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Forrest Gump Customer Reviews (109 - 111 of 133 Reviews)

"My name's forse gump, my friends call me forse gump..."
Hailed as a classic when it first came out, "Forrest Gump" now appears to be looked upon as a travesty, a shallow celebration of America's innocence. Yet this retrospective view is somewhat missing the point. For while the character of Forrest Gump is portrayed as being genuinely innocent, the American "innocence" he represents is not, nor is it ever intended to be.

In this, the film works well both as life story and as unique commentary on the last 30 years of American history. As played by Micheal Connor Humphreys and then Tom Hanks, Forrest Gump is a slow-witted but good hearted young man raised in Greenbow, Alabama by his feisty housekeeping mother(Sally Field). Forrest's good intentions, his ability to run at great speeds, as well as his love for his abused and misguided best friend Jenny (who grows up to be Robin Wright) drive and define his life. Forrest goes to college, enlists for the US Army and survives a posting to Vietnam and his various encounters with prominent historical figures, including JFK. Forrest recounts all of this to others whilst sitting on park bench awaiting a bus.

This is far from a perfect film. The many numerous spottable gaffes and mistakes put the Academy to shame for naming it Best Film of 1994. The digital effects have dated, as has the tinkering of the various real video footage. Yet this is largely superficial when considering the film's graces.

The film's direction and use of music for scenes are very good in places, particularly for the scenes in Washington D.C with Forrest's triumphant reunion with Jenny after returning from Vietnam.

Yet the film's defining point has to be it's acting. Sally Field and Robin Wright give solid support; Field always the supportive and caring mother (who isn't above boffing the headmaster to get Forrest entry into a 'normal' school) and Wright as his loving, but self-destructive soulmate. Gary Sinise also turns in a fine performance as Leiutenant Dan, who is crippled in Vietnam but whom, with Forrest's help, finds redemption and regains a sense of self.

But this is Tom Hank's film. However gushed his Oscar acceptance may have been, he did deserve the award for a performance that is alot more complex than first appears. On the surface and to the core, Forrest is naive but essentially good individual. Yet his park bench recollections continually undermine the idea of American innocence, rather than celebrating it.

Forrest wistfully recalls his absent father being a member of the Klu Klux Clan. Anyone with even a smattering of knowledge of American history will know the Clan were a gang of vicious white supremacists, rather than "people who dressed up ghosts, or spooks or something". Forrest continually comments on the history he encounters in a very simplistic way that invites to both laugh at Forrest, as well as with him.

This irony is repeated throughout the movie, even in throwaway moments. One such moment is Forrest and Leiutenant Dan's encounter with two whores in a bar just as New Year dawns on 1972. One of the whores says with sadness in her voice "Don't you just love New Years? You can start all over. Everybody gets a second chance..........."

Hank's triumph is to combine the ironic aspects of Forrest Gump with the genuine warmth and sentimentality that is a part of the character. With his much-quoted lines and awkward body language, he evokes sympathy from the audience. His best moments in this come when he tells Jenny "I'm not a smart man. But I know what love is", meeting his five year old son for the first time, and his final graveside speech to Jenny.

Destined to be loved for many years
If you're reading this, you probably already know the film, so there is no need to regurgitate the plot. You likely already know that you like the movie and are simply exploring the idea of buying it to own.

And if you haven't seen it yet, well, you probably WILL like the movie. Most people do, and for good reason. Forest Gump has a little something for everyone - love, humor, action, happiness, sadness, and everything in between. Despite interpretations to the contrary, it's not a movie pushing a message or driving an agenda; it's a charming fairy tale about a sympathetic character. Key words: "fairy tale." Destined to be a classic for many years - unless you're prone to taking fairy tales too seriously.

For the price, this is a great package. This is a nice looking, crisp transfer of this modern classic that should look pretty good on high-end TVs. The cinematography deserves the widescreen treatment. The sound is superb. The second disc of extras is not all-encompassing, and the main documentary relies a bit too much on fluff rather than taking a hard look at the making of the film - I certainly would have liked extras with more substance - but it's an enjoyable watch nonetheless.

A good buy? Yes. For the price and the quality of the movie, this should be an easy decision to make.

Forrest is Brilliant
I know that some people may say that a movie based on the life of an "idiot" is of little interest to people and does not deserve someone's time. Well, Forrest Gump has done nothing but shut those people up. Tom Hanks stars as a slow-witted Southerner named Forrest Gump. The film shows about 30 years of his life and our nation's life. Forrest always manages to be around when something big is going on in America whether it be Vietnam or the Watergate Scandal.

Forrest starts out as child living with his single mother(Sally Field) in the South. Forrest's only friend besides his mother is a young girl named Jenny who turns out to be the love of Forrest's life. Early in life Forrest needs leg braces for his crooked legs which starts up the comedy in the film. He then grows up to play football and turns out to be an All-American. He then joins the army and meets his best friend and shrimp fanatic Bubba. They go to Vietnam together where Forrest is struck with his first of many hard blows. He also meets his future friend Lt. Dan(Gary Sinsie) in Vietnam. While in the war Forrest is shot in the "buttox" and is hospitalized. It is in the hospital that Forrest realizes he is exceptionally skilled in the sport if ping-pong. After the war Forrest joins the national Ping-Pong team. Forrest then buys a shrimping boat and begins working alone. He is later joined by war vet/friend Lt. Dan. The two end up getting rich off of the business. Forrest then returns home where his mother is sick and decides to mow lawns. Jenny later revisits Forrest and the two live together for a while. She later leaves him and this is when Forrest begins his 3-year long jogging spree back and fourth across the country. After his run Forrest gets a letter from Jenny and decides to visit her. He then learns that Jenny has had his son. I won't tell you the rest, you'll just have to buy it and watch it for yourself.

Forrest Gump is a heart-moving, and humourous movie that the whole family can watch. I would highly recommend buying the DVD version instead of the VHS version since with the DVD version you get two disks, one containing the movie and the other containing a handful of great extras. Which ever you decide, you will still be buying one of the best films of the 19th century!

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