Just watched it again after 12 years.Awesome.
As in the words of Forest Gumps all-knowing mother, "Life is like a
box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get". How true.
Life is unpredictable. You never know what's coming, what will
happen tomorrow, who you'll meet and what kind of influence that
person will have on your life.
Forrest Gump is about a very simple, simple man. An by being as
honest as one can be, and being nice to all, and just purely
innocent, this man does extraordinary things. Life hands him all
kinds of strange opportunities, some even HUGE events of the twenty
first century. Some people say this is about an idiot becoming a
rich man? No, it's about a GOOD man, a truly honest, hard-working,
man-of-his-word guy, who becomes successful through the goodness
and innocence of his ways. He cheats for nothing, and so life
rewards him in great ways.
We first meet Forrest sitting on a bench, where he then begins to
tell his story to the many who come to sit next to him. What a
story it is. Forrest has been a football star, an army war hero of
the Vietnam, a half-owner of a billion dollar fishing company, a
ping-pong world champion, and a superstar celebrity runner. And
he's managed two visits to the white house, and he once met Elvis
Presley. He also influenced the creation of famous bumper stickers
and t-shirts. Whew. It shows what can come to those who just live
life truthfully. And all this while, Forrest pines for his one true
love; his first ever friend: Jenny.
Forrest Gump is full of great things. The screenplay tells an
extraordinary tale, and is full of memorable lines, simplistic
enough to be understood, and subtle enough to be considered
more.
As Forrest journeys to Vietnam's jungles, and runs across the U.S's
many and varied landscapes, we see absolutely beautiful
cinematography. All the backdrops are wonderful, especially the
ones of Forest's long run.
The hilarious visual effects put Forrest into old video clips, and
never for a second do they look like a hoax. Truly great job.
The acting couldn't be better. Gary Sinise is cynically perfect as
LT. Dan, Forrest's commander from the Vietnam, who becomes one of
Forrest's best friends. He's the second best of the show, really
capturing the man's sardonic humor and anger. Sally Field's is
great as Forrest's wise mother. She teaches him everything he needs
to know, and plays the part excellently. Robin Wright Penn plays
Jenny, the girl Forrest is obsessively in love with. She plays the
role well, having good chemistry with Tom Hanks. She never yells at
him, but doesn't exactly treat him right, she almost talks stupid
to him, for most of the film (until the end...). And Tom Hanks
truly IS Forrest Gump, in his greatest role, and one of the best
performances I've ever seen. Every line is delivered with perfect
simplicity. His accent: flawless. His tone, and attitude never
waver. In some actor's hands, the role easily could have become
stupid. But not in Tom Hank's. He plays Forrest real, not overly
stupid-sounding or slow talking. Rather...he talks a lot.
Robert Zemeckis (Back to the Future I,II,III) directs the timeless
classic of how great life can be. His direction ranges from war, to
sporting events, to quiet scenes, to running scenes, to scenes with
thousands crowded around, to scenes of old videos, and then
sea-faring scenes. Only a very well-rounded director could pull all
this off with the smooth transitioning Robert does. Even with all
these different elements in the film, Zemeckis goes from one to the
other, with no problem, and no break in the flow. It's edited
smoothly. He makes all the elements of a drama, comedy, love story,
and a war story come together smoothly. He tells the story of one
man's extraordinary life brilliantly.
Forrest Gump is the tale of one man's triumph by being honest.
Maybe we should all try it sometime. 10/10
"Stupid is as stupid does"-Forrest Gump
