From: utzoo!decvax!duke!harpo!npoiv!npois!houxi!ihps3!ihuxl!rjnoe
Newsgroups: net.movies
Title: The World According to Garp
Article-I.D.: ihuxl.227
Posted: Fri Jul 23 08:51:59 1982
Received: Mon Jul 26 00:22:49 1982


Last Friday I saw "The World According to Garp" at a sneak preview.
I've waited until today to post my review because the film opens
today, Friday, July 23.
     "The World According to Garp" is an excellent film adaptation
of John Irving's best-selling novel of the same title.  While the
film does not include all the details and incidents which made up
the novel, it retains the same character and is just as enjoyable
as the novel.  The acting is good all around.  Robin Williams puts
in his best performance ever as T.S. Garp.  Do not come to the
picture expecting to see Williams, the comic genius, because Robin
does not do that here.  Rather, he shines as a dramatic actor who
is able to bring out a special warmth in his character which makes
him impossible to dislike.  The other performances are also up to
this level.  Mary Beth Hurt plays Helen Holm, Garp's wife, and
Glenn Close plays Garp's mother, Jenny Fields.  Particularly out-
standing is John Lithgow's role as Roberta Muldoon, for which he
may even be awarded an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor (or is it
Actress?).
     The film was directed by George Roy Hill, who is long overdue
for a Best Director award.  He is certain to be nominated this time.
Hill has a delightful cameo role as the pilot of a small plane.
John Irving himself has a cameo as the referee of a wrestling match.
Most striking of all is the way the screenplay was adapted from the
novel.  Steve Tesich deserves the credit for this tremendous job
and, as difficult as adapting screenplays from another medium is,
he will very likely be recognized for this at the Academy Awards.
The only thing about this movie that isn't up to par is the timing.
As Gene Siskel has noted, summer is usually reserved for frivolous,
light movies, which certainly does not describe "Garp".  Siskel has
given the film a rating of three and one half stars out of four.
I'd give it all four.  The only thing some might find objectionable
at all is some full frontal nudity during the credits at the
beginning (though judging by the laughter, many people in the
theater, mostly females, found it amusing), some partial nudity
later on, quite a bit of candid adult dialogue and an occasional
foul word or two, which explains why it's rated R.  Oh, yes, a little
violence, too.  Nothing new to High School level young adults.
                                           Roger Noe
                                         ihuxl!rjnoe