Movie #24 - Forrest Gump

"The world will never be the same once you've seen it through the eyes of Forrest Gump."

That certainly is quite a true statement. This 1994 film is one of the superb films of the decade. Winner of the Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director (Robert Zemeckis), and Best Actor (Tom Hanks), the story of Forrest Gump is definitely one for the ages.

Back when promotions began for this film, no one knew what this movie was all about. The trailers being shown on television were quite vague and although Hanks was coming off of his 1993 Best Actor nod for Philadelphia, there was nothing really compelling about this film at the time.

However, through word of mouth and the contagious popularity of Tom Hanks as a dramatic actor, fans everywhere came to see history through the eyes of this simple character.
What makes this film entertaining is the unique use of historical scenes and references from many of the major influential moments of U.S. history from the 1960's to the 1980's. Either Gump is a part of the action through the wonderful magic of computer generated imaging (CGI) or Gump is narrating the story about events taking place to strangers he's sitting with while waiting for the bus.

Overall, this film is well cast from top to bottom. There is Sally Field who portrays Gump's mother, Gary Sinise who convincingly depicts the war-grizzled Lt. Dan Taylor, Mykelti Williamson who cleverly acts as Bubba Blue, and of course there's the driving force of this film - the love interest Jenny Curran played by Robin Wright Penn.

This film is wonderfully shot with a talented mix of CGI technology and cinematographic skills. The script is filled with heartfelt story-lines and interwoven historical references and is a tribute to the adaptation of the novel by Winston Groom.

If you had to pick a film from the 90's to watch, this is definitely one to own in your collection and to enjoy whenever you feel like living someone else's life for 2.5 hours. By the end of the film, you not only feel better for watching it, but you'll be entertained as well.

And don't forget the famous words - "Life is like a box of chocolates... you never know what you're gonna get." Thankfully, chocolate boxes come with diagrams and descriptions now, but that would wreck the line, wouldn't it?

Reference: I originally published this article on Helium.com