Despite losing huge chunks of the book (admittedly unfilmable as it was, at least at normal movie length) this is a fantastic adaptation of John Irving's bestseller that nicely captures the spirit of the book. The script is very good and covers the major points of the book very well, but it's the characterisations that hold the movie together. Robin Williams and Mary Beth Hurt make a great lead couple, but it's supporting players Glenn Close and John Lithgow who steal the show, Lithgow in particular a standout as the transsexual Roberta. Funny, absurd, moving, off beat, this film is one to enjoy.

As a long time Robin Williams fan, I fully expected to love his performance as the title character in this one-of-a-kind movie, based on the almost-impossible-to-read book by John Irving. Williams is grand here - far better than he was in "Good Will Hunting" for which he received an Academy Award. But the best part of the movie rests in the supporting performances from Glenn Close as Jenny (Garp's mom) and John Lithgow as the transexual Roberta. Both were Oscar nominated - deservedly so - for their rich, uncompromising performances, that transcend stereotypes and involve the audience every step of the way. Mary Beth Hurt as Garp's wife, hits her notes well, especially in the heart-wrenching scenes of marital infidelity that ultimately cost her dearly. Aside from these terrific characterizations, the movie boasts a number of unforgettable lines...."Garp bit Bonky" is a classic (when Williams bites a neighbor's dog), and who can ever forget the car coasting accident when Garp arrives home early (and stealthily) only to back into a car holding his wife and her lover (who pays dearly for being in the wrong place at the wrong time.) Uniquely enjoyable, and uniformly rich in every way, this is a better movie than "Cider House Rules" or "Hotel New Hampshire" - Irving's other two big screen adaptations. Should be in every serious DVD collector's short list of Must-haves!

Based on "The World According to Garp", John Irving's fourth novel, published in 1978... Released as a film starring Robin Williams in the titular role in 1982... John Lithgow is fantastic as the enormous transsexual former-pro football player friend of Garp's... directed by George Roy Hill, of "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" fame... very absurdist, weird, funny & heart-breaking--- i.e. very John Irving...