Simply one of the Greatest American Films ...

Rating: 10/10 (1 October 2011)

"Forrest Gump" is one of the rare cases of cinema's magic working more than in any other artistic medium. Everything is a visual delight and a triumph in the field of storytelling, from the cinematography to the editing, from Zemeckis' sober direction to an extraordinary lesson of acting from Tom Hanks, the movie IS the Best Picture of 1994, which is saying a lot, and one of the best American films.
Every film tells a story, but a few of them have this capability to penetrate your hearts and engage your emotions like "Forrest Gump". There are no villains in "Forrest Gump", no room for negativity, the only adversity consists on the many obstacles that life puts on your path, and the only form of heroism relies on the ability to overcome these obstacles, and whether you succeed or fail, the point is to keep your faith on life, and find your own Alchemy to transform coal in gold. And Forrest Gump is the first to have overcome the handicaps that would have deprived him from a 'normal' life.
The flash-back introducing sight of little Forrest with his legs' braces, hand in hand with Mama Gump (remarkably played by Sally Field) would be too tragic if the script didn't rightfully choose to adopt a more lighthearted tone by making Forrest Gump the privileged witness of his time, of a cinematic journey in American History, with every piece of this epic puzzle connected in a way or another to him. I will never forget my first impression from the Elvis Presley part, the first indication of what would be the life of Gump. Something too promising to be eternally stuck in these handicapping braces, and the laughs work as the patient build up to a rewarding climactic moment, the miracle scene or an overwhelming celebration of the triumph of human spirit.
And from this miracle, Forrest Gump becomes the fastest man in the world, and starts one of the most exhilarating chain of events that ever enriched a character. This is the power of Forrest Gump, a character defined by the way he is, the way he talks, the way he loves, defined by the events he lived, by those he underwent, and those he influenced, by the people that helped and loved him and people he helped and loved. Not one-dimensional or dim-witted, Gump is one of the most memorable and fascinating characters that even graced the silver screen. Who can ever forget "My name is Forrest. Forrest Gump"? Through his silent moments, gestures, speech mannerisms and Tom Hanks' unique talent to transcend his everyday look, Gump conveys the profundity of a character affected and affecting a world in constant change, mirroring Mama Gump's unforgettable 'chocolate box' catchphrase.
And what an epic life for an epic era, Gump's talent launches his football athlete career, which gives him a ticket to college, from college to the Army, where he'll become a Ping Pong player before converting to shrimp fishing. Every achievement of Forrest Gump is due to someone he loves, starting with his Mama who traded her dignity to provide her son the best education, Jenny, his best friend whose unforgettable "Run, Forrest Run" will drain the miraculous force that would change his life. And his friend Bubba who'll indirectly provide the basis of Gump's fortune thanks to a simple promise. And whatever Forrest took, he gave it back, to his mother, to Jenny, to his best friend's memory, and to Lieutenant Dan, who thought he had to die in the field of honor, and learned the value of life from Forrest's unshakable friendship.
That's why I don't get the criticism toward the film, as if Forrest Gump was a kind of liberal incarnation of the passive state of mind that guarantees happiness. Why do people feel the need to appear so smart, to consider a movie where someone got shot in the face accidentally, superior, and it's a fan of "Pulp Fiction" speaking here. Maybe, I've missed a point, but "Forrest Gump" is perfectly aware of its comedic mood that almost flirts with parody sometimes. Eric Roth's Oscar-winning script is a kaleidoscope of all the incarnations of America in people's imagery through a glorious succession of anecdotes involving entertainment, music, politics, Presidents, scandals, Vietnam War, following one of the greatest cinematic soundtracks : the Doors, Dylan, Hendrix  "Forrest Gump" is a wonderful voyage to Pop-Culture America! And the intelligence of the script is subtly hinted in some little details like when Forrest evokes his perfect integration in the Army. This is pure comedy gold without any forced laughs.
And as there's no better comedy than a comedy with a heart, on that level, "Forrest Gump" is so lighthearted it's almost blinding. I guess this comes from Forrest's heart, so pure, so white, like the cinematic allegory of Voltaire's Candid. How fitting that his last job is gardener, which mirrors Candid's motto that whatever happens, "we need to cultivate our garden". Gump does cultivate his garden as a sort of dream-like presence in a very familiar universe, a dream we'd loved to reach and touch, something that floats in our minds like this beautiful feather floating on the sky. Men like Forrest Gump are oddities only made believable through the magic of cinema with no other meaning than to inspire something pure in us.
This is why any attempt to rationally analyze "Forrest Gump" and discredit its success is representative of that loss of common innocence, this cynicism people disguise in lucidity and realism, unknowing that they fall in the same trap than those who ran with Gump thinking it had a meaning while Forrest Gump only "felt like running". Gump didn't necessarily choose his path, but he always followed his heart, his idea of love and friendship. "I'm not a smart man. But I know what love is". On that level, Forrest Gump was simply a goddamn genius!