A real classic for the 1990s

Rating: 8/10 (5 January 2008)

I have just watched Forrest Gump again on DVD,and it still stands up after all these years!Tom Hanks is truly amazing as the simple man who remains true to himself.It is an amazing performance, as he truly understands the character, this is not a moron but a man who lives his life by basic truths, from which he never deviates.
The first time I saw this film in 1994, I dismissed it as baby boomer crap.I missed the emotional content that gives the film its real power.Forget about the ground breaking computer generated imagery, its the performances and the story that lifts this film above the ordinary.
Tom Hanks truly deserved his second Oscar for what was a truly memorable role.Just watch the scenes just after Jenny leaves him near the end.He does not need say anything.
Robin Wright has the smaller role as the love of his life.We watch her journey throughout the film. It is deeply moving as she recognises that walking on the wild side will not bring her happiness.If I have one complaint about this film, it is that Jenny is almost used as a cipher to depict the drug culture and the permissive society of the 1960s and 1970s.Anyone who is conservative in their politics, could be comforted by the arc of Jenny's character including her demise.
Gary Sinise is terrific as Lt Dan Taylor.He is good in so many films like Ransom,Snake Eyes and Apollo 13.Here he portrays a complex character who evolves in much the same way as Tom Cruise in Born on the Fourth of July.
It is an emotional film about love and its various incarnations, that at the heart of this movie.Forrest's love never changes even though his country changes all around him.