Watch The World According to Garp For Free

Wonderful Movie

Good concept, poorly executed.

Absolutely the worst movie.

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

I remember being a big fan of Robin Williams already from Happy Days and Mork and Mindy. I wasn't even a teenager when I saw this movie for the first time. I only watched it because of Robin not knowing it was his debut dramatic role. I've loved it ever since. Still gets me in the feelers every time. Changed the way I enjoyed Robin Williams career over the years. Not sure if I enjoyed his comedy or dramatic roles the most. He is and was one in a million entertainer

Based on the novel of the same title by John Irving, 'The World According to Garp' is A Strange, Wonderful Film, that talks about life & relationships. Its sensitively handled & performed superbly.'The World According to Garp' 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.'The World According to Garp' is at times, funny, and at times, depressing. Garp is a character full of melancholia, who has to face his overbearing, dominating mother & also deal with his wife's infidelity. Its a sympathetic character, whose journey appeals, because he has a charm of his own.The Late/Great Steve Tesich's Adapted Screenplay is often heartbreaking, but engaging at most parts, nevertheless. Only hiccup, lies in its running-time. The film overstays its welcome by 20-minutes. Some trimming was needed for sure. The Late/Great George Roy Hill directs this story with genuineness. Cinematography is fair. Editing could've been sharper.Performance-Wise: The Late/Great Robin Williams is simply magnificent as Garp. He enacts the sympathetic protagonist with rare ease & restrained. This performance has to be among his finest. Glenn Close is simply fantastic as the mother, delivering an act that's both, affecting & yet loathsome. John Lithgow is astonishing as the transsexual activist. He stands out. James "J.B." McCall as young Garp, deserves a special mention. On the whole, 'The World According to Garp' is quite a memorable film, despite a few flaws. Definitely, worth watching!

This film is a treasure of acting and writing, but the DVD has been edited severely, leaving out some fine and important stuff. I saw it in its initial release (in a theater, so imagine my disappointment when memorable scenes were not there on DVD. Maybe Criterion can do something about that. This is, in my opinion, Williams' best performance; he will be sorely missed. Even his clunkers showed signs of brilliance and insight. His sweet humanity shone bright in every performance. "garp" also features excellent support from Glenn Close, John Lithgow, Mary Beth Hurt and Swoozie Kurtz. This should be in any film library that values style and substance.

In retrospect of Robin Williams' all too short life, I had to single out two films that were amazingly touching to me, this film based upon the novel by John Irving, and the cult classic "What Dreams May Come". After success on T.V. and the fiasco that was "Popeye", Williams finally became a major forced to be reckoned with on the big screen with this drama filled with subtle comedy about a free-spirited man influenced by his free spirited mom who purposely seduced a dying soldier simply so she could have his child."Don't you dare say sperm in this house!", her imperious papa (Hume Cronyn in an amusing cameo) tells daughter Glenn Close, a nurse with a love of life determined to be a mother without the benefit of marriage. "Why she never even met the son of a bitch", Cronyn tells wife Jessica Tandy, upset to think that she basically raped the innocent man. Mom and dad may not have understood their daughter, but her son (Williams) understands her and loves her greatly, which is proved in a tragic scene where he understands without even knowing that something horrible has just taken place. Close focuses the first part of her life on raising him with great values yet independence, then she moves on to become heavily involved in the women's movement in protest over a young woman who was raped and had her tongue cut out to keep her quiet. Her assistant is a former football player (John Lithgow) who altered his sex to live as a woman. Free-spirited Williams instantly welcomes him/her as a close friend, a very touching gesture to see a straight man live by.Garp marries a smart woman (Mary Beth Hurt), has two children, and undergoes a series of marital issues all the while trying to fulfill his desire to "fly", having learned that his late father was a pilot. Indeed, fliers are everywhere in this life, such as the metaphor of a pilot crashing into the new house Williams and Hurt have just purchased. There's a free spirited sexuality here too, with Close early on pairing her son with hooker Swoosie Kurtz just to study male sexuality and later Hurt's revenge on her philandering husband by having her own affair which leads to funny but disturbing moment where the poor young man she is involved with leads to an ironic twist of fate. The serious elements of this film outweigh the comic, however, and there are many important issues covered here in showing the desire to live one's dreams that sometimes lead to tragic consequences. When this film was first released, there were many complaints from the book readers over how the story was altered, but what ends up on screen is truly memorable. All of the performances are outstanding, with Close becoming a full fledged star as a result of this film and Lithgow moving into the realm of major star to be. Williams proved that he could be a dramatic actor of substance, and Hurt is very touching as well. With direction by the great George Roy Hill, the film has stood the test of time, and with Robin Williams' passing, is worth re-visiting to show that behind the mask of comedy is an even thicker mask of tragedy that sometimes is never revealed until it is too late.