Excellent film with a great performance by Tom Hanks

Rating: 9/10 (13 April 2013)

Tom Hanks has proved over the years that he is a talented and versatile actor and his performance as Forrest Gump is easily one of his best (only his performance in Philadelphia was better in my opinion from his films I've seen).
But it's not only Hanks performance that makes this film remarkable, but the story itself. Forrest Gump is an unintelligent man, but he has a heart of gold. We get to learn about his life story and everything from childhood, his college years to his service in the army in Vietnam to his eventual marriage to Jenny. We get to see Gump's struggles through life as he is picked on for being unintelligent and we also get to see some happy moments in the 2 strong friendships Gump forms with one of his army buddies (Bubba) in Vietnam and his childhood friend and eventually his wife Jenny.
What is also great about Forrest Gump? The fact that we are presented with a central character who we can sympathise with. It is all too easy sometimes for film makers and their writers to create characters who we are supposed to care about, but we start out hating, and hate them throughout the film and then hate them at the end. This is not the case with the character of 'Forrest Gump' It is impossible not to like Forrest as he shows that although he isn't bright, he is still capable of showing his emotions and empathy towards others i.e his protectiveness for Jenny, and when he rescues most of his platoon in Vietnam. Whilst Forrest Gump is a serious film, it does have many funny moments like when Jenny tells Forrest Gump that she has a son called Forrest and that she named him after his dad and Forrest Gump turns round and says 'He's got a daddy called Forrest too'. Obviously she then tells him that Forrest is his son.
Is this film perfect? Not quite - Forrest Gump's continual running seemed pointless to me, although it was fun to watch.
Forrest Gump is a wonderful film with a basic story about the life of a truly remarkable person and is well worth your time.