The World According to Garp

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The World According to Garp

R

1982

2h 16m

Comedy

Drama

Crime

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Popcornmeter

71%

Tomatometer

21 Reviews

78%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

A nurse during World War II, Jenny Fields conceives with a dying pilot and bears a boy named T.S. Garp whom she raises alone. When Garp grows up, he has some success writing fiction, but not nearly so much as his mother has with feminist-themed nonfiction. Rich and famous, she starts a center for troubled women, and while Garp marries and has children, he remains a constant, if somewhat critical, observer of the strange community that forms around Jenny.

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Bruce McCabe

Boston Globe

Apr 27, 2018

[George Roy] Hill's "Garp" is a dense, rich, textured work, a sequence of scenes ultimately creating a complex, complicated life, one that is at once funny, horrifying and heartbreaking.

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Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

Oct 23, 2004

3/4

Something has to be wrong with a film that can take material as intractable as Garp and make it palatable.

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Mattie Sue Athan

OUT FRONT Magazine (Denver)

May 8, 2023

Garp is one of those perfect movies; it makes you laugh and it makes you cry.

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Michael Bronski

Gay Community News (Boston)

Sep 19, 2022

If you hated the book you’ll loath the movie.

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Jay Boyar

Buffalo Courier-Express

Sep 21, 2020

2/5

There is no doubt that what Hill has accomplished is titillating. But some very powerful emotions are trashed in this movie, and some tender sensibilities are trampled on.

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Haley Tiresius

Transgender Tapestry

May 21, 2020

There is art and subtlety in the role [of Roberta] as it is written for the movie; and there is artistry and subtlety in the way the role is acted by John Lithgow.

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Robert P

@Superbad Sep 17, 2026

The World According to Garp = a *4* star Movie!

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Paganavenger89 T

@RT52185512 Sep 2, 2026

Such an emotional but enjoyable film filled with drama and comedy combined.

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Landon J

@Minxsykitty Jul 30, 2026

Good, felt a lot like a tv special for better or worse. Something happens, then something happens again, repeat, with no real connection to the last thing. I don't know what we're meant to take away from this, as I'm not sure it takes a firm stance one way or the other. Interesting and slightly moving at times, but not much else.

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Vincent S

@Vin_E_At_The_Movies May 6, 2026

This movie has a special place in my heart. Robin Williams, Glenn Close, Mary Beth Hurt and John Lithgow are absolutely outstanding. Being a writer, this is definitely the best movie ever about a writer, his life and creativity. It is the best film adaptation of a book and there are so many powerful scenes and a huge heart amidst heartbreak and darkness.

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Glory K

@Ms.Glory Feb 23, 2026

An epic life story in the most ordinary terms. Life is absurd and mundane and magical all at once. Absolutely wonderful film.

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Stephen C

@bob25009 Jul 14, 2025

Funny in 2 hours and 16 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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George Roy Hill

Director

Robin Williams

Garp

Glenn Close

Jenny Fields

Mary Beth Hurt

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John Lithgow

Roberta Muldoon

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Synopsis

A nurse during World War II, Jenny Fields conceives with a dying pilot and bears a boy named T.S. Garp whom she raises alone. When Garp grows up, he has some success writing fiction, but not nearly so much as his mother has with feminist-themed nonfiction. Rich and famous, she starts a center for troubled women, and while Garp marries and has children, he remains a constant, if somewhat critical, observer of the strange community that forms around Jenny.

Director: George Roy Hill
Producer: Robert Crawford Jr.
Screenwriter: Steve Tesich
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Co: Warner Bros.
Rating: R
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Crime
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 23, 1982, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 24, 2008
Runtime: 2h 16m

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