{"id":5992,"date":"2008-11-07T19:45:26","date_gmt":"2008-11-08T02:45:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=5992"},"modified":"2023-10-20T13:49:43","modified_gmt":"2023-10-20T20:49:43","slug":"world-according-to-garp-the-1982","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=5992","title":{"rendered":"World According to Garp, The (1982)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;When I&#8217;m old and gray, I won&#8217;t remember my past. We have to do it now, while we&#8217;re still young.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/11\/World-According-to-Garp-Poster.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/11\/World-According-to-Garp-Poster-196x300.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"196\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-63931\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/11\/World-According-to-Garp-Poster-196x300.png 196w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/11\/World-According-to-Garp-Poster-670x1024.png 670w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/11\/World-According-to-Garp-Poster-84x128.png 84w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/11\/World-According-to-Garp-Poster-177x270.png 177w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/11\/World-According-to-Garp-Poster.png 713w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 196px) 100vw, 196px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nAn aspiring writer (Robin Williams) married to a literature professor (Mary Beth Hurt) must deal with the sudden success of his best-selling feminist mother (Glenn Close).\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Character Studies<\/li>\n<li>Feminism and Women&#8217;s Issues<\/li>\n<li>George Roy Hill Films<\/li>\n<li>Glenn Close Films<\/li>\n<li>Hume Cronyn Films<\/li>\n<li>Infidelity<\/li>\n<li>Jessica Tandy Films<\/li>\n<li>John Lithgow Films<\/li>\n<li>Robin Williams Films<\/li>\n<li>Single Mothers<\/li>\n<li>Writers<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nGeorge Roy Hill&#8217;s <em>The World According to Garp<\/em> is ultimately little more than a dutiful cinematic translation of key scenes and characters from its source material, John Irving&#8217;s bestselling 1978 novel. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rogerebert.com\/reviews\/the-world-according-to-garp-1982\">As noted by Roger Ebert<\/a>, &#8220;Like a lot of movie versions of novels, the film of <em>Garp<\/em> has not reinterpreted the material in its own terms. Indeed, it doesn&#8217;t interpret it at all.&#8221; While the trajectory of Garp&#8217;s life &#8212; from his infamous conception via a dying, bed-ridden gunnery soldier to his periodic encounters with plane crashes, automobile accidents, and assassinations &#8212; is anything but conventional, Steve Tesich&#8217;s screenplay reduces this meaty material to merely an episodic attempt at satire, one which never really compels as a whole; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1982\/07\/23\/movies\/robin-williams-stars-in-garp-adaption.html\">as Janet Maslin wrote in her review for <em>The New York Times<\/em><\/a>, the film&#8217;s &#8220;story consists of tiny events and wildly monumental ones, with nothing intermediate to connect them.&#8221; <\/p>\n<p>Playing the film&#8217;s titular protagonist, Robin Williams is competent and generally sympathetic, but slips into variations on himself far too easily to convince us that his T.S. Garp really exists as a viable character. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/11\/World-According-to-Garp-Williams.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/11\/World-According-to-Garp-Williams-1024x584.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"365\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-63920\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/11\/World-According-to-Garp-Williams-1024x584.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/11\/World-According-to-Garp-Williams-300x171.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/11\/World-According-to-Garp-Williams-128x73.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/11\/World-According-to-Garp-Williams-768x438.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/11\/World-According-to-Garp-Williams-1536x876.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/11\/World-According-to-Garp-Williams-474x270.png 474w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/11\/World-According-to-Garp-Williams.png 1805w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Much more believable is Glenn Close in her Oscar-nominated feature debut as Garp&#8217;s eccentric, asexual mother: her performance remains the film&#8217;s primary redeeming virtue. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/11\/World-According-to-Garp-Still.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/11\/World-According-to-Garp-Still-1024x581.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"363\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-63927\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/11\/World-According-to-Garp-Still-1024x581.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/11\/World-According-to-Garp-Still-300x170.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/11\/World-According-to-Garp-Still-128x73.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/11\/World-According-to-Garp-Still-768x436.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/11\/World-According-to-Garp-Still-1536x872.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/11\/World-According-to-Garp-Still-476x270.png 476w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/11\/World-According-to-Garp-Still.png 1817w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Jon Lithgow (also nominated for an Academy Award) is both dignified and amusing in a supporting role as Garp&#8217;s transsexual friend, Roberta, but his character &#8212; like much of the film &#8212; is sadly under-written. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/11\/World-According-to-Garp-Lithgow4.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/11\/World-According-to-Garp-Lithgow4-1024x582.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"364\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-63928\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/11\/World-According-to-Garp-Lithgow4-1024x582.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/11\/World-According-to-Garp-Lithgow4-300x170.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/11\/World-According-to-Garp-Lithgow4-128x73.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/11\/World-According-to-Garp-Lithgow4-768x436.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/11\/World-According-to-Garp-Lithgow4-1536x873.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/11\/World-According-to-Garp-Lithgow4-475x270.png 475w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/11\/World-According-to-Garp-Lithgow4.png 1815w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Indeed, it&#8217;s disappointing to see so many intriguing storylines &#8212; including Mary Beth Hurt&#8217;s affair with a graduate student (Mark Soper):<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/11\/World-According-to-Garp-Hurt-Affair.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/11\/World-According-to-Garp-Hurt-Affair-1024x577.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"361\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-63925\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/11\/World-According-to-Garp-Hurt-Affair-1024x577.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/11\/World-According-to-Garp-Hurt-Affair-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/11\/World-According-to-Garp-Hurt-Affair-128x72.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/11\/World-According-to-Garp-Hurt-Affair-768x433.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/11\/World-According-to-Garp-Hurt-Affair-1536x865.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/11\/World-According-to-Garp-Hurt-Affair-479x270.png 479w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/11\/World-According-to-Garp-Hurt-Affair.png 1813w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&#8230; Close&#8217;s relationship with a reformed hooker (Swoozie Kurtz):<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/11\/World-According-to-Garp-Kurtz.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/11\/World-According-to-Garp-Kurtz-1024x582.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"364\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-63926\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/11\/World-According-to-Garp-Kurtz-1024x582.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/11\/World-According-to-Garp-Kurtz-300x170.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/11\/World-According-to-Garp-Kurtz-128x73.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/11\/World-According-to-Garp-Kurtz-768x436.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/11\/World-According-to-Garp-Kurtz-1536x873.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/11\/World-According-to-Garp-Kurtz-475x270.png 475w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/11\/World-According-to-Garp-Kurtz.png 1811w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>and the existence of a group of extremist feminists known as the Ellen James society: <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/11\/World-According-to-Garp-Jenny-Fields.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/11\/World-According-to-Garp-Jenny-Fields-1024x589.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"368\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-63924\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/11\/World-According-to-Garp-Jenny-Fields-1024x589.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/11\/World-According-to-Garp-Jenny-Fields-300x173.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/11\/World-According-to-Garp-Jenny-Fields-128x74.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/11\/World-According-to-Garp-Jenny-Fields-768x442.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/11\/World-According-to-Garp-Jenny-Fields-1536x883.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/11\/World-According-to-Garp-Jenny-Fields-469x270.png 469w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/11\/World-According-to-Garp-Jenny-Fields.png 1798w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>(who cut off their tongues in solidarity with a young rape victim) &#8212; treated with so little consideration. By the end of the film, one can only guess at the richer themes and characterizations in Irving&#8217;s novel, which fail to make a lasting impression on-screen. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Glenn Close as Garp&#8217;s mother, Jenny Fields<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/11\/World-According-to-Garp-Close.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/11\/World-According-to-Garp-Close-1024x573.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"358\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-63922\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/11\/World-According-to-Garp-Close-1024x573.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/11\/World-According-to-Garp-Close-300x168.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/11\/World-According-to-Garp-Close-128x72.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/11\/World-According-to-Garp-Close-768x430.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/11\/World-According-to-Garp-Close-1536x860.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/11\/World-According-to-Garp-Close-482x270.png 482w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/11\/World-According-to-Garp-Close.png 1809w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Fine cinematography<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/11\/World-According-to-Garp-Cinematography.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/11\/World-According-to-Garp-Cinematography-1024x576.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-63923\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/11\/World-According-to-Garp-Cinematography-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/11\/World-According-to-Garp-Cinematography-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/11\/World-According-to-Garp-Cinematography-128x72.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/11\/World-According-to-Garp-Cinematography-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/11\/World-According-to-Garp-Cinematography-1536x864.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/11\/World-According-to-Garp-Cinematography-480x270.png 480w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/11\/World-According-to-Garp-Cinematography.png 1809w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nNo; this one-time cult favorite hasn&#8217;t stood the test of time. Listed as a Cult Movie and a Personal Recommendation in the back of Peary&#8217;s book. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0084917\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1982\/07\/23\/movies\/robin-williams-stars-in-garp-adaption.html\">NY Times Original Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rogerebert.com\/reviews\/the-world-according-to-garp-1982\">Roger Ebert&#8217;s Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.qnetwork.com\/index.php?page=review&#038;id=887\">Q Network Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.timeout.com\/movies\/the-world-according-to-garp\">Time Out Capsule Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;When I&#8217;m old and gray, I won&#8217;t remember my past. We have to do it now, while we&#8217;re still young.&#8221; Synopsis: An aspiring writer (Robin Williams) married to a literature professor (Mary Beth Hurt) must deal with the sudden success of his best-selling feminist mother (Glenn Close). Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors: Character Studies Feminism and Women&#8217;s Issues George Roy Hill Films Glenn Close Films Hume Cronyn Films Infidelity Jessica Tandy Films John Lithgow Films Robin Williams Films Single Mothers&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=5992\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5992","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5992","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5992"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5992\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":92638,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5992\/revisions\/92638"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5992"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5992"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5992"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}