to the part with Rose and stuff and I was just like shocked... and it does deal with mature topics such as abortion and incest. Mr. Rose is stabbed and dies from blood loss. I also found that although the african americans in this movie are treated equally, one is also depicted as the bad guy. Homer is a good guy, and so are Candy and Dr. Larch. A character dies of an overdose, but it wasn't intentinal at all. Overall, I think it was a good movie, and I sorta thought it was a little like Forrest Gump, so if you watched Forrest Gump you should defanitly see the cider house rules. I dont know why i waited!

  2. Teen Reviewer Age 14
    Lives in New York
    I rate this title and give it 4.0

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