Ready to obey the house rules – in Blu-ray?  Then check out the review for the Tobey Maguire/Charlize Theron storybook romance "The Cider House Rules" out now on Blu-ray from Lionsgate Home Entertainment.

   Title: "The Cider House Rules"

   Grade: 3

   Cast: Michael Caine, Tobey Maguire, Charlize Theron

   Director: Lasse Hallstrom

   Rating: PG-13

   Runtime: 125 minutes

   Release Company: Lionsgate

   Website: www.lionsgatebluray.com  

The Flick: Having missed "The Cider House Rules" the first time around, it was good to catch its award winning wares on Blu-ray.  Not that it’s all wine and roses, as the film is a mixed bag of highs and lows to be sure.  On the down side, this isn't one of Lasse Hallstrom’s most accomplished films (for that see "What’s Eating Gilbert Grape?") and it feels a tad heavy-handed, with most of the performances all edging towards grandiose territory.  (Academy Award winner Michael Caine can do this role in his sleep!)  But there’s also a slice of life series of adventures within that has a storybook vibe that can’t be ignored and it’s what keeps Rules engaging.  So we follow Tobey Maguire’s dim Homer as he heads out into the unknown even though the juice may not be completely worth the squeeze.      

Best Feature: 'Deleted Scenes' contain more scenes with the spark of the film Mary Agnes and we get an 'On the roof' scene that explains a lot.

Best Hidden Gem: The early work by a young Paul Rudd is for my money the freshest and best work in this house.

Worth the Moola: As a storybook come to life, Cider may be sweet, but there are some distinctively unripe apples in the mix.