Life is like a box of Milk Tray..
 Sep 7th, 2003
Advantages:
Everything - great acting, beautiful film
Disadvantages:
None
Recommendable:
Yes
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  JessL
About me:
I can't really go into too much detail in this tiny box, but I'm leaving for the time being. Feel fr...
Member since:15.06.2003
Reviews:121
Members who trust:133
Review rated by 91 Ciao members on average: very helpful 
Forrest Gump is the multi-Oscar winning film made in 1994, starring Tom Hanks. It is one of my all-time favourite films, and having watched it again yesterday, I decided to write a review on it...
Forrest Gump is a kind-hearted, friendly but simple man from Alabama. It is narrated by Forrest himself; sat on a bench waiting for the bus, reminscing about his life to complete strangers.
As a child, he was mercilessly bullied because of his leg braces and his slowness, but something good comes out of the bullying - he discovers a talent for running which will serve him well when he is older. As an adult, he bumbles through situations such as meeting the President, playing professional ping-pong, inspiring John Lennon to write Imagine, and rescuing his colleagues in the Vietnam War.
In the war, a man named Bubba befriends Forrest. The pair make a pledge to become partners in the shrimp-boating business as soon as they finish fighting in the war, and Forrest keeps his promise to Bubba. The true love of his life is a childhood friend, Jenny. Jenny's life is the complete opposite to Forrest's, but he is deeply in love with her. She pushes him away, almost embarrassed by him, as she flits in and out of his life as she travels the country, poses in Playboy and joins anti-war groups.
However, he receives a letter from Jenny, asking her to meet him, which brings the film back to where he is now; on a bench waiting to catch a bus to Jenny's flat. The events that unfold change Forrest's life forever..
What can I say? This is an absolutely amazing film. I know some people think it was too sentimental and sickly, but I loved every minute of it!
Sure, there are events that happen in the film which are sad, but the whole film is very sad... you feel so oddly upset but inspired by his simplicity - he was so successful, yet so naive and innocent. It was very moving - there wasn't a ten-minute period where I didn't cry! I'm quite an emotional person anyway, but I think I would have cried anyway, even if I wasn't the crying-type. It's genuinely touching and very, very sad.
The film didn't have a billion-pound budget, nor was it packed with special effects - it succeeded simply because it was a great, inspiring film. Tom Hanks was amazing as Forrest, and those Oscars were well-deserved. I don't know what else to say - it's simply a brilliant film, and everyone should see it once. It appeals to everyone - my eight year-old sister loved it, as did my dad, who is 43. It is rated 12, but there are no scenes that I think would upset or be disturbing to children below that age.
I felt a lot happier after finishing this film - if a slow man like Forrest could be so successful, we all can, can't we? I know he's just a character, but I think everyone can relate to Forrest in some way or another - you might be thinking 'God no' but have a good think, and trust me, there will be something! It is definitely a drama, but there are comic undertones to it at parts - not laugh-out-loud funny and if you're not concentrating, you will miss them, but there are some funny parts which lighten the mood when the film starts to feel a bit heavy.
Obviously, Tom Hanks is the main character, but also in the film are Gary Sinise (Lieutenant Dan), of Being John Malkovich and The Green Mile, Robin Wright Penn of Unbreakable (Jenny), and Mykelti Williamson (Bubba) of Ali and Free Willy - all are relatively unknown but all are very strong characters. It is directed by Robert Zemeckis, is rated a 12, and is available on DVD and video very cheaply - don't expect to pay any more than £5-6 for the DVD version.
I'd definitely recommend giving this a watch - you're most likely going to fall in love with it, but even if you don't, what harm can it do?
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![Forrest Gump (2 Disc Special Collector's Edition) [1994] [DVD]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/78521540.jpg)
by (2%):
17.05.2009 22:57
great review and film xx
22.03.2004 02:38
I saw this a few years back on TV. I rather enjoyed it. I liked how he made his fortune. There was also something with a smiley face if I remember correctly that he inspired someone to use, which became very popular.
07.03.2004 21:13
This is the film ,I went to see with my partner , when we first started going out together