The World According to Garp (1982)

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, Jenny writes a feminist manifesto at an opportune time, and finds herself as a magnet for all manner of distressed women. (imdb)
Cast and Information
Directed By: George Roy Hill
Written By: Steve Tesich, John Irving
Starring: Robin Williams, John Lithgow, Glenn Close, Hume Cronyn, Amanda Plummer, Swoosie Kurtz, Mary Beth Hurt, Jessica Tandy, Warren Berlinger
Genres: Romance, Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Where to Stream
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The World According to Garp belongs to 21 collections
1. They Shoot Pictures 1,000 Greatest Films (2008 revision) (collaborative: moderated by Scottathon - 39 stars)
2. They Shoot Pictures 1,000 Greatest Films (2010 revision) (collaborative: moderated by MMAlpha - 32 stars)
3. Academy Award - Oscar - ALL Best Picture, Directing, Acting & Screenplay Nominees (collaborative - 22 stars)
4. Based on a Book (collaborative: moderated by iconogassed - 21 stars)
5. They Shoot Pictures' Recommended Viewing (collaborative: moderated by Cinephile - 19 stars)
6. Edgar Wright 1000 Favorite Movies (Aug 2016) (collaborative: moderated by Aron Ericson - 16 stars)
7. They Shoot Pictures 1,000 Greatest Films (2011 revision) (collaborative: moderated by PeaceAnarchy - 14 stars)
8. Based On Novel (collaborative: moderated by tathiel - 7 stars)
9. Best by different standards (public: sesito71 - 6 stars)
10. They Shoot Pictures 1,000 Greatest Films (2007 revision) (collaborative: moderated by Scottathon - 4 stars)
11. Real Life Spouses Acting together. (collaborative: moderated by Dunstan-xxx - 1 star)
12. toucé (public: rnest - 1 star)
13. Director/Writer Cameos (collaborative: moderated by Dorkovsky)
14. Films Christopher Reeve turned down, considered, or was considered for (collaborative: moderated by Ag0stoMesmer)
15. Glenn Close's Oscar nominations (collaborative: moderated by CCLZA)
16. Read the Book and Seen the Movie (public: SirStuckey)
17. 1982: Year in Review (public: polanski28)
18. Filmspotting Ratings Project: Week 38 (public: PeaceAnarchy)
19. My Movie Collection (public: elhenzo)
20. Cast aAwayAdam (public: rnest)
21. Hollywood Gauntlet: Summer of '82 (public: BeeDub)
Browse the full list of collections
Date | User | Rating | |
Jul 15, 2022 | ![]() |
driscarpin | 77 58th |
O Mundo Segundo Garp estreava há 40anos nos EUA. Desses 40 pelo menos 30 anos foi o tempo que enrolei pra ver esse filme desde que soube de sua existência, tem a sua cota de diversão, mas não é tão memorável como eu esperava. Plus: Glenn Close tem uma das mais estupendas estreias do cinema EVER, antes ela só tinha feito TV e Teatro. BlurayRip RARBG.
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Nov 29, 2019 | ![]() |
DawdlingPoet | 50 16th |
Its not quite an awful film, it has potential but it just doesn't quite...work for me and usually I like character dramas and I like quite a lot of Robin Williams' films, so it was a little bit of a disappointment. I wouldn't especially recommend it, no.
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Mar 29, 2018 | ![]() |
War Machine | 82 80th |
rvw. first half 85. pretty funny. got worse and less funny but then really appreciated it. that might be the worst *spoiler* death ever lmao they didnt even mourn. and his death was a bad writing choice, especially setting it up his loving life right before. but it was still kinda funny who it was. and he never told her he cheated lmao and had a conniption when she did
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Mar 16, 2015 | ![]() |
redacted | 63 34th |
John Lithgow knocks some bitches out.
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Aug 20, 2014 | ![]() |
susie-mauve | 72 29th |
I really liked the lovely exaggerations and the portrayal of the proto-feminist, plus the obsession with "lust".
Great scores from all the actors,Williams, Close, Lithgow and Hurt too, nice cozy intimacy they make there.
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Aug 20, 2014 | ![]() |
prowler | 37 32nd |
wasn't surprised to find out this is an adaptation, as you can really feel the movie stretching towards the various plot points. tonally it works though, and Williams and Lithgow are great. i wanted to complain about all the gun-related deus ex machinas but then i remembered it's America, heh.
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Aug 14, 2014 | ![]() |
warrensm | 87 72nd |
Adapted from the John Irving novel of the same name, this movie also introduces Robin as a dramedy actor. His portrayal as T.S. Garp is truly captivating, effective, and inspiring. As far as the rest of the movie goes, it's an odd, humorous, poignant story that comes with many inspirational quotes and takes on human life. It also contains some very surprising performances (John Lithgow as a transgender, Glenn Close in her first movie).
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Jul 15, 2014 | ![]() |
SirStuckey | 80 78th |
A very good adaptation of a novel that you would think would be incredibly hard to adapt after reading it. Some of Robin Williams' best work and Lithgow is just great as always. The book is definitely better but it's hard to top anything John Irving does. It's a worthy adaptation in my mind.
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Feb 17, 2014 | ![]() |
PeaceAnarchy | 58 10th |
The comedic lighthearted tone is sometimes grating, but most of the time it's passable and there are certainly some good moments to be had. The performances are rather solid and even Williams manages to mostly balance the comedy and pathos required. Unfortunately it's not actually that funny and the narrative is a string of disconnected scenes. Perhaps the biggest problem is that it tries so very hard to shed light on the human condition without a single human character in the mix.
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Jun 08, 2012 | ![]() |
martryn | 78 72nd |
One of Robin William's best films. I laughed. I cried. Seriously enjoyed it, and it ages well too.
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Dec 02, 2011 | theyshoot11 | 53 6th |
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#938
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Sep 21, 2010 | ![]() |
hellboy76 | 70 79th |
Not as good as the novel but still a good solid film. Lithgow is great.
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May 16, 2010 | ![]() |
SirRobbie | 70 53rd |
I don't remember if i liked it that much...
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Apr 04, 2010 | ![]() |
Dorkovsky | 5 59th |
It all feels rather slight and ends up being forgettable, but the performances, even from much hated Willams, were all quite good.
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Jan 15, 2010 | theyshoot10 | 55 10th |
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901
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Mar 15, 2009 | LPhovercraft | 86 80th |
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Hill and Tesich have captured the quirky blend of humor and pathos of Irving's best-seller. The acting is impressive, with first-rate turns by Williams (in the title role), Close as Jenny, and Lithgow as a kindly transsexual.
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Dec 19, 2008 | theyshoot08 | 58 16th |
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844
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Jun 06, 2008 | cestmoi | 50 26th |
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Just average -- read the book.
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Apr 21, 2008 | ![]() |
Geopoop | 85 94th |
A heartwarming, yet awkward and hilarious film
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Mar 02, 2008 | theyshoot07 | 50 20th |
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# 998
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Feb 01, 2008 | ![]() |
muutanet | 74 72nd |
Hilarious oldie.
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Oct 28, 2007 | ![]() |
Haruko | 75 76th |
Great casting!
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Oct 24, 2007 | oolookitty | 90 83rd |
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Okay, so I did like Robin Williams in something. Once.
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Sep 27, 2007 | ![]() |
tonydal | 75 56th |
Glenn Close and Lithgow were perfect. About the best that could be done filming a basically unfilmable book (how do you get that great tone of voice in there?).
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Aug 15, 2007 | ![]() |
jhmclellan | 50 10th |
I guess I just didn't get it. Like the book, it starts out hysterically, and flops about mid-way, never to recover.
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Aug 14, 2007 | ![]() |
djross | 35 19th |
Unpleasant. Have not seen it since maybe a couple of years after release.
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Aug 14, 2007 | ![]() |
lachapelle | 72 39th |
This is one screwed up story - and that's a good thing. The world surrounding Garp is so insane it ridiculous. In addition to excellent work by Williams (this is some of his best early work) and Close, Lithgow gives a standout performance (if nothing else, he is VERY brave).
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Aug 14, 2007 | ![]() |
MartinTeller | 62 20th |
Read the book. The movie loses much of the essence of the story and boils it down to just the basic plot points. Williams is refreshingly not annoying, though.
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Aug 04, 2007 | ![]() |
Freder | 50 36th |
For a while, George Roy Hill made a habit out of successfully filming some unfilmable novels . . . this one isn't as strong as Hill's SLAUGHTERHOUSE-FIVE, but well worth seeing for the terrific casting and the careful handling of the novel's more -- erm -- Garpish elements.
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Jun 09, 2007 | Jhezabee | 80 49th |
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Again, the book was better.
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Mar 22, 2007 | ![]() |
Stain | 100 95th |
One of the greatest. I can't explain how this works, but it does.
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Mar 01, 2007 | ![]() |
TheDiceman | 65 73rd |
Crazy film but a great one.
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Average Percentile 54.76% from 677 Ratings | ![]() |