Have you ever felt the pressure of life get you down? Are all of the mediocre action film tedious and uninspiring? If so, Forrest Gump is the movie that will refresh your soul. This touching film will be so impressive you will be forced to go out and buy it yourself! Forrest's extraordinary tale illustrates how life can be what you want it to be, and it doesn't have to be about money, but, as it shows in this magical realism film, kindness and honesty will get you everywhere - with some rollercoaster rides along the way.
The heart warming role of the very honest and amiable Forrest Gump is played by Tom Hanks. Gump, with an IQ of just 75, five points under the normal level, sees the events of American history run past his very eyes in this six time Oscar winning motion picture. Robert Zemeckis directs this film very cleverly with some effective moving moments. As its slow witted narrator, Forrest directs his autobiography on his lifelong love for Jenny (Robin Wright), as he travels through the key events in American history, including teaching Elvis Presley how to dance and fighting as a hero in Vietnam.
Zemeckis (winner of Academy Awards for his earlier 80s blockbuster "Back to the Future") uses many effective techniques straight from the start. The opening credits see a feather that floats down from the sky and ends up in a precise destination; this acts as a metaphor for Forrest's own passage through life, something which will astonish those who have seen it. Zemeckis creates the background for such an emotionally gripping story, and highlights Gump's honesty and pleasantness making it hard to dislike him.
Hanks displays the same personalities as in his previous film Big as both characters are children inside a man's body. Gump opens the film sitting on a bus stop bench telling his story to passers by, including how he met the President of the United States. He seems oblivious to his astounded listener as he begins to tell him how "the really good thing about meetin' the President of the United States is the food." He ends up drinking too much Dr. Pepper and then explains to the President uncomfortably that he needs to go to the bathroom. Gump's naivety and innocence is what makes this show so captivating.
The good-natured simpleton, Forrest, tells his story to anyone who will listen. His flashbacks show us he has led a very successful and adventurous life despite his low level of intelligence. Through this journey he sees his childhood friend and sometime lover, Jenny, who has a somewhat painfully tragic life herself, embracing drugs and protesting. In contrast, the naïve Gump thrives in life becoming a professional football player, a business magnate and a ping-pong champion, but still feels he has done nothing of the sort. A very likeable quality of Forrest is his honest opinion and views of events and other people. Through his life his experiences are thrilling; including being sent overseas for the Vietnam War. His views on it (which again show his naïveté and innocence) were that they "took long walks and were always looking for this guy named Charlie" (with a tremendous performance by Gary Sinise - Lieutenant Dan - duly given an Oscar nomination). Without realising it Gump discovers important principles about racism, war, assassinations and a different way of life: to be good.
The film's special features (created by Special Visual Effects star and Oscar winner Allen Hall) were fantastic. When Forrest Gump met the President of the USA it seemed the President and Gump were in the same shot, and nothing seemed to be false. This was true whenever Gump met famous people in his past; including Presidents Kennedy, Johnson and Nixon, as well as John Lennon. When Forrest was a professional ping-pong player was he really hitting the ball at high speeds? It seems so, as the fast moving balls and the sounds have been artificially added so well that anyone would think he was talented at the sport.
The now famous quote "Run Forrest, run!" is initially heard when childhood friend Jenny tells him to run away from bullies chasing him. However, it provokes the character to run for miles, and later in the film it becomes a hobby of his. During his humorous little scurry, music (from Oscar Nominee Alan Silvestri) such as "Running On Empty", "It keeps you Running" and "On the Road again" are used to heighten the sense of comedy. The fitting match of score to script occurs frequently, making the film's soundtrack one of the major effects in the film.
Forrest's extraordinary tale illustrates how life can be what you want it to be, and it doesn't have to be about money, but, as it shows in this magical realism film, kindness and honesty will get you everywhere - with some rollercoaster rides along the way.
Forrest Gump is an inspirational film with a believable, simple character thrust into some difficult situations, with tragic, funny and fantastic results. Through it all his simple philosophy shines through sending the message that honesty and moral fortitude will always win the day.
The feather continues its meandering path, suggesting life will continue to be full of surprises, its course determined by changes in the wind; in the same way that Forrest's life is full of unexpected twists and turns. The final scene where Forrest sends his son off to school for the day combines a feeling that life is safe and secure, through the repetition of a simple parental task, with a message of hope for the future in a world with greater understanding.