Oct 29, 2001 11:25 AM
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This movie is a great adaptation of John Irving’s novel of the same title - I read the book when I was very young, which now seems rather odd to me (guess I was a weird kid?) - I think I was like twelve. When the movie came out I was mostly curious - I wanted to see how close it would be to the book. I had a chance to see it again recently, this time on DVD. There really weren’t any special features to speak of, just bio’s of the stars. I do still love this movie, even after all this time.
The movie is about the life of T.S. Garp (Robin Williams), the “bas-tard son of Jenny Fields” - a nurse. The T.S. stands for Technical Sergeant - Jenny Fields (Glen Close), as we find out along the way, impregnates herself by a soldier named Technical Sergeant Garp. She wants a baby but not a man to complicate her life so she hops aboard a soldier in the hospital who is badly injured but has a constant erection. All he can say is Garp, Garp, Garp. When she makes this choice to rape this guy he utters one more word.... you’ll have to watch to hear what that is...... We get to watch Garp grow up at the New England school where his mother works. We see him become interested in wrestling, sex (lots) and writing which all play important roles in his life. As Garp enters college and sets his sights on writing his mother takes up the craft as well. She sees a hooker in New York who she offers to pay to ask questions over coffee - then this weird woman hands the hooker money to sleep with her son! The indirect result of this is her feminist novel entitled “Sexual Suspect” which is extremely well timed with the Women’s Liberation movement - it instantly become a best seller. This path leads her to open a home for people with all sorts of unusual issues that need healing of one sort or another, including the Ellen Jamesians who cut out their own tongues to honor a little girl who was raped and whose tongue was cut out so she wouldn’t identify the rapist. Also we meet Roberta Muldoon (John Lithgow) who is an ex football start and is now a woman. Garp’s marriage to Helen takes many interesting turns - they both enter into affairs after the birth of their second son; Garp with the allegedly 18 year old baby sitter and Helen, his wife, with one of her students. Watch the movie to discover what happens to Helen’s student when they meet for the last time as she breaks it off with him. You WILL squirm here, I promise you. Doesn’t matter whether you’re a man or woman. The performances of Robin Williams, Glen Close and John Lithgow are among their finest, in my opinion.
I think that this was my first chance many years ago to see Williams as anything other than a comedian - what a tremendous actor he has turned out to be! I loved this movie - if you haven’t seen it yet, check it out. You’ll enjoy it too.
