January 19, 2007

Forrest Gump (1994)*
Director: Robert Zemeckis
Writers: Winston Groom and Eric Roth
Starring: Tom Hanks and Robin Wright Penn
Co-Starring: Gary Sinise, Mykelti Williamson, and Sally Field
Description: Forrest Gump is a simple man with little brain activity but good intentions. He struggles through childhood with his best and only friend Jenny. His 'mama' teaches him the ways of life and leaves him to choose his destiny. Forrest joins the army for service in Vietnam, finding new friends called Dan and Bubba, he wins medals, starts a table tennis craze, creates a famous shrimp fishing fleet, inspires people to jog, create the smiley, write bumper stickers and songs, donating to people and meeting the president several times. However this is all irrelevant to Forrest who can only think of his childhood sweetheart Jenny. Who has messed up her life. Although in the end all he wants to prove is that anyone can love anyone
Rating: B
In a word... overrated.
In-Depth Review!
I just saw this today, for about the sixth time. I hadn't seen it since I really started getting into film, and for some reason remembered it as a masterpiece. Yyyyyyyeah... I'm sorry, but so many of the lines of dialogue are unintentionally funny, and it's so unrealistic, that I just had to laugh at most of it. And not for a good reason. See: " *whiny annoying voice* Ruuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuun, Foooooooorrest, ruuuuuuuuuuun!" and "Liiiiiiife is like a box o' chocolates." The braces falling off scene, very, very unrealistic, that would never happen. It just doesn't. It takes years and years of hard work, it just doesn't HAPPEN like that. I would know. Finally, I swear this film packs in more melodrama in 2 hours and 22 minutes than Gone with the Wind does in 4 hours. Damn! Some of the scenes that are supposed to be funny, mostly laughing at Forrest, aren't really that funny.

I repeat something I said with The Shawshank Redemption: Sentimentality doesn't equal a good film. (Although I really liked Shawshank nevertheless) Is it terrible? Certainly not--it's an accurate and great representation of the era, and Tom Hanks' performance is mostly excellent, as is Gary Sinese's. Still my problems with the film lower it down do about a B.

Yes, the film does have some genuinely heartwarming moments, such as when Forrest is asked about his legs by Jenny, and he says something like: "Ain't nothing wrong with my legs, they just fine and dandy."

I just had to laugh at that, good answer (I speak from experience, too)!