THE CIDER HOUSE RULES

Directed by Lasse Hallstrom. Starring Tobey Maguire, Charlize Theron, Michael Caine.

A DELICIOUSLY subtle, slice of cinema at its most unhurried and carefully-crafted, Cider Rouse Rules represents a resounding return to form for Swedish director Lasse Hallstrom, best known for his supreme coming-of-age drama My Life As A Dog. Circling similar territory, Cider House is a stately, majestic and curiously old-fashioned work adapted from a John Irving novel, and it's received an avalanche of Oscar nominations.

It's low-key, downtempo approach won't instantly set pulses racing and might alienate the impatient viewer, but those who take the trouble to indulge the film will be richly rewarded.

The masssively likeable Tobey Maguire (Ice Storm, Pleasantville) plays Homer Wells, an orphan being raised in a sleepy rural New England orphanage under the tutelage of eccentric doctor Wilbur Larch (Caine). He assists Caine in delivering babies, before their idyll is interrupted by a visit from a young air-force pilot on his way to war (Paul Rudd) and his girlfriend (Theron) - Homer then takes a job in a cider brewery, while a developing affection between himself and Theron complicates matters further.

Plot details themselves are so sparse that further elaboration would be counter-productive: this is one of those movies that stand up entirely on the merits of its atmosphere, the richness of the acting, and Hallstrom's masterful ability to clearly crystallise every little nuance in the film's visuals and dialogue.

Theron, frequently cast in unchallenging eye-candy roles, gives a revelatory performance of surprising subtlety, while Maguire displays a disarming sincerity and artless honesty rarely seen in actors of his vintage - the whole affair assumes an epic sweep, and it's impossible to fault on any level.

While not particularly recommended to viewers of a thrill-seeking disposition, The Cider House Rules is one of the sweetest treats this year will have to offer.