Forrest Gump

Rating:
Summary: Run Forrest Run...
Review: ...and so Tom Hanks did in the movie "Forrest Gump." This 1996 film has to be the best epic of all times. Not only did it win an Academy Award for Best Actor (Tom Hanks), and Best Director (Robert Zemeckis), but also Best Picture, plus three other Academy Awards. This film starts off in a small southern town, where Forrest grows up. Next it takes us through three decades of Forrest's life, from the 1950's through the 1980's. It show's Forrest, who happens to be a really fast runner, as a college football player, a vietnam soldier, a ping pong champ, a shrimp boat captain, and a man in love with his childhood friend Jenny (Robin Wright). Oh and did I forget to mention that it also portrays him as a hippy! I give this movie five stars because it has managed to include action, love, comedy, a little bit of history, and a whole lot of heart and soul. Are you looking for a movie that's "like a box of chocolates (you never know what you're going to get?" If so then you will love all 142 minutes of "Forrest Gump."

Rating:
Summary: "There's pineapple shrimp, lemon shrimp, coconut shrimp,..."
Review: When I first saw the film "Forrest Gump" in a theater in 1994, I knew that director Robert Zemeckis had created a heart-warming masterpiece that would more than likely earn it Oscar recognition, and it certainly did. The endearing film follows the life of an educationally challenged man named Forrest Gump (Tom Hanks) from the time of his childhood (played by Michael Conner Humphreys) until early middle age. His mother (Sally Field) made sure that he would be treated just like everyone else so that he could take care of himself once she was gone. In addition to his learning disability, Forrest was required to wear leg braces as a child that made him the target of ridicule from other children, except for one girl named Jenny Curran (Hanna R. Hall). However, Forrest quickly discovered that his legs weren't that bad when he found an innate ability to run. When Forrest decided to join the U.S. Army, he meets his two best friends: a fellow recruit named Pvt. Benjamin Buford 'Bubba' Blue (Mykelti Williamson) and Lt. Dan Taylor (Gary Sinise). Bubba loved to talk about shrimp and Lt. Dan was raised to be a soldier. Forrest's relationship with Jenny, as well as his relationships with Bubba and Lt. Dan, led Forrest down several unexpected paths that allowed him to meet several pivotal historical figures.

Tom Hanks' superb performance as the loveable Forrest Gump earned him his well-deserved second Oscar for Best Actor. (He had previously won the Oscar for Best Actor for the 1993 film "Philadelphia", and has been nominated three other times.) Robert Zemeckis also earned the Oscar for Best Director, and the film itself won the Oscar for Best Picture as well as three other Oscars for Best Visual Effects, Best Editing and Best Writing. Gary Sinise earned an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor, in addition to six other Oscar nominations that included Best Cinematography, Best Music and Best Sound. Part of what "Forrest Gump" so endearing was Zemeckis' use of superimposing actors into actual, historical film footage. This footage included the late Pres. John F. Kennedy, the late John Lennon, the late Pres. Richard M. Nixon, and the late former Alabama Gov. George Wallace to name a few. (Robert Zemeckis used this same archival footage technique again in the 1997 film "Contact".) Other memorable characters in the film include school bus driver Dorothy Harris (Siobhan Fallon), Bubba's mother (Marlena Smalls), Abbie Hoffman (Richard D'Alessandro) and Forrest Gump Jr. (Haley Joel Osment).

Some of the many memorable scenes in the film include the opening scenes, running with leg braces, running across the football field during practice, scenes at the University of Alabama, boot camp, Vietnam, D.C., NYC, the shrimping boat, running across America, and the scenes with Jenny (both as child and adult). I regard "Forrest Gump" as one of the best films ever made and rate it with a resounding 5 out of 5 stars. It's the kind of film that draws the viewer into its story and keeps the viewer engaged throughout its 142 minutes. I highly recommend the DVD version of the film to everyone, and the second DVD is good with its various documentaries and other material. Tom Hanks went on to star in many more memorable film roles, including his roles in "Apollo 13" (1995), "Saving Private Ryan" (1998), "The Green Mile" (1999) and "Cast Away" (2000) to name a few. Unfortunately, many of Gary Sinise's film roles that followed have been far less memorable.

Rating:
Summary: instead of walkin. I was RUNNIN!!!!!!
Review: Forrest Gump (Tom Hanks) is a southern boy who is not so much bright. He is in love with a girl name Jenny Curran (Robin Wright Penn ) who is Forest's friend, but just likes him as a friend. He's known her ever since they were little. She then moves on in war and peace marches of the Vietnam War, which then leads Forrest to go to fight in the Vietnam War. His friend Bubba (Mykelti Williamson) gets killed and Forrest promises to help Bubba's family with the mortgages. He then meets Lt. Dan Taylor (Gary Sinise) who gets his legs blown off in the war. Which then loses his money and Forrest invests with him in a fishing business. Forest then sadly loses his mother by a fight against basically old age. Jenny then comes back to his life and realizes he has a kid. Jenny then loses a fight with a bad cold which then dies. A very sad film with Forrest Gump has to move on.

It is a very sad tragic movie that can really move you. It can be very touching, which can make you drop a tear. It is very moving which if you haven't seen you got to watch this film. It is a must see if you haven't. I don't really think it should have won best picture, I liked it but I liked Pulp Fiction better. Tom Hanks's performance is very great and truly deserved the Oscar. It also can be very heart warming in a sensitive way. The cinematography in this film is very breath taking. It can blow your mind. This movie can touch anyone and when you stop watching this film, it's just a feeling you can't explain.

This DVD includes commentary by Robert Zemeckis, Steve Starkey and Rick Carter, but it would have been better if they had commentary by Tom Hanks. It also has behind the scenes, art design featurattes. This is a 2 disc set DVD, and widescreen. It also has the trailer and TV spots of the film. It also has interviews with the cast and crew. With Tom Hanks, Robert Zemeckis and more. This could have had better features though like the backstory they had on AMC. Other than that these special features are pretty good. You have to get this film or if you haven't seen it you need to watch this spectacular film. A definite must.

Rating:
Summary: And That's All I Have to Say About That
Review: Forrest Gump is a brilliantly executed film. From the first frame following a fluttering feather to the Forrest family finale. Director Robert Zemeckis craftily uses music, visuals and attitudes to take the viewer on a tour of three turbulent decades. Along the way he displays a cool hand for comedy and technology. The stand-out scenes in the film involve idiot savant Forrest meeting several Presidents and other celebrities. This is done by computer morphing "Forrest footage" in with the original archive footage. This deluxe DVD includes 2 new encounters, one with Forrest meeting Martin Luther King, Jr. and the other with Forrest playing Ping Pong with George Bush (Sr.). The filmmakers use special effects quite often to relay a very human story to us, and although they appeared better on the big screen, they still remain ground-breaking. FORREST GUMP offers across the board wonderful performances. Standouts include Sally Field as Mama Gump, Gary Sinise as Lieutenant Dan Taylor and Tom Hanks in the title role. This DVD set joins those few excellent DVDs that offer a plethora of great material that if you were to watch the film, all the documentaries, all the commentaries and visit all the galleries, it would take several informative hours. Still, with all of these glowing remarks I can only give the film 4 stars. What brings it down is the extreme, episodic storyline. Forrest Gump is what screenwriters call a 'traveling angel.' A character who doesn't change drastically over the course of the film but instead, changes several people around. Forrest touches several people on-screen from the obvious Mama Gump and wartime freind Lieutenant Dan to the less obvious teeshirt vendor, "Bear" Bryant, and President Richard Nixon... But, most of the stories magical energies are drained by the relationship with childhood sweetheart Jenny, one filled with total negative reality. This is also apparent in the screenplays use of asassination and death to benchmark the film. Both good screenplay devices but, the social comments are in no way enlightening Still, FORREST GUMP is an exceptional film in and out. Zemeckis who also helmed the BACK TO THE FUTURE trilogy has found a great dramatic cross-over film here. Watch for Young Haley Joel Osment (The Sixth Sense, A.I.) auditioning for Young Forrest! And that's all I have to say about that.

Rating:
Summary: A Wonderful and Unbelievable Story
Review: This Winner of 6 Academy Awards including Best Picture 1994 and Best Director-Robert Zemeckis, based on a novel by Winston Groom is still considered as one of the greatest and most beautiful movies ever made.
Tom Hanks gives an outstanding and powerful performance as Forrest Gump a disabled and mentally challenged boy that grows up to be a successful man accomplishing things most people never do and proving to the world that anything is possible when you have a big heart, positive mind, and people that love you.
The story is told by Forrest himself sitting on a bus stop bench telling it to anyone who listens. A story about a young boy with braces on his legs and a low IQ, but loved by his mama. A boy who grows up to be one of the best players in his college football team, gets to meet the president of the United States, joins the Army and receives a Medal of Honor for his heroism in Vietnam, becomes a World Ping-Pong Champion and starts a big business as a shrimp boat Captain. With his faith in God and mama's words, his love for Jenny, and friends like Bubba and Lieutenant Dan, Forrest will take you on an incredible and unbelievable journey of life and love.
Forrest Gump is a wonderful and heart-warming story that will show you that one person's will can make a difference and change the history and people's lives forever.
"My mama always said Life is like a box chocolates...you never know what you gonna get."

Rating:
Summary: Tom Hanks Was OK..........
Review: but the real star was Chiffonye Cobb. She was the brilliant black actress who played the reporter who followed Tom Hanks cross-country in his epic run across America. Her acting prowess was only exceeded by the amount of eyeliner she wore. I almost came when I heard her say one of the all-time classic lines, "Are you doing this for world peace?" The only fault was her lisp when sounding out the word "peace." I would give Miss Mack six out of five stars for her part. It is only too bad that she cast an extremely large shadow over Tom Hanks' character, whatever his name was. It is a shame that Chiffonye was not deemed talented enough to perform in any other movies.

Rating:
Summary: "There's pineapple shrimp, lemon shrimp, coconut shrimp,..."
Review: When I first saw the film "Forrest Gump" in a theater in 1994, I knew that director Robert Zemeckis had created a heart-warming masterpiece that would more than likely earn it Oscar recognition, and it certainly did. The endearing film follows the life of an educationally challenged man named Forrest Gump (Tom Hanks) from the time of his childhood (played by Michael Conner Humphreys) until early middle age. His mother (Sally Field) made sure that he would be treated just like everyone else so that he could take care of himself once she was gone. In addition to his learning disability, Forrest was required to wear leg braces as a child that made him the target of ridicule from other children, except for one girl named Jenny Curran (Hanna R. Hall). However, Forrest quickly discovered that his legs weren't that bad when he found an innate ability to run. When Forrest decided to join the U.S. Army, he meets his two best friends: a fellow recruit named Pvt. Benjamin Buford 'Bubba' Blue (Mykelti Williamson) and Lt. Dan Taylor (Gary Sinise). Bubba loved to talk about shrimp and Lt. Dan was raised to be a soldier. Forrest's relationship with Jenny, as well as his relationships with Bubba and Lt. Dan, led Forrest down several unexpected paths that allowed him to meet several pivotal historical figures.

Tom Hanks' superb performance as the loveable Forrest Gump earned him his well-deserved second Oscar for Best Actor. (He had previously won the Oscar for Best Actor for the 1993 film "Philadelphia", and has been nominated three other times.) Robert Zemeckis also earned the Oscar for Best Director, and the film itself won the Oscar for Best Picture as well as three other Oscars for Best Visual Effects, Best Editing and Best Writing. Gary Sinise earned an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor, in addition to six other Oscar nominations that included Best Cinematography, Best Music and Best Sound. Part of what "Forrest Gump" so endearing was Zemeckis' use of superimposing actors into actual, historical film footage. This footage included the late Pres. John F. Kennedy, the late John Lennon, the late Pres. Richard M. Nixon, and the late former Alabama Gov. George Wallace to name a few. (Robert Zemeckis used this same archival footage technique again in the 1997 film "Contact".) Other memorable characters in the film include school bus driver Dorothy Harris (Siobhan Fallon), Bubba's mother (Marlena Smalls), Abbie Hoffman (Richard D'Alessandro) and Forrest Gump Jr. (Haley Joel Osment).

Some of the many memorable scenes in the film include the opening scenes, running with leg braces, running across the football field during practice, scenes at the University of Alabama, boot camp, Vietnam, D.C., NYC, the shrimping boat, running across America, and the scenes with Jenny (both as child and adult). I regard "Forrest Gump" as one of the best films ever made and rate it with a resounding 5 out of 5 stars. It's the kind of film that draws the viewer into its story and keeps the viewer engaged throughout its 142 minutes. I highly recommend the DVD version of the film to everyone, and the second DVD is good with its various documentaries and other material. Tom Hanks went on to star in many more memorable film roles, including his roles in "Apollo 13" (1995), "Saving Private Ryan" (1998), "The Green Mile" (1999) and "Cast Away" (2000) to name a few. Unfortunately, many of Gary Sinise's film roles that followed have been far less memorable.

Rating:
Summary: One of the best movies by one of the best actors
Review: Forrest Gump is one of the most relateable characters in the history of film. His good nature takes him on many adventures and eventually leads him to find happiness in the most unlikely places. Tom Hanks is marvelous in the role, and the colorful character is complimented by Robin Wright as Jenny, Forrest's life long love, Sally Fields as Forrest's "Mama" who "always had a way of explaining things so that I (Forrest) could understand them", and Gary Sinise as the legless Lt. Dan.
The film is even better on this 2 disc DVD set. The special features on the second disc are in no way lacking. Production featurettes and behind the scenes footage combined with sound design, visual effect detail (Lt. Dan's legs were quite interesting!), and screen tests were quite impressive and satisfying. All in all, this great movie is a great addition to the DVD library and is a must have for anyones home DVD collection.

Rating:
Summary: CONSERVATIVE THEME
Review: "Forrest Gump" (1994), directed by USC alum Robert Zemeckis, was considered a fairly conservative film, featuring a breakout role by Tom Hanks.

STEVEN TRAVERS
AUTHOR OF "BARRY BONDS: BASEBALL'S SUPERMAN"
[e-mail]

Rating:
Summary: Great movie, mediocre film.
Review: Robert Zemeckis's film about a dim-witted Southerner who makes lemonade out of his sorely underdeveloped lemon is a lot of things, if not a great film.

Forrest Gump (the flawless Tom Hanks) is never taken seriously by anyone. He went to state university on a football scholarship, he fought in Vietnam (pronounced endearingly Southernly), he inadvertently uncovered the infamous Watergate scandal, he ran literally across the country, "just because," and he began one of the biggest shrimping boat corporations in history. All the while, he pined over a wrong-side-of-the-tracks stripper/drug addict (Robin Wright), and listened to the advice of his wise, sick mother (Sally Field). That's the plot in a nutshell. If you're searching for deeper meaning, don't bother.

The film is excruciatingly safe, respecting conservative, traditional Southern values while also endearing the need for social change and acceptance. So many events take place from beginning to end that it's nearly impossible to fit anything remotely artistic into the film, aside from rather strong performances from the aforementioned Hanks, Wright, and Gary Sinise, as Forrest's lieutenant-turned-business partner.

The Hollywood-like qualities of the film are tough to overcome-- most of the film is a flashback, for God's sake!-- but it's nevertheless hugely entertaining, and thus more of a great movie than a great film.