 |
|
|
|
| | | |
| MatchFlick Member Reviews |
All Movie Info
Starring:
Tom Hanks, Robin Wright Penn, Sally Field, Gary Sinise, Mykelti Williamson, John Randall, Sam Anderson, Kurt Russell, Rebecca Williams, Rebecca Williams, Michael Conner Humphreys, Harold G. Herthum, George Kelly, Bob Penny, Margo Moorer, Ione M. Telech, Christine Seabrook
Directed By:
Robert Zemeckis
Written By:
Eric Roth, Winston Groom
|
|
|
| |
Forrest Gump (1994)
 email this review to a friend
Movie Review by Jarrod 
September 7th, 2007
|  |
'Forrest Gump' earned Tom Hanks his second Oscar, making him one of a handful of actors to win two awards, notably like Spencer Tracy, he won his back-to-back, with this one preceded the previous year by one for 'Philadelphia' It is easy to see why he won for this movie. He is extraordinary as the slow-witted, kind-hearted, and naïve title character, who unwittingly witnesses some of the most significant events of the 20th century, which he recounts in his own simplistic way, to strangers who sit next to him on a park bench. We see him as a boy, nurtured by his protective and caring mother (a wonderful Sally Field), who just wants him to have a normal life. He is bullied and ridiculed because of his leg braces, which he miraculously gets rid of one day when he discovers his hidden ability to run like the wind. He also falls in love with Jenny (Robin Wright Penn), who befriends him, and remains close to him for more than a decade, even as they go to college (he gets there by way of a football scholarship), and she gets swept up in the hippie and anti-war movements. Forrest goes to Vietnam, where he meets Captain Dan (Sinise), who becomes bitter and angry after losing both his legs, but Forrest remains loyal to him, and also to the wishes of a fellow soldier named Bubba (Mykelti Williamson).
He becomes a ping pong champ, meets presidents, does things that are completely unbelievable and unrealistic (Forrest is implanted in old newsreels with JFK and other luminaries of the past), yet Hanks never flinches, and remains completely convincing, the accent spot-on from the start. It is funny and heartfelt, though a tad overlong, with superb music from the dominant periods, notably the 1960s and early 70s, with half a dozen sensational Doors songs. Director Robert Zemeckis won an Oscar, and the film itself won Best Picture, something that it may not have deserved (it was up against Quiz Show, The Shawshank Redemption, Pulp Fiction, and Four Weddings and a Funeral).
Tom Hanks beat out Nigel Hawthorne (for The Madness of King George), Paul Newman for Nobody's Fool, John Travolta (for Pulp Fiction) and Morgan Freeman (for The Shawshank Redemption). Eric Roth won an Oscar for his screenplay, adapted from the Winston Groom novel. 6 Oscars in total, others for Visual Effects (which are indeed remarkable) and editing (also quite good). This could be Hanks's most famous and most popular movie, and it is certainly one of his best, though an actor of his caliber has made other notable films for which he deserves high praise.
email this review to a friend
Comment on this Review:
Sorry, you must be a member to add comments to reviews.
Join or Login. |
 Subscribe to MatchFlick Movie Reviews through RSS
|
