Schmaltzy and overly folksy, but works

Rating: 7/10 (3 February 2017)

Forrest Gump (Tom Hanks) is a simple, slow-witted boy from the country. We see his life story, his simple home-spun sayings that get him through life and how he manages to nonchalantly participate in some of the most momentous events of the 1960s.
Simple, but fun. Overly folksy and schmaltzy, but works. Not too profound but if you don't think too much, it's quite enjoyable. The weaving into the plot, and the footage, of actual historic events is wonderful to behold and adds a great comedic element to the movie too.
Won the 1995 Best Picture Oscar, though certainly wasn't the best film of that year. The other nominees were fantastic: Pulp Fiction, Four Weddings and Funeral, The Shawshank Redemption and Quiz Show, yet the weakest of the five won the award. I guess the Academy wanted something sappy and simple, not something gritty or clever, to win.