World According To Garp, The

THE FILM: "Wow" is almost all I can say at this point, having just finished watching it. I knew Robin Williams was a great actor, but this has to be the best dramatic role I've ever seen him in so far (keeping in mind that I haven't seen quite a few of his dramatic roles yet). He lays his emotions bare as T.S. Garp, the "bastard son" of Jenny Fields. The film is quite an emotional roller coaster, taking you from laughter, to shock and tears at various points throughout the long, but never dragging, narrative. It basically the entire life of Garp squeezed into about 130 minutes, consisting of snapshots and various episodes that he experiences as he gets older. His mother Jenny, played by Glenn Close (in her film debut) with motherly tenderness and wisdom, was also highly impressive. Even though it's Garp's story, his mother plays an integral part in shaping his worldview, which is unique to say the least. There's so many great moments in this film, that it's impossible to pick just one. Although, there is a couple scenes towards the end that were particularly poignant in the wake of Robin Williams' untimely death. I'm not afraid to admit that I cried a couple of times. There was even some of the relationship drama that struck a chord with me due to recent events in my own life that I'm still getting over. In short, I think this is one of the best films I've ever seen in my life, and is certain to be one of my favorites in years to come. On a side note, John Lithgow has a outstanding supporting turn as a trans-woman named Roberta. While Jared Leto might have done an excellent job in DALLAS BUYERS CLUB, Lithgow did it first and better in my opinion. There's also a small cameo by Amanda Plummer, in what was probably one of her first roles. So, it is with no hesitations that I can wholeheartedly recommend this film. It is honest, unpretentious and sentimental without being sappy (for the most part). A must-see for Robin Williams fans and cinephiles in general.THE DISC: Despite the film being so good, the DVD presentation is a bit disappointing. It doesn't look like too much effort was put into restoring it, although the film isn't so old that it would have deteriorated that much in the first place. The only spots that really look bad are the opening and closing credits. Other than that, the SD picture looked ok. As this is one of Warner Brothers' Archive Collection (on-demand DVD-R's), there really isn't too much in the way of special features. All that is on the disc is the theatrical trailer, some cast filmography highlights and a list of awards that the film received. Better than nothing, but still lacking in my opinion.OVERALL: Just to have the film available on DVD at all is a blessing, because it's just that good, but WB could have put more effort into the overall package. 5/5 for the film, 3/5 for the DVD.

Captivating performance by Robin Williams, Glen Close and John Lithgow and everyone. It combined humor, depth and sorrow all in one. The perfect example of a comedy drama, and the story telling is as unexpected and as refreshing.

First Robin Williams film and first Glenn Close film and First film with John Lithgow. Brilliant!

This is a great movie and sad one too

I’ve always been a Robin Williams fan so I wanted to like this movie. I saw it when it was first released and have had several copies of it in different formats over the years. Bits it’s been at least 20 years since I last saw it, so buying this and seeing it again was like a visit from an old friend.This Bluray release is ok. It hasn’t been restored or enhanced in anyway. No extra material has been added beyond the trailer. In fact, the trailer has all the old film artifacts in it.Even so, the movie itself plays well on my 4k setup. Some scenes are grainy, but watchable. The sound is nothing special, but adequate.As to the story, watching this again affected me the same way it did when I first saw it. There are weird, funny, poignant, and gripping moments all laid out in a way that grasp you and pulls you into Garp’s world. If you haven’t seen this movie, I would recommend it. If you have seen it and are considering buying it, do it. Unless Criterion picks it up, you won’t find a better version.

Descent movie to watch

Although different from the book, the movie is heartwarming, funny and tragic. It' s one of Robin Williams early movies and I have fond memories of my Mom taking my brother and me to see it. It's a hidden gem.

Robin Williams' first really good performance in a wonderful movie. George Roy Hill keeps things moving along in an involved story that could have easily become bogged down. The supporting cast could not be better.Even Bonkers is a stand out!