Synopsis

Homer Wells grows up at St. Cloud's Orphanage in rural Maine, where Dr. Larch trains him in medicine while secretly performing abortions. Longing to experience life beyond the orphanage, Homer leaves to work at an apple orchard. There, he confronts love, loss, racism, and difficult moral choices before deciding what home and responsibility truly mean to him.

Factoids & Trivia

• John Irving adapted his own 1985 novel for the screenplay. The project took more than a decade to reach the screen, and Irving later chronicled the experience in his book My Movie Business.

• The St. Cloud's Orphanage scenes were filmed at the abandoned Northampton State Hospital in Massachusetts, whose institutional architecture supplied the setting's imposing atmosphere.

• Irving hoped his son, Colin Irving, would play Wally Worthington. The long development period made that impossible, but Colin eventually appeared in the film as Major Winslow.

• Tobey Maguire reportedly received the lead after his friend Leonardo DiCaprio turned the role down.

• John Irving makes a brief appearance as the stationmaster at the St. Cloud train station.

• An earlier cut shown at the Toronto International Film Festival included more nudity in a bedroom scene. The footage was re-edited for the theatrical version to secure a PG-13 rating.

• The film received seven Academy Award nominations at the 72nd Academy Awards. John Irving won for Best Adapted Screenplay, while Michael Caine won Best Supporting Actor.

• Rachel Portman's instrumental theme later became associated with Michigan tourism through its use in Pure Michigan advertising.