...And that's all I have to say about Forrest Gump

Rating: 10/10 (14 February 2010)

I think of Forrest Gump (1994) directed by Robert Zemeckis as a fantasy or a fairy tale set in the real world, and what a marvelous tale it is. It's been 15 years since I saw the film for the first time with my 13- years-old son. We were impressed, touched, and moved by it equally. We laughed, we could not contain tears, and we lived together with the hero, the childlike, naive, and innocent Forrest Gump, the most unusual lead character you can think of. FG was a big hit when it was released, and it went on to receive 6 Oscars including for The Best Picture, Director, Best Actor, Best Visual Effects, and Best Screen Play. The film's Oscar status has made it one of the controversial choices among the film viewers. Some completely agree that FG deserved all its awards and its love. The others, and quite few to that believe that the film is totally overrated, sickly sweet, and it is nothing more than the American propaganda of mediocrity. They believe that the film's main idea is, follow the orders, do what you are told, and even if your intellect is low or almost non-existent, with a little bit of luck, you would achieve the success in your life and even would change the history by simply being at the right place in the right time. How wrong I believe they are. You can't think of Forrest Gump as a real person. He is a fairy tale character, or rather the embodiment of a human with no cynicism whatsoever, the candid, pure, innocent man who is not quick or witty but who knows bad from good and right from wrong and through whose eyes we see the historical events in the live of this country for about thirty years of the last Century. Forrest may not be an intellectual prodigy but he was led through life's hardships, by the inner moral compass if you will and he knows the very simple truths that he never misses - love and loyalty to his mother, his friends, the girl he loves and his Country.
The movie covers the look at America not only from Forrest's point of view. Another look at alternative, rebellious, counterculture America was very well presented through Jenny's life. Between them two, I believe the film's creators were able to show the changing times and changing face of this country. Technically and visually, the film is a marvel. The best songs of the time that were used in the film soundtrack are great and I don't mind them sound almost all the time -the more the better. Tom Hanks had achieved the very difficult task. His Forrest is simple but not laughable. He is a decent and very good man. It is not easy to create such idealistic character and to make him alive and sympathetic. There is not a single false note in Hanks' performance, and he absolutely deserves the Oscar.
When I rewatched the film recently, it touched me as deeply now as it did 15 years ago, and this is for me the sign of not just good but a great movie. And that's all I have to say about Forrest Gump.