"I've made about 20 films and 5 of them are pretty good"-Tom Hanks.

"Forrest Gump" is one of the best movies of all time, guaranteed. I really just love this movie and it has such a special place in my heart. The performances are just so unforgettable and never get out of your head. The characters, I mean the actors turned into them and that's what got to me. The lines are so memorable, touching, and sometimes hilarious.

We have Forrest Gump(Tom Hanks),not the sharpest tool in the box, his I.Q. is right below the average scores. But his mama(Sally Field) believes that her boy has the same opportunities as anyone else and lets Forrest know that there's nothing that could hold him back. As a boy he is put into braces for his legs since he has a crooked back and really doesn't have too many friends. When he gets on a school bus for his first day of school, NO ONE will let him sit next to them. This scene is so heart breaking until you hear a little angel's voice "You can sit here if you want". Jenny, Forrest's best friend and crush, she looks so incredibly innocent and you love her because her and Forrest are like pea's and carrots. But we find out that there is an extremely unfortunate side to her life, she has a father that's "always kissing and touching her and her sisters". Forrest just assumes that it's a father's love since he doesn't have a dad that could show him that it's wrong.

Forrest and Jenny together walk every day from school and when these kids start throwing rocks at Forrest calling him stupid, Jenny just tells Forrest "Run, Forrest! Run!". He miraculously breaks the braces off his legs and run like the wind blows. Forrest meets many celebrities from his life that just happened to be there: Elvis Presley visited his house before hitting it big, President Kennedy honored him with a all American football award, President Johnson who honored him with a medal of honor for his actions in Vietnam, President Nixon(in which Forrest happens to discover a problem in the Water Gate Hotel because some people seem to be flashing lights around),and John Lennon through a talk show to talk about his medal of honor.

Forrest meets some interesting people along the way too that are even better than these celebrities combined; Bubba his Vietnam war friend who dreams of owning a shrimp boat one day and was born with big gums. He is just so wonderful and charming and won't stop talking about shrimp. Luteniet Dan, a leader of Forrest's army in Vietnam who gets saved by Forrest during a huge attack and looses his legs as a result. Luteniet Dan was by far my favorite character, he has so much pride and wants to die in Vietnam due to his family history tradition of dying in every single American war. He and Forrest make quite a pair. And of course there's Jenny, a very tragic figure, she gets more mean as she grows up because she knows that Forrest loves her, in some ways you can't blame her really. She was obviously abused and I think she felt that Forrest was too good for her or that he couldn't really give her the love she wanted. Robin Wright, what a beautiful and wonderful actress.

This movie is incredible and should be seen by everyone. I am not kidding, "Forrest Gump" is a remarkable movie and inspires everyone. It's not just about someone stupid who happens to be in great places and historic events just because of being in the right place at the right time. This story is beautiful and will inspire everyone to go the distance and see the world like Forrest did and will never give up on their dreams.

10/10

Please understand that despite my summary, I did enjoy this clever film. There was a lot to like. However, little of the film seemed Oscar-worthy and it probably should not be in the IMDb top 250. I think this is a great case of a very good film that has been prematurely elevated to greatness.

As far as the plot goes, with zillions of reviews on IMDb for this film, I won't even bother. The acting was very good, the special effects ranged from freakin' amazing (such as digitally removing Lt. Dan's leg--quite an achievement for 1994) to very, very poor (inexplicably, despite Forrest being expertly inserted in many scenes, the one with John Lennon was very sloppy and the seams were very, very obvious on the big screen). The negatives included a few problems with continuity (such as the happy face being supposedly invented by Gump in the late 70s--it had been around for nearly a decade already) and perhaps too much emphasis on episodes as opposed to story. Still, it's a very enjoyable film and one you can't help but like. But winning 6 Oscars?! It must have been a very, very slow year.

Forrest Gump, I think is a beautiful film. Never too schmaltzy, but there are some genuine tearjerkers like Forrest at Jenny's grave. The cinematography is stunning, the costumes are lovely and the scenery is gorgeous. The music is also very calm and relaxing, perhaps adding to the tone of this film. The screenplay is well crafted, and the story is simple. But what made this movie was its simplicity; it never tries to be too complex and is consequently moving. The acting is just as impressive; whilst Tom Hanks's accent is a little awkward in places, my only real criticism of this movie, he gives a truly remarkable performance, though I do think Morgan Freeman deserved the Oscar more for Shawshank. Robin Wright gives possibly the best performance of her career, and Sally Field is very dignified as Forrest's mother. The scene stealer though is Gary Sinise as Lieutenant Dan, a very moving and insightful performance. Overall, an extremely good movie, I will admit I wasn't sure whether I would like it, but the simple answer is this, I do. 9/10 Bethany Cox