Forrest Gump

1994.

#71 / #76

Winner of 6 Academy Awards.

Forrest Gump (Tom Hanks) lives his life through historical moments in America's history, all the while loving his childhood friend Jenny (Robin Wright). Come on. It's FORREST GUMP. Do you really need a summary?

Eddie: FORREST GUMP is almost a perfect movie, start to finish, anchored by a great protagonist. Tom Hanks and Robin Wright navigate complex roles and the fabric of American history with their performances, which earned Hanks his second Oscar. The love story betwen Forrest and Jenny is a modern-day fairy tale, set against the backdrop of Americana. If the movie is a metaphor for America, then it does a great job of showing us at our best, at our hungriest, at our craziest, at our lowest, and at our most determined. I'm not sure if it is or not, but no review of FORREST GUMP is complete without a political metaphor.

Sarah: I love the use of the feather in this film. It seems to say, "Hey, aren't we all a little like Forrest? Just drifting in and out of history, and trying to bumble by?" I also love the use of the Americana, as Eddie calls it, to give context and texture to Forrest's life.

However, there is one thing that bugs me about this film. I know it is going to upset some, but Jenny and Forrest having a kid? Come on. I felt disturbed by that fact that Jenny slept with him at all. I mean, Forrest has the mental capacity of a 7 year old. Am I a monster? I know Jenny has issues, but really? Anyone else creeped out by this? Tell me I'm not alone.

Film Fact: Tom Hanks based his character's unique speech pattern on the real speech of Michael Conner Humphreys, the actor who played Young Forrest Gump.

Why You Should See It: When Forrest learns that he has a son, he struggles to find the words to ask if Forrest, Jr., is... slow. It's Hanks at the top of his game.