Like the chocolate in a box, my feelings are mixed....

Rating: 7/10 (8 October 2006)

(r#79)
I would lie if I said that Forrest Gump isn't an extremely well made movie. From the acting, to the feel-good story, to the pacing, comic timing, and fantastic soundtrack, it is one of the best movies ever made. Tom Hanks is good as the titular character, and Gary Sinise and Robin Wright Penn make for a strong supporting cast. Robert Zemeckis' direction hits all the right notes. The movie is also visually beautiful. So why did I only give it a 7 out of 10? Well, as well produced, directed and acted as the film is, there is an underlying cynicism that doesn't work well with the movie's innocent and good-hearted nature. The "heart-breaking" scenes become more and more obvious and deliberate with each viewing. Don't get me wrong, this is a great feel-good story and I did love it when I was younger. Maybe I am just growing more desensitized to this kind of warm-hearted, mushy stuff. The problem probably lies more with me than with the film itself, but I still can't help but feel that Zemeckis was a bit too elaborate. There are scenes that, when you're re-watching the film, seem written specifically to make the audience crack up in tears. It borders on being manipulative, rather than letting the audience think for itself.
The movie could have worked as a serious drama. I'm a sucker for movies about mentally challenged men and I loved both "Sling Blade" and the more obscure "Den Enfaldige Mördaren". In the former, Billy Bob Thornton delivered a total class act. He embodied his character, Karl, to the point where you couldn't possibly compare him to his role in, say, Bad Santa. In "Den Enfaldige Mördaren", Stellan Skarsgård was also utterly believable. But I just can't buy Hanks in this role, even if it's probably the one he'll be remembered for. Thornton and Skarsgård, in their respective roles, *were* their characters. They were as human and real as you and me. Hanks' performance is a pure live-action cartoon, a caricature of a mentally challenged man. He's just too goody-goody. Too pure of heart. Too goofy and lovable. He's a man with no dark sides, and as such he's completely unbelievable. I did laugh at Gump's cute lines and catchphrases. I did feel for him when he got bullied around and when he finally got the girl in the end. But I wonder if anyone actually bought Gump as a character rather than just "Tom Hanks playing a mentally challenged guy".
Another problem is that the movie refuses to take any real risks. There is nothing controversial about the subject matter and nothing really inventive about the movie-making (although it is quite an achievement to fit an entire lifetime into a single film!) 'Gump' is not a movie that pushes the envelope in any way.
This is still a very enjoyable movie and first-timers will probably love it. It took a lot of viewings for me before my strong feelings for it started to falter. On the surface, "Gump" is one of the best feel-good movies ever made. But if you read between the lines, it is a cynical and very elaborate movie, nearly manipulative, and specifically designed to make you laugh, cry and pay for repeated cinema viewings. At least Hanks and Sinise do their best.