Forrest Gump Film Review

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.

Analysis of The Blind Side

Discuss whether you see Michael Oher as a victim or a hero. In the film the Blind Side, I see the protagonist, Michael Oher, as a victim rather than a hero. "Big Mike"had a difficult past; he lived in a poor part of Memphis, Tennessee where drugs, alcohol, and gang violence was prevalent in his everyday life. Raised in a disconnected family, he had many siblings andwas raised by his mom who struggled with drug addiction. Michael had a very rough childhood being in and out of foster homes and had no one to love him unconditionally until he found the Tuohys. He was discriminated upon by his peers because of his colour and lack of education, and if none of his teachers gave him a chance then this story could have ended very differently. Luckily the Tuohys, although living in southern United States in a wealthy neighbourhood and social circle, took him in and cared for him when most would simply overlook a large African American kid on the side of the road in the rain. Allin all, Michael Oher was more victim than hero in this film, simply because of his unfortunate circumstances.
Who do you think is the hero of this film? Mrs. Leigh-Anne Tuohy was the hero of the film the Blind Side. When she first saw Michael in need onthe side of the road in the rain, she immediately knew she had to help him while her husband and children overlooked him. She took him in, made him dinner and a place to stay, and although at first she might have thought it was temporary and Michael did too, Mrs. Tuohy grew to love him. She was at all of his football games, helping him out and always knew all the right things to say to Michael when he needed guidance. When her friends laughed and joked about her decisions to take in a needy black boy, she defended him and did not in any way regret her actions. Even her closest friends criticizing her couldn't make her change her mind. She stayed strong when Michael needed her and ran a family through all the drama, therefore Mrs. Tuohy the definite hero of the film. 
This film is based on true events. The Tuohys were criticized by people who thought that they must have been using Michael Oher for some other purpose. Were they? What was theirmotivation?When the Tuohys first took in Michael, they simply did it from the good of their hearts and did not seek any compensation from anyone for their good deed. Once they started to notice his athletic abilities, they helped him out in any way they could, meaning they watched all of his football games, trained him up and motivated him as much as they could. These actions, in my opinion, were the Tuohys being good Christians, not trying to use Michael in any way. Once the offers to play football in university started flowing in, the Tuohys probably subconsciously pushed him towards The University of Mississippi, because this was both of the Tuohy parents alma maters. To me, they didn't do this on purpose in any way or use Michael in any way because the first night when they took in Michael, there was no way they could predict he would be getting athletic scholarships for football in less than a year. 

A film is - or should be - more like music than like fiction. It should be a progression of moods and feelings. The theme, what's behind the emotion, the meaning, all that comes later.
- Stanley Kubrick