Word: garp
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 1980-1989
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...WORLD ACCORDING TO GARP...
...from rebellious Wellesley student into even more rebellious nurse and ultimately into the leader of a militant women's movement seems plausible. But the movie bypasses Jenny's younger days altogether, and the lack of background creates confusion. This is the one fundamental problem with the film version of Garp: In the generally successful effort to wrestle Irving's sprawling work into a story digestible in one sitting, Hill and Tesich have left out crucial scenes and subplots which support the main story and underscore its irony. Those who have not previously believed in Garp enough to buy a paperback...
Close, as Jenny Fields, and Hurt, as Helen, also deliver solid performances when working with Williams or Lithgow. But these supporting actors fail to give their characters the magnetism Williams and Lithgow create. Garp's education, which occupies the first part of the film, gets the story off to a sluggish start because the scenes focus on Jenny Fields, whose character is underdeveloped in the film and whose eccentric behavior is thus cryptic...
...reason for Carp's appeal is easy to identify: This is the story of a fellow whose family comes first, despite distractions such as a mother who attracts fanatics and a best friend who has never quite made it as a woman. Garp's infectious, good-humored and loving approach to life is summarized when he compares his own modest literary success with his mother's: "The same nobodys are going to line up not to buy [my new book]. Now I've just read that my mother's novel is going to be translated into Apache...
...single accident which kills one, blinds another and castrates a third. In addition, there are a number of near car accidents and several mentions of death, fear of dying and "the arc of a life." In the real world, both tragedy and joy occur in smaller doses than in Garp's universe. The film, like Irving's novel, occasionally seems somewhat fantastical and distant as a result. But every time a romance or a killing becomes too outlandish. Garp beams, or bellows, or frets, and his fear once again reminds...