A Journey You Simply Cannot Miss...

Rating: 10/10 (21 July 2006)

Forrest Gump is a good-natured simpleton. His below-average IQ has restricted him (some might say protected him) from understanding the intricacies of the world he inhabits, and so he is oblivious to the hate and prejudice of American society.
Robert Zemeckis (Cast Away, Back To The Future) and multiple academy-award winner Tom Hanks (Philadelphia, Saving Private Ryan) present us with the world as seen through the eyes of Forrest Gump, in one of the most powerful stories ever committed to screen.
Though he may not be the smartest person in the world, Forrest Gump has achieved some amazing things. Aside from meeting three different American presidents and becoming a world ping-pong champion, Forrest has also been awarded the Congressional Medal of Honour for his courage during the Vietnam War, run across the country several times over (because he "just felt like running"), inspired Elvis Presley to invent a new type of dance and exposed the Watergate scandal. At the heart of the film is a love-story. Forrest and his life-long companion, Jenny (Robin Wright Penn- Hurlyburly, The Singing Detective), are two completely different people, and Jenny knows that he deserves better, but Forrest loves her anyway. "I'm not a smart man," Forrest declares. "But I know what love is."
The acting in this film is nothing short of perfect. Tom Hanks demonstrates how he will win his second Best Actor Oscar with this performance. Nobody else could have possibly portrayed Forrest so perfectly. The supporting cast is strong. Robin Wright Penn is good, and Gary Sinise gives the best performance of his career as Lieutenant Dan Taylor.
"... Life is a box of chocolates," Forrest announces at the beginning of the film. "You never know what you are going to get." This film is exactly that. Through the eyes of Forrest Gump, you will laugh, and you will cry. This life's journey is one that you will never forget.