The World According to Garp

George Roy Hill's 1982 screen version of John Irving's 1978 bestselling novel stars Robin Williams as Garp, the only son of idiosyncratic single mother and feminist Jenny Fields (Glenn Close). As a young man, Garp aspires to become a writer, and as an adult he's a devoted father and high school wrestling coach who does indeed find success as an author. The story is filled with eccentric characters (notably John Lithgow as transsexual ex–football player Roberta Muldoon), strange events, and small tragedies, and the film at times seems to jump from one scene to another in order to fit in the many details of the sprawling source work. Yet the movie, like the book, is ultimately centered on the characters, and Williams shines as Garp (playing the role without slipping into his familiar comic goofiness), delivering one of the best performances of his career as he creates a likable, affectionate guy who loves his family and his life, a man who moves ahead with optimism and good cheer, even as bad things happen around him. Close and Lithgow both earned Academy Award nominations for their work here, and they are joined in solid supporting performances by Mary Beth Hurt and Swoosie Kurtz. Long out of print, The World According to Garp has been re-released as part of the Warner Archive line of manufacture-on-demand DVD-R discs. A warm and eccentric American drama, this is recommended. (S. Axmaker)[Blu-ray Review—Sept. 22, 2015—Warner, 136 min., R, $21.99—Making its Blu-ray debut, 1982's The World According to Garp features an excellent transfer, but the sole extra is a trailer. Bottom line: this beloved adaptation of John Irving's bestselling novel shines on Blu-ray.]