Forrest Gump

Forrest Gump
This film has been preserved in the National Film Registry in 2011.
"My mama always said, 'Life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get'." - Forrest Gump.
Genre: Comedy Drama Directed by: Robert Zemeckis Produced by: Wendy Finerman Steve Tisch Steve Starkey Written by: Eric Roth Winston Groom Based on: Forrest Gump by Winston Groom Starring: Tom Hanks Robin Wright Gary Sinise Mykelti Williamson Sally Field Cinematography: Don Burgess Editing: Arthur Schmidt Music by: Alan Silvestri Production company: The Tisch Company Distributed by: Paramount Pictures Release date: June 23, 1994 (Los Angeles) July 6, 1994 (United States) Runtime: 142 minutes Country: United States Language: English Budget: $55 million Box office: $678.2 million

Forrest Gump is a 1994 American comedy-drama film directed by Robert Zemeckis and written by Eric Roth. It is based on the 1986 novel of the same name by Winston Groom and stars Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Gary Sinise, Mykelti Williamson and Sally Field. The film differs substantially from the novel.

Forrest Gump was released in the United States on July 6, 1994, and received critical acclaim for Zemeckis' direction, performances (particularly those of Hanks and Sinise), visual effects, music, screenplay, and sad and emotional moments. The film was an enormous success at the box office; it became the top-grossing film in America released that year and earned over US$678.2 million worldwide during its theatrical run, making it the second-highest-grossing film of 1994, behind The Lion King. The soundtrack sold over 12 million copies. Forrest Gump won six Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor for Hanks, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Visual Effects, and Best Film Editing. It received many award nominations, including Golden Globes, British Academy Film Awards and Screen Actors Guild Awards.

Plot

Slow-witted Forrest Gump (Tom Hanks) has never thought of himself as disadvantaged, and thanks to his supportive mother (Sally Field), he leads anything but a restricted life. Whether dominating on the gridiron as a college football star, fighting in Vietnam or captaining a shrimp boat, Forrest inspires people with his childlike optimism. But one person Forrest cares about most may be the most difficult to save -- his childhood love, the sweet but troubled Jenny (Robin Wright).

Why It's Like a Box of Chocolates

1. The premise of an intellectually disabled man who ends up witnessing and unwittingly influencing several defining historical events in the 20th century United States is very unique and creative.
2. Brilliant directing from Robert Zemeckis.
3. Excellent acting, such as Tom Hanks as Forrest Gump.
4. Awesome editing.
5. Forrest Gump himself, is a very cute, adorable, loveable, and relatable character and it makes his achievements throughout the movie feel all the more earned.
6. The supporting characters are also pretty likeable, especially Forrest's mom, Bubba, and Lieutenant Dan.
7. The romance between Forrest and Jenny is very emotional.
8. The soundtrack is great, including Hound Dog, Sweet Home Alabama, Fortunate Son, and more.
9. Has a lot of funny moments from time to time.
   • It also has a lot of heartwarming moments.
10. Many memorable quotes, such as:
    • Life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get.
    • Hello. My name's Forrest, Forrest Gump. You want a chocolate?
    • Run Forrest, Run!
    • Stupid is as stupid does.
    • I'm pretty tired... I think I'll go home now.
    • He got a daddy named Forrest, too?
      • You're his daddy, Forrest.
    • Shit happens.
    • Why don't you love me, Jenny? I'm not a smart man... but I know what love is.
    • Mama always said, dying was a part of life. I sure wish it wasn't.
    • You have to do the best with what God gave you.
    • Sometimes, I guess there just aren't enough rocks.
    • My mama always said you can tell a lot about a person by their shoes, where they going, where they been.
    • Lieutenant Dan got me invested in some kind of fruit company (Apple). So then I got a call from him, saying we don't have to worry about money no more. And I said, that's good! One less thing.
11. This movie teaches an incredibly inspiring moral: You can do anything you dream of regardless of whether you're disabled or not.
12. A lot of moments are very emotional such as Bubba's and Jenny's death, making this movie more than likely to make audiences and viewers cry.
13. As stated, the film expertly balances humor and sadness, making this film extremely rewatchable.
14. Surprisingly enough, the product placement works really well.
15. Beautiful cinematography.
16. Beautiful score composed by Alan Silvestri.
    • Even one of it's musical scores is also likely to make audiences and viewers cry such as the Suite theme for instance.
17. The visual effects is very impressive for 1990s standards.

Bad Qualities

1. Jenny typically isn't a fondly remembered character due to how harshly she treated Forrest and how she never cared about his feelings. (Then again, she was a victim of abuse and sexual assault for her father, which clearly traumatized her, so she isn't completely in the wrong)
2. Tom Hanks' performance as Forrest can get awkward at times.

Reception

Forrest Gump received critical acclaim for Zemeckis' directing, Sinise's and Hanks' performances, the visual effects, the music, the screenplay, and it's sad and emotional moments. The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported that 72% of critics gave the film a positive review, with an average rating of 7.36/10, based on 98 reviews. The website's critical consensus states, "Forrest Gump may be an overly sentimental film with a somewhat problematic message, but its sweetness and charm are usually enough to approximate true depth and grace". At the website Metacritic, the film earned a rating of 82 out of 100 based on 20 reviews by mainstream critics, indicating "universal acclaim". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film a rare "A+" grade.

Awards & Nominations

The film has won six Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor for Hanks, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Visual Effects, and Best Film Editing.

Trivia

• An Indian remake, Laal Singh Chaddha was announced starring Aamir Khan as the titular character. The film started production after acquiring the remake rights in October 2019. However production was halted in March 2020 owing to COVID-19 pandemic in India before resuming during mid-September 2020 in Delhi, due to which, the film initially scheduled for a Christmas 2020 release – was delayed. It was theatrically released on August 11, 2022 and was be distributed by Paramount Pictures worldwide, who also funded the production, making it the first official Indian remake produced by Paramount as Padmaavat was distributed by Paramount Pictures worldwide. However, it recieved mixed reviews from critics and audiences alike.

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