Maybe you have to be American...

Rating: 6/10 (12 January 2015)

I really don't rate Tom Hanks as an actor, I think he's highly inconsistent, and often his acting style is off-putting to me. Now put Tom Hanks doing a stupid voice, playing a ridiculous character, taking up all the screen time, in a really long film. It's like torture. I was willing this film towards the end. I didn't feel any genuine drama, the Vietnam scenes especially leaving me cold.
What I liked was the Zemeckis stylistic touches. It's got a nice whimsical feel, and just enough lighthearted humour to keep it afloat. For this film to work on any real level though, you would have to connect with the central character, which I just can't do. It's a very average story really focusing on one character who has very little personality. In terms of film making, it's just OK.
Six out of Ten.