The World According to Garp (1982)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

George Roy Hill

Writers:

John Irving (novel)
Steve Tesich (screenplay)

Release Date:

23 July 1982 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance | Sport

Tagline:

Robin Williams is Garp. He's got a funny way of looking at life.

Plot:

Based on the John Irving novel, this film chronicles the life of T S Garp, and his mother, Jenny. Whilst Garp sees himself as a "serious" writer...

Plot Keywords:

Wounded Soldier | Love | Sex Change | Sadness | Friend

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 4 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Robin Williams	...	Garp
Mary Beth Hurt	...	Helen Holm
Glenn Close	...	Jenny Fields
John Lithgow	...	Roberta Muldoon
Hume Cronyn	...	Mr. Fields
Jessica Tandy	...	Mrs. Fields
Swoosie Kurtz	...	The Hooker
James McCall	...	Young Garp
Peter Michael Goetz	...	John Wolfe
George Ede	...	Dean Bodger
Mark Soper	...	Michael Milton
Nathan Babcock	...	Duncan
Ian MacGregor	...	Walt
Warren Berlinger	...	Stew Percy - Steering School
Susan Browning	...	Midge Percy - Steering School

Runtime:

136 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:12 (video rating) | Iceland:L | Singapore:M18 (DVD rating) | USA:R (Approved #26660) | Singapore:M18 | Argentina:13 | Peru:14 | Australia:M | Canada:14A | Finland:K-12 | Norway:16 | Sweden:11 | UK:15 | Canada:13+ (Quebec)

Filming Locations:

Bryant Park, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

Director Cameo: [George Roy Hill]pilot that crashes into the house

Goofs:

Boom mic visible: As Garp is chasing the errant truck driver for the second time, as they run around the front of the truck the boom mic is seen in the windshield of the truck and it is partly disguised with leaves to look like a branch. It comes down from the upper right of the windshield and wiggles a bit.

Quotes:

Mrs. Fields: [first lines] Garp? Garp?
Jenny Fields: Yes, Garp.
Mr. Fields: Garp. Garp?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Saturday Night Live: Robin Williams/James Taylor (#13.9)" (1988)

Soundtrack:

There Will Never Be Another You

A Worthy Adaptation

This book is one of my favorites, so I had to see eventually how the movie stacked up. Not bad, but not perfect either. The movie takes so long to get going that the end seems rushed. If I hadn't read the book, I would have had a hard time really understanding the feud with the Ellen Jamesians or Pooh's hatred of Garp.

Still, this is one of Robin Williams's less annoying performances and a talented cast that at the time not many people had probably heard of. In the end, the movie is complex, at times funny and others sad, and maintains the spirit of the novel.

The book is better, IMO, but this is close enough. "The Cider House Rules" is an even better adaptation--if you like this, you'll love that.