Review: Forrest Gump (Robert Zemeckis, 1994)

Every so often there are movies that seemingly get released right at the right time and subsequently become cultural phenomenons beyond their creators' wildest dreams. These movies often largely retain that success and esteem over the years (Gone with the Wind, Star Wars and Jaws among others) or age poorly and get viewed as undeserving of their huge success at the time (for instance, Independence Day). Although no movie appeals to absolutely everyone's taste, Robert Zemeckis' Forrest Gump certainly can be said to belong more in the former category. Released in 1994 it raked in nearly seven hundred million dollars worldwide, becoming the second biggest box office hit of '94 (after The Lion King) and mopped the floor at that year's Academy Awards, winning six trophies including Best Picture (although I prefer Pulp Fiction and The Shawshank Redemption by the tiniest of margins, but this isn't about those two), Director and Actor. It's a classic that, after first seeing it in 1997 when I was 9, has stayed with me to this day. I'm about to explain why.
I don't think there's any need for me to talk about the story, so let me begin with the cast ensemble Zemeckis assembled for this film. Sally Field will always be Mrs. Gump to me, and she turns in a beautiful performance as a strong woman with integrity who vehemently refuses to think of her son as a retard and does her best to make sure he never sees himself as one. An Oscar-nominated Gary Sinise is riveting as the hard-bitten but scarred military man Lt. Dan who comes to learn from Forrest the values of redemption and selflessness. Robin Wright Penn is heartbreaking as Forrest's free-spirited but deeply troubled true love whose life takes a very different route to Forrest's, and Mykelti Williamson also gives a very touching turn as Bubba, the African-American young man with a heart of gold who becomes Forrest's best friend in Vietnam.
But at the risk of sounding like a hyperbolic and dangerously obsessed fanboy, I daresay the acting masterclass Tom Hanks puts forth here is the finest display of acting I have ever witnessed. No other actor before or since has made such a convincing transformation into the heart, body and soul of another person as Hanks does here. Every delayed or confused mannerism is spot-on, his Southern accent is flawless and his every emotion letter-perfect. In the whole film, particularly the grave scene towards the end, you look into his eyes and you don't see Tom Hanks, you see Forrest Gump. Utter perfection.
Many will say the storyline is a contrived, manipulative and even conservative affair (and, admittedly, in some respects they may be right), but they're oblivious to the darker subtext in Eric Roth's screenplay and the many postmodern storytelling methods Zemeckis deploys here. While we watch Forrest encounter so many historic people and events, we see Jenny experience the negative side of '60s and '70s counterculture as she protests the Vietnam War, embraces alcohol, drugs and illicit sex and also for much of the film's duration Forrest's impairments are exploited for laughs. When we analyze this side of the story the film becomes much darker than it initially seems. The unconventional methods Zemeckis uses in telling Forrest's story enhance this – in his narration he discusses things that are yet to happen and the placing of Tom Hanks into old footage of the real-life events gives the movie a revisionist historical feel.

Another huge plus is the soundtrack, containing most of the greatest artists from the '50s to the early '80s.
Forrest Gump's charm and appeal is timeless, and its artistic craft is even better. It's a rollicking tapestry of American history from the '50s to the '80s (both good and bad), driven by a powerhouse ensemble cast and a brilliant crew working on a brilliantly constructed screenplay filled with dozens of lines that have entered the lexicon, all brought together by the love and passion of a genius director. Forrest Gump is a classic that will look handsome in any DVD collection, and is yet another movie that never leaves me feeling amazed no matter how much older I get. A true classic.