Forrest Gump is not just heartwarming, it is a triumphant cinematic work of art with Tom Hanks exercising the role of his career

Rating: 9/10 (5 December 2017)

Calling Forrest Gump may be saying a lot, but there is nearly impossible to deny the astounding talent roaring in front and behind the camera. Robert Zemeckis, a filmmaker with a heavenly gift of storytelling, take his talent to the fullest extent with this heartwarming, charm-fueled tale focuses on the eponymous fighting to find his place in the complex world many people struggle to understand. This movie, unraveled from the pages of the screenplay by Eric Roth, lightens the flame with cinematic mastery with storytelling that blends landmark American history with a timeless tale of a misunderstood man with the heart of gold. When you are supposed laugh, you will laugh. When you are supposed to cry, your eyes will get soaked; and that is only half of the beauty that makes this adaptation of Winston Groom's novel of the same name a triumphant piece of cinematic glitter. So this film stars Oscar- winner Tom Hanks as, yours truly, Forrest Gump, a forty-something year old Alabama man who suffers a low IQ but nonetheless carries a gentle soul. Providing the framework of the story is Forrest sitting on the park bench as he tells his story to various individuals of his life from his childhood, to his adult life where he caught in the middle of America's landmark moments including the meeting with President John F. Kennedy, to his tour in Vietnam where he forms friendship with his squadmate Lieutenant Dan (played by Gary Sinise), to the Lyndon B. Johnson administration. While caught up a series of political unrest that ran rampant during the 60s and 70s, he finds himself distracted in his pursue for his childhood sweetheart Jenny Curran (played by Robin Wright) who's life is in shambles, while reflecting his life choices all of the wisdom of his mother (played by Sally Field).
This movie never takes its chances to pull at our heart strings for granted, but never does so in a way that feels hammy or exploitative. It is a film with that almost always has its heart in the right place while gently feeding you the message of in the world full of darkness and despair, there is always an underlining humanity resting somewhere within. Forrest in particular, wins our hearts with his heartwarming personality as he ventures through key moments in America's history while refusing the let go of the woman dear to his heart. Each scene following Forrest in the midst of the political tension including the Vietnam War, the ill-fated JFK administration is handled with maturity with an underlining dose of snappy charm. Flowing with an uproar of social commentary without slapping the story with a bias agenda, it is satisfying to see Robert Zemeckis prevail his effort in balancing a compelling story with a sweet batch of swift history lessons. Of course, the romantic drama is the brighter star in the story. The separation between him and Jenny transpires to moments of both bittersweet and melancholy, and the emotional chemistry really grabs at the heart, especially in the beginning when we get a sad inside look at her childhood at the hands of her abusive father. And thanks to Tom Hanks and Robin Wright, the romantic affinity between them works gracefully. Robin Wright plays her role with plenty of humility to prove her talent as an actress. However, this comes less of a surprise than Tom Hanks who tackles on what may be the most triumphant role of his career. Hanks plays the title character, a man with a mental disability that requires a kind of performance that could have easily come off as mawkish and ham-fisted. Luckily for a talented actor he is, his performance is blisteringly top-notch with moments that effectively show the down-to-earth nature of his character. He is the ultimate reason why his chemistry with not only Robin Wright, but his friend Gary Sinise as the well-acted Lieutenant Dan works well.
Forrest Gump is a triumphant slice of cinematic art blooming with a a career-defining performance by Tom Hanks and Robert Zemeckis working at his prime with a cinematic piece that is simply timeless, if not a masterpiece. For a movie that was predicted to be a critical and commercial by many prior to its release, it is definitely one hell of a sleep hit. I guess it comes to show that Forrest's mother was right when she said "life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get."