The World According To Garp

Take a highly-competent director and don't take too many liberties with a quality of the original text (in this case the novel of the same name by John Irving) and experience shows that you've got a pretty safe bet. This is indeed the case here. Although overlong, particularly as it loses its black comedy spirit the further it progresses into the complex narrative, for the most part The World According To Garp is quietly amusing with enough quirkiness to keep you in chuckle-mode.

John Lithgow is memorable as the trans-sexual former football player, Roberta, and although on the way to it, Robin Williams has yet to develop his stock screen schtick of inspired fool. Best of all, Glenn Close in her screen debut is is excellent as T.S. Garp's mother, Jenny Field, probably the best known screen nurse after Nurse Ratchett. Author Irving appears as the wrestling match referee.

 

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