Forrest Gump

Rating: 9/10 (11 March 2005)

From Oscar and Golden Globe winning, and BAFTA nominated director Robert Zemeckis (The Back to the Future Trilogy), this is a remarkable comedy drama based on the novel by Winston Groom. Basically, Forrest Gump (Oscar and Golden Globe winning, and BAFTA nominated Tom Hanks) is the low-intelligence but friendly man on a bus stop bench, and telling his life story to all strangers who sit down. The film is basically chronicles of his life accidentally ending up in big events of America between the 1950's and the 1970's, and finding fame and fortune without wanting or asking for it. These include meeting Elvis Presley, being put on an American football team for his running speed, meeting President John F. Kennedy, joining the army for the Vietnam war, becoming a Ping Pong champion, receiving the congressional medal of honour from President Richard Nixon, becoming a shrimp boat captain with his own company and running across America for two years. Within these adventures in his life, he always thinks of those close to him, the love of his life Jenny Curran (Golden Globe nominated Robin Wright Penn), friend Lt. Dan Taylor (Oscar and Golden Globe nominated Gary Sinise), friend Pvt. Benjamin Buford 'Bubba' Blue (Mykelti Williamson) and his mother Mrs. Gump (BAFTA nominated Sally Field), and with his low-intelligence he does not realise the significance of his actions. Also starring Siobhan Fallon as Dorothy Harris, School Bus Driver, Alexander Zemeckis (Robert's son) as School Bus Boy, Elizabeth Hanks (Tom's daughter) as School Bus Girl and The Sixth Sense's Haley Joel Osment as Forrest Gump Jr. This is one of those films you cannot ignore, even if some people think not to watch it, but like Forrest says "I don't know if we each have a destiny, or if we're all just floating around accidental-like on a breeze, but I, I think maybe it's both" (this explains the use of the feather at the beginning and end). Personally, this is a film I would definitely recommend to see, and not just because of Hanks in what has to be one of his best roles. It won the Oscars for Best Visual Effects, Best Film Editing, Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium and Best Picture, and it was nominated for Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Best Cinematography, Best Sound Effects Editing, Best Makeup, Best Music for Alan Silvestri (he should have) and Best Sound, it won the BAFTA for Best Special Effects, and it was nominated for Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Adapted Screenplay, the David Lean Award for Direction and Best Film, and it won the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture - Drama, and it was nominated for Best Original Score and Best Screenplay. Tom Hanks was number 3 on The 100 Greatest Movie Stars, and he was number 39 on The World's Greatest Actor, the film was number 40 on 100 Years, 100 Quotes ("Mama always said life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get."), it was number 11 on The 100 Greatest Tearjerkers for Forrest at Jenny's grave, it was number 37 on 100 Years, 100 Cheers, and it was number 71 on 100 Years, 100 Movies. Very, very good!