A Historically-Gazing Slice of Life That's Sometimes Lost Amongst the Clouds

Rating: 8/10 (26 August 2014)

Still very sweet, earnest and emotive after all this time, though it very nearly drowns in a perpetual stream of fibs and exaggerations. The constant pop culture references, and Forrest's appearances in just about every last hallmark moment of his generation, act as both a blessing and a curse. They represent a majority of the film's enduring identity, with a certain amount of charm attributed to the seamy, not-quite-there execution of the archival footage, but it's often a case of too much of a good thing. His silly contributions during the continent-spanning run that seals the second act are particularly egregious - good for a very quick snort, but ultimately damaging to the story at large. It's got a big, heavy heart though, and that carries it a long way. Tom Hanks, of course, is to thank for a great deal of that, but Gary Sinise is almost just as good in his cigar-chomping, world-loathing, hat-hanging support role as Lieutenant Dan. A one-of-a-kind classic that may have been just a smidge overrated at the time it was released, its cornerstone scenes still hold up very well and the classic cast of characters may as well be family at this point.