Forrest Gump (1994)

What more can I add that the Oscars, Hollywood, the Internet, and all the reviews haven't?

In the early fifties two children are born in the less-fortunate parts of Alabama - one is Forrest Gump and the other is his best friend Jenny. Though these two children have the same starting points, they grow up to lead very different lives. In Robert Zemeckis' Oscar-winning film Forrest Gump we're introduced to Forrest Gump (Tom Hanks) who always seems to have his route in life predetermined by the most unfortunate of circumstances, and manages to get there by running. Jenny (Hanna Hall) on the other hand, life doesn't come so easy. From early childhood the two are inseparable except for those occasions when Forrest needs to run. It isn't until after high school that these two kindred souls' lives take dramatically different turns. Forrest gets a scholarship to play football and Jenny plays her guitar at a strip club. This film really does tug at the heart, especially the life Jenny is forced to lead. Forrest is the man with an IQ of 75, but his footsteps always seem to be placed for him - though he does make the most out of his opportunities. What more can I add that the Oscars, Hollywood, the Internet, and all the reviews haven't? Not much! This is wonderful family film that makes reliving the sixties, seventies, and eighties, memorable. August 21, 2008

Mediocrity at its finest...

I know that I should love this movie since everyone else in the world does, but I can't help but get this overwhelming singe of disappointment every time I sit down to watch this movie (which isn't often, but I recently watched this for the third time thinking that maybe I was harsh on it the first two times). `Forrest Gump' is what I consider, as my title suggests, mediocrity done extremely well. It's what happens when you take a cliché ridden story and fill it with gimmicky characters who speak mind-numbing (albeit entertaining) dialog. There is a layer of originality that spreads itself thin over the film, but overall the film is bogged down by its own aspirations. It is trying way to hard and failing most of the way. It is not a bad film, but it is no where near the top of the pack, not even in 1994, which was a sub par year in general.

I know that `Forrest Gump' has its rabid supporters (thus the reason that every review under a five-star gets trashed by the next reviewer) and I am literally stripped of my dignity every time this movie is brought up among friends since apparently I am the only person I know who sees that there is simply nothing here to get excited over (actually I do remember one time that one of my friends nodded in agreement with me, and then his wife let us both have it).

So I don't get yelled at, there are some spoilers below, so be forewarned.

So, here are my issues with `Forrest Gump'. The story is actually good in my opinion, or at least the idea behind it. Having one man make an unintentional impact on the entire world and be utterly clueless to it is actually interesting. If the plot hadn't been muddled with clichéd characters from the very beginning then it really could have been worked into genius. But that wasn't the case. The character of Forrest isn't the biggest cliché (although he is clichéd, don't get me wrong) but all the people around him (from his mother to his war buddy to the love of his life) are so `been-there-done-that' that I can't understand why someone didn't stop production and ask why they couldn't create something a little different. The performances for the most part work to elevate the familiarity (especially Wright, whose character is probably the most clichéd in the bunch) but it doesn't really help much.

Another problem that I have with `Forrest Gump' is Tom Hanks. Hanks is kind of like the king of gimmick for me. I don't think he is the strongest actor and it feels as if he relies to heavily on his characters gimmick's to elevate his performance and acceptance. He won back to back Oscars for barely doing anything. Really, he played a man dying of AIDS and then he played a man mentally handicapped, the two biggest Oscar bait gimmicks out there, but his personal performance was nothing spectacular. The final frames of the film are truly the strongest, and yes, when he realizes that he has a child his reaction is raw and real and heartbreaking, especially when he asks if his son is smart, but honestly that is one scene (the best scene in the film mind you) and one scene does not make you a good actor. Robin Wright Penn and Gary Sinise are actually very good here (Sally Field cannot step out of her character cliché long enough to do anything decent here) but there performances are muddled down by the mediocrity surrounding them. I am not for one minute saying that no movie should be made about wounded war vets or the mentally handicapped or the drug addicted floozy, but when so much of it is thrown into the same pot it begins to feel as if no one involved with this project has an imagination.

The film feels very force-fed at times, like it's spoon feeding the audience mouthfuls of manipulated sympathies. I know that I am like the last person to complain about that since I cry every time I watch a Ron Howard film (talk about emotional manipulations) but Ron Howard has a way of making all that syrup go down smooth; and Zemeckis doesn't (at least for me).

I just don't buy it.

I don't know, maybe I am really harsh and maybe I take life way to seriously as some angered reviewers have claimed anyone who doesn't rave this movie must do. I'm not saying that it isn't entertaining and even enjoyable. This is just not an Oscar movie. It's more of a C+ than an A+ in my book. Like I said, it's done well, really well, but that still doesn't make up for the lapses in judgment on the part of the writers, directors and lead actor (at least he tries in some scenes here as apposed to his horrendously mediocre `Philadelphia' performance the previous year). When I look back at the films that `Forrest Gump' beat out for the top prize (namely `The Shawshank Redemption', `Pulp Fiction' and the un-nominated `Heavenly Creatures') I am dumbfounded that the world fell for this living breathing cliché, wrapped in a feel good package. August 8, 2008

Forrest Gump DVD Two Disc set

The product itself was fine, but it took me over 10 days to receive it.
Need to improve shipping procedures. July 31, 2008

Forrest Gump Is Only One Of The Best Movies Of All Time

Forrest Gump rules i love this movie. Its the greatset and is my faviorte movie by far
buy the dvd today July 26, 2008

My favorite movie ever!

One of the greatest touching movies ever. Forrest Gump is a movie that will make you cry, and it will make you laugh. When I first saw it in 2001, It touched my heart. I watched the first few minutes of it, and I couldn't stop. I watched it downstairs and stayed their all night to watch it. And it was spectacular. Tom Hanks is perfect as Forrest Gump. Won 6 Oscars for Best Actor (Tom Hanks), Best Director (Robert Zemekis), Best Visual Effects, Best Film Editing, Best Picture, and Best Screenplay. Went to this touching story about a simple man named Forrest Gump who, even though isn't very bright, accidently ends up getting involved with some of the biggest key moments of the 19th century. It's funny, touching, heart warming, and sad. I read the book, and the first line even touched me. I highly recommend watching this. It deserves a chance. I've seen it 14 times in counting too! Get it, buy it, see it, and you'll see what makes this a 100% succesful movie. July 20, 2008

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