Homer Wells, the hero of John Irving's novel The Cider House Rules, learns that some rules are meant to be broken.

 Homer (Tobey Maguire) is an orphan who was twice adopted and twice returned to the St. Cloud orphanage in Maine.

 Under the tutelage of Dr. Wilbur Larch (Michael Caine), the orphanage administrator, Homer grew into St. Cloud's most famous resident.

 He is not only Dr. Larch's surrogate son, but the kindly doctor's assistant in the delivery room. Women come to St. Cloud's to have and abandon children.

 Women also come to St. Cloud to have their pregnancies terminated, but Homer refuses to assist in such operations. It's his steadfast rule but, like all rules, it's destined to be bent if not broken.

 The Cider House Rules, which opens tomorrow, is a profoundly touching coming-of-age story about innocence lost and purpose found.

 Because Homer was raised in such isolation, he has no idea how the world operates and is in for some surprises when he leaves the orphanage.

 Homer is like a hero in one of Charles Dickens' novels. His journey of self-discovery begins when Wally Worthington (Paul Rudd) brings his pregnant girlfriend Candy Kendall (Charlize Theron) to St. Cloud for an abortion.

 Homer is charmed by their carefree worldliness and asks them for a ride. The three young people bond instantly and Wally offers Homer a job as an apple picker on his family's orchard estate.

 This job brings Homer into the lives of Mr. Rose (Delroy Lindo), his daughter Rose Rose (Erykah Badu) and a trio of African American migrant workers.

 Homer is about to experience life head on. He'll see how passion, love and lust can sometimes get horribly and tragically confused.

 At St. Cloud, he saw the re-sults of such incidents. At the apple orchard, he will see and experience the intricate motivations.

 As a novel, The Cider House Rules walked the intricate tightrope between heartfelt drama and manipulative melodrama.

 As directed by Lasse Hallstrom, the film never threatens to be anything but a powerful, insightful, hopeful story of failings and redemption.

 The Cider House Rules is an intimate little movie whose understanding of humanity lingers long after the final credits role.

(This film is rated "AA")

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