Forrest Gump

Rating: 8/10 (12 October 2015)

The movie Forrest Gump has become a well known movie all around the world. Tom Hanks, a very popular and well known actor, portrays the role of Forrest. Forrest Gump is a mentally handicapped man whose disability is not specified in the film. People try to degrade Forrest by calling him names. Whenever someone calls him stupid, his mother, who is played by Sally Field, tells him "stupid is as stupid does" which is something he continuously repeats during the film. Although he has a disability and is told by multiple people that he can't accomplish things, he ends up doing things that no one ever imagined that he could do. Graduating high school, going to college on a football scholarship, fighting in the Vietnam War, owning a very successful shrimp business, and meeting several different presidents are just a few of the things that Forrest accomplishes over the course of the movie. Jenny Curran, played by Robin Wright, first meets Forrest on the school bus when she allows him to sit with her. Jenny becomes Forrest's best friend and they then become inseparable, going everywhere and doing everything together. After they finish school, Jenny and Forrest eventually start to drift apart. Forrest serves in the Vietnam War and does countless other things with his life. Jenny's life seemingly goes in the opposite direction, she becomes apart of the "hippie movement" and gets involved in some things that she should not be involved in. Throughout the film Jenny makes occasional appearances in Forrest's life. Some of the things she says to Forrest when she sees him is enough to make anyone wonder "what the heck is she thinking?". Although there are plenty of other films in the world, this one is by far one of my favorites. With the story line and the different cinematic elements of it, including the feather falling and landing right beside him, this movie proves it is well put together and deserved to win the 6 Academy Awards it was nominated for, including Best Picture and Actor in a Leading Role.