Forrest Gump

Starring: Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Gary Sinise, Mykelti Williamson, Sally Field
Directed by: Robert Zemeckis
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Drama
Box Office: $329,694,499
1994

Times Seen:
Tim: 5

Awards: 6 Academy Awards (1994): Best Picture, Best Actor (Tom Hanks), Best Director (Robert Zemeckis), Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published (Eric Roth), Film Editing (Arthur Schmidt), Visual Effects (Ken Ralston, George Murphy, Stephen Rosenbaum and Allen Hall)

The Movie Files Movie Championship I: Champion


Summary:Follows the story of a low IQ Forrest Gump from his childhood in Alabama to football stardom, war heroics, shrimp fisherman, and much much more. Looks at his life in response to historical events, all the while vying or his one true love, Jenny.

Review:
Tim: What can you say about one of the greatest motion pictures of the 1990's? This film achieves its success on so many different levels. The story wrapped around the life of an innocent young man is flawless, weaving raw human emotion, history, and innocence in and out so fast that all you see is the genius behind it.

The first thing to mention is the performance of Tom Hanks. No other actor in Hollywood... no human being alive could have played this role better. Hanks will forever be remembered for this role. He puts everything he has into this performance- every fiber of his being, his very soul can be seen onscreen. This is one of the greatest performaces ever captured on film. Hanks won the Oscar for Best Actor in 1994, and I doubt any man in the history of the Oscars has deserved the award more. Hanks gives you love, confusion, sadness, fear, heartbreak, loyalty, innocence, heart, strength, and nearly every other human emotion you can imagine- and does it with such a display of goodness and innocence such as never been seen before.

Luckily for Hanks, he didn't have to carry all the good acting on his shoulders (although his perfomance dwarfs every other in this picture, nearly every other performance ever). Gary Sinise shines as Lieutenant Dan Taylor, seeming to thrive off the brilliancy of Hanks. Sinise makes Lieutenant Dan his own, and the scenes with him and Hanks both are the best in the film. Robin Wright gives an amazing perfomance as the troubled Jenny, having to bring her character through decades of misfortune brought upon by herself. The role was difficult- to show a woman so lost, yet still deserving of Forrest's love. She pulls it off. Sally Field is perfect as Forrest's mom, letting her lines flow like she was born to say them.

Perhaps even more wonderful than the amazing acting and the entertainment factor is the fact that this movie is so incredibly inspiring. When you watch this film, it gives you hope- hope that the world isn't as screwed up as you might think it is, hope that someone, somewhere has enough goodness in them to make up for all the evil of other people. The front of the movie boasts the line, "The world will never be the same once you've seen it through the eyes of Forrest Gump." Truer words were never spoken. If any film could change someone's life, this one would be it. Hanks' performance alone should inspire you, but more than anything else, the story of Forrest Gump is one that you will never forget.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 9.5
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Final Rating: -


If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Cast Away, Road to Perdition, Back to the Future, Phenomenon