Whole is Less Than Sum of Parts

Rating: 7/10 (31 December 2010)

Dumb luck allows a moron to be present during numerous historical events and to become fabulously rich. This film consists of numerous amusing episodes that don't add up to a satisfactory whole. There is so much emphasis on cleverly incorporating Gump into historic moments that the narrative flow suffers. As such, the skits become tiresome after a while, especially given the excessive length of the movie. Hanks's performance is interesting but overdone, as he shifts from robotic to goofy to emotional, making Gump not so much a character as a caricature. The effects showing Gump interacting with the likes of JFK, LBJ, Nixon, and John Lennon are well done.