Forrest Gump Film Review
By Mallory Lewis
Release Date: June 5th, 1994
Director: Robert Zemeckis
Original Author: Winston Groom
Cast: Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Sally Field, Gary Sinise
The following is a film review for the delightful 1994 multiple award winning movie Forrest Gump, starring Tom Hanks. This movie is the 24th highest grossing film in history, and deservedly so. Forrest Gump is a classic;, Tom Hanks’ fun portrayal of Forrest Gump even earned him an Academy Award for Best Actor.
The film is about a man named Forrest Gump (Tom Hanks) who grows up in Greenbow, Alabama with his single mother (Sally Field). His life story is told through him talking to those sitting next to him on a bus bench, and as the story progresses those listening change frequently as well as their belief in his crazy life. When he was young, he befriended Jenny (Robin Wright), a girl who lived in his neighborhood and goes on to be his muse for his whole life. Forrest, though he has good intentions is seen as stupid by his peers and therefore is not taken seriously for much of his life. Once Forrest realizes his athletic ability he goes to University of Alabama to play football, becomes an All-American and even gets to meet the president for his impressive amount of touchdown runs. Soon after graduating, he is drafted into the army and is sent to fight the war in Vietnam, where he meets his best friend Bubba. As the two bond during the hard times in the war, they promise that if they make it back to the United States, they will become shrimp boat captains and start a shrimping company together. When his platoon got attacked, Forrest did his best to rescue as many people as possible, including his Lieutenant Dan, who was annoyed he was saved because he believed his destiny was to die on the battlefield. Unfortunately Bubba didn’t make it out of Vietnam, but Forrest still kept his promise and became a shrimp boat captain after becoming a national ping pong athlete and various other activities. Lieutenant Dan comes to join Forrest on his shrimping boat and although at first they have bad luck they eventually make millions and no longer have financial problems. After spending a night with his childhood friend Jenny, he wakes up in the morning when she is gone and on a whim decides to go for a run, and runs across the country many times becoming famous for three years. The scene returns to Forrest sitting on a bus bench and leaves to go meet up with Jenny after many years and finds out he has a son. Jenny, Forrest, and Forrest Junior live happily together for a while until Jenny dies of a terminal disease. Although Forrest had many adventures in life and did much more than the average American, the movie ends when he is sending his son off to school back in Greenbow, Alabama, 40 years after his mom did the same to him.
Forrest Gump is a movie that is romantic, comedic, and dramatic at the same time, simply put it was entertaining. Seeing a slow-minded man work his way through the biggest historical events in the second half of the 20th century was amusing, I can’t deny that. The protagonist’s character was very comedic and got himself into a lot of interesting situations, which made the movie entertaining and fun. The only potential flaw to this film is its lack of deeper meaning behind the comedy, which may have not been the goal of the director. It can be said that the deeper meaning has to do with Forrest’s unconditional love of his childhood friend Jenny, possibly something like “love conquers all distances and hard times.” But in my opinion what is most precious about Forrest Gump is not necessarily his ever present thoughts of Jenny, but how he is underestimated by all of his peers, but yet rises above this to do amazing things within his lifetime. To me, this was the goal of the director in this film, to show how someone can rise above their hard luck and prove their bullies wrong in any setting. That’s why the character of Forrest Gump is more than the boy with the low I.Q. who says comical things sometimes; he is someone who doesn’t let what others think of him define him.
My favorite scene and possibly the most pivotal one in the movie is towards the beginning when Forrest is walking with Jenny under the trees on a lonely country road in Greenbow Alabama. The braces on Forrest’s legs are making loud noises as a group of kids from school come from behind on their bikes taunting him. Jenny yells to Forrest “Run, Forrest! Run!” he does as told and runs as fast as he can but his leg braces aren’t allowing him to move as fast as he could. The loud boys behind him are chasing him on their bikes and gaining on him when suddenly Forrest’s leg braces break off and he finds himself sprinting like the wind without them. This is when he discovers his athletic talent and this scene is also a symbol for Forrest’s ability to overcome what his peers think of him. This exact scene is shown again when Forrest is in high school but this time running from the bullies earns him a spot on the University of Alabama football team when recruiters see his running ability. Running is an ever present symbol in this film, from when he runs from his bullies in Greenbow, when he runs to save his comrades in the Vietnam war, to when he runs across the country. Running means overcoming, running means proving those who doubted you wrong.
In conclusion, this film is delightful with many laughs and funny moments, I would definitely give it five stars and recommend it to anyone I meet.