a great actor doesn't mean a great movie

Rating: 6/10 (11 September 2013)

Tom Hanks plays a young southern boy in this sort of coming of age movie. The story starts as Forrest (tom hanks) goes from being a "below average intellect" child with walking disabilities. Right from the start, Forrest overcomes challenges that are seemingly impossible, just to name one. He later makes a friend Jenny who he soon becomes inseparable from. Forrest grows up, becomes a star football player in his college and enlists in the army to go to Vietnam. While in the war he rescues his commanding officer Lt. Dan and receives the Medal of Honor, which was awarded by JFK. Upon coming home, he reunites with his long lost, and now hippie, Jenny. He falls in love with her, only for her to run off with an anti military friend. Forrest, feeling lost, starts a shrimp catching business which becomes the best around. Later he finds out that Jenny was impregnated with his son and they marry. Soon after Jenny dies. The story makes you have many different feelings at times, mostly good, but I believe there are too many times Forrest had overcame these challenges. Sure, people overcome some incredible odds at times but I think there were too many thrown into the plot. The story comes off as far fetched most of the time but it doesn't really ruin the movie. Overall, it's a good movie. Don't get me wrong. The movie just isn't as good as people want it to be.