The World According to Garp (1982), is Robin Williams' third film (and second lead role) as T. S. Garp, and marks the film debut of Glen Close as his unconventional and unmarried mother. Close (Jenny Fields) doesn't understand lust or sexuality, but decides she wants a child, and impregnates herself with an unconscious dying soldier, Top Sergeant Garp, just before his death. Jenny is a trained nurse, and Garp is raised on a college campus where she works. Garp does understand lust, and desires sex. He grows up with Cushie, and they play their version of doctor whenever they can. As a young adult, he has sex in the bushes with Cushie (Jenny Wright) who shows us clear breasts in a fairly lengthy scene. Unfortunately for Garp, Helen Holm, played by Mary Beth Hurt, who he has been courting and eventually marries, sees them at it. Garp decides to become a writer to impress Helen, and his mother decides to also become a writer. Garp writes an excellent short story, and his mother writes a very timely feminist manifesto which becomes a runaway bestseller. Garp becomes best known as the bastard son of Jenny Fields.

Jenny becomes the Goddess of the feminist movement, and attracts every hurt, abused and damaged women in the known universe, whom she tries to heal, and becomes the target for violent men who are threatened by her feminist stand. One of the feminists, a former tight end turned transsexual played by John Lithgow, nearly steals the film. Garp Marries Helen, and, in one of my favorite moments from the film, buys a house. While the two are being shown the house by their agent, a small plane crashes into the second story. At this point, Garp decides to buy the house because it is "pre-disastered," and will be safe.

The film traces Garps entire life, and that of his mother. It works best before the messages regarding feminism, grief, healing, forgiveness, and the main theme of living for the moment kick in, but is enjoyable beginning to end. Close and Lithgow were both nominated for Supporting roles by the academy, and won the titles outright in several places. In thinking about the film for this review, I started comparing it in my mind to other Williams films, and wondered how they were ranked at IMDB:

3.5 Can I Do It Till I Need Glasses
4.7 Popeye
7.0 The World According to Garp
5.4 The Survivors
6.2 Moscow on the Hudson
5.9 Seize the Day
4.2 Club Paradise
5.5 Best of Times
7.0 Good Morning Vietnam
6.7 The Adventures of Baron Munchausen
7.7 Dead Poets Society
5.2 Cadillac Man
7.4 Awakenings
7.1 Dead Again
7.3 The Fisher King
5.6 Hook
5.4 Shakes the Clown 4.5 Toys
6.4 Mrs. Doubtfire
4.8 Being Human
5.2 Nine Months
6.0 Jumanji
5.5 To Wong Foo, Thanks for the Memories, Julie Newmar
6.5 The Birdcage
5.2 Jack
5.4 The Secret Agent
7.7 Hamlet
4.6 Fathers Day
7.0 Deconstructing Harry
4.6 Flubber
7.9 Good Will Hunting
6.2 What Dreams May Come
6.2 Patch Adams
5.9 Get Bruce
5.6 Jacob the Liar
6.4 Bicentennial Man

It proved to be a very interesting exercise. It is widely held that Williams has become stale as an actor, but the user ratings of his films don't bare that out. In fact, his best rated film is Good Will Hunting, also one of his more recent. I have to agree that it is one of his best performances. It looks as if older films are usually rated lower than newer films, as Garp is often thought to be one of his best, but only carries a 7.0. My personal favorite, Moscow on the Hudson, is in the barely watchable range at 6.2, and The Birdcage is only 6.5. It is clear that having Williams in a supporting role doesn't insure success or failure, nor do his lead performances. If we use 7.0 or better as the cutoff for very good films, he has appeared in 9 of them, but nothing in the top 250.

Maltin loves Garp, and awards a perfect 4 stars. US box office information is not available. Some roles are nearly made for Williams, and Garp is one of them. It also has the virtue of "offbeat energy," and fits in Comedy, Romance and Drama genres. I will call it a solid B. The DVD transfer is superb, but I would have liked more in the way of special features.

I took a look at Cleopatra. Fox did an outstanding job on the DVD. The four hour version, a beautiful anamorphic 2.35-1 transfer, occupies two DVD's, and there is another DVD chock full of extras, including the brilliant two-hour AMC documentary. It's rated G, so there's no real nudity, but some good teases.

• Liz Taylor (note: that is not a nipple in #6, but the shadow of something in her hand) (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)

• unknown (1, 2)

• Joan Collins' screen test (no nudity, presented for rarity value) (1, 2)

• Peter Finch as Caesar (footage never seen, of course, since Finch quit, to be replaced by Harrison)

Tomcat did Malgorzata Niemirska in "Dolina Issy"

• Niemirska (1, 2, 3, 4)

Charlie's site is updated

#1 and #2 are from "Single White Female" by HBS Grafix.
#3 is by Scanman and features scenes from 1990's "Miami Blues".

Directed by James Hong...that's right, the official, creepy, old Asian guy who played Tia Carrere's dad in "Wayne's World 2", 'Snotty, the Zen gross-out master' in "Revenge of the Nerds 2", and the 'Eyemaker' in "Blade Runner".

I love the IMDb reader comments for this one...this movie "Makes you long for the relative quality of Andy Sidaris".

Thanks to Scanman for #1 and #2. Thanks to UC99 for #3 and #4.

Brainscan was been with us for a while now and always comes up with some pretty great stuff. Here is a small sample of his images that have grabbed my attention recently.

Now how can you argue with that!