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Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Gary Sinise, Mykelti Williamson, Sally Field ... see more see more... , Michael Conner Humphreys , Hanna R. Hall , Joe Alaskey , Sam Anderson , Geoffrey Blake , Charles Boswell , Michael Burgess , Dick Cavett , Peter Dobson , Nora Dunfee , John William Galt , Harold G. Herthum , Mike Jolly , George Kelly , Jason McGuire , Byron Minns , Afemo Omilami , Bob Penny , Paul Raczkowski , Brett Rice , Sonny Shroyer , Mary Ellen Trainor , John Voldstad , Joe Washington , Jeffrey Winner , David Brisbin , Hallie D'Amore , Peter Bannon , Stephen Wesley Bridgewater , Kevin Davis , Ellen Lewis , Siobhan Fallon , Al Harrington , Gary Robinson , Haley Joel Osment , Don Fischer , Aaron Michael Lacey , Valentino

"Stupid is as stupid does," says Forrest Gump (played by Tom Hanks in an Oscar-winning performance) as he discusses his relative level of intelligence with a stranger while waiting for a bus. Despite ... read more read more...his sub-normal IQ, Gump leads a truly charmed life, with a ringside seat for many of the most memorable events of the second half of the 20th century. Entirely without trying, Forrest teaches Elvis Presley to dance, becomes a football star, meets John F. Kennedy, serves with honor in Vietnam, meets Lyndon Johnson, speaks at an anti-war rally at the Washington Monument, hangs out with the Yippies, defeats the Chinese national team in table tennis, meets Richard Nixon, discovers the break-in at the Watergate, opens a profitable shrimping business, becomes an original investor in Apple Computers, and decides to run back and forth across the country for several years. Meanwhile, as the remarkable parade of his life goes by, Forrest never forgets Jenny (Robin Wright Penn), the girl he loved as a boy, who makes her own journey through the turbulence of the 1960s and 1970s that is far more troubled than the path Forrest happens upon. Featured alongside Tom Hanks are Sally Field as Forrest's mother; Gary Sinise as his commanding officer in Vietnam; Mykelti Williamson as his ill-fated Army buddy who is familiar with every recipe that involves shrimp; and the special effects artists whose digital magic place Forrest amidst a remarkable array of historical events and people. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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93% liked it

1,119,247 ratings

Critics

71% liked it

63 critics

PG-13, 2 hr. 22 min.

Directed by: Robert Zemeckis

Release Date: July 6, 1994

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DVD Release Date: August 28, 2001

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Stats: 91,359 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (91,359)

  • blacksheepboy
    November 22, 2012
    blacksheepboy
    A very refreshing feel-good movie that is always entertaining and compelling, even if sometimes it is sentimental and seems a bit vague about its purpose. If you are able to overlook its flaws, you will find it a captivating story of innocence and optimism.
  • fb1686480544
    October 27, 2012
    fb1686480544
    A nice enough concept, fairly well pulled off but is mainly crushed by its own sentimentality and heavy handed emotional manipulation (not to mention ham-fisted politics). Good revision for your 20th century American history exam, otherwise watch Big Fish instead.
  • CloudStrife84
    August 7, 2012
    CloudStrife84
    Epic in scope and triumphant in spirit, Forrest Gump is a larger-than-life piece of film-making, that scored home an impressive 6 Oscars in 1995, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor in a Leading Role.

    It revolves around the eventful and remarkable life of... read more a mentally, and for some time physically challenged man, who looks at the world through very unique and innocent eyes, as he becomes part of some of the key events that shaped America as a nation. Famous historical figures like Elvis, John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon and John Lennon, are just some of the people that he encounters on his grand and amazing journey.

    Director Robert Zemeckis is a magician behind the camera, delivering world-class visual story-telling that truly captures the heart and mind in really spell-binding ways. So much love and passion have gone into its making, and it's one of those rare cinematic miracles, where all parties involved have dedicated themselves fully to create the best experience possible.

    Ascended by a beautifully orchestrated music score (together with some great classics from the eras it portrays), it hits all the right notes at all the right moments. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll maybe even feel inspired. For there's nothing in this tour-de-force of a film that isn't absolutely stirring.

    It's been almost 20 years since its release now, yet the special effects still hold and look as fantastic as ever. They way they've integrated Forrest into real historical footage, is incredibly well-done and nearly seamless in its crafting. Some things even look more convincing than the wizardry of modern features.

    However visually compelling it may be though, it's in the acting where it truly dazzles. Tom Hanks' sensational, award-winning performance, is definitely one of the best, if not the greatest of feat his entire career. I would say it stands between this and his heart-gripping turn as an AIDS victim in Jonathan Demme's Philadelphia.

    You certainly can't complain about the supporting cast either. Sally Field, Robin Wright, Gary Sinise and Mykelti Williamson, evoke tremendous pathos and sympathy, with their exceptionally written and terrifically acted characters. Michael Conner Humphreys is really wonderful as well, as Forrest in his younger years.

    Cynics may have issues with how far-fetched the story is, but I don't think it matters much in the larger perspective. I'm more than willing to suspend all disbelief, for such a majestically conceived and viscerally powerful piece of drama. And I'm sure that goes for a lot of us.

    A movie about love, loss, war and human behavior. About discovering your inner potential and overcoming your limitations, even when everything seems against you and abscent of hope. For within Forrest Gump dwells a ray of pure inspiration, with the message that life is what you make of it. We may not all come to shake hands with the President or amount to champions in ping-pong, but we all possess the power to make the best of what we have. Timeless, magical, moving and uplifting, this movie is a celebration of all that and more!
  • fb100000293612769
    July 28, 2012
    fb100000293612769
    It's well done and funny. The character, though performed brilliantly by Hanks, verges on obnoxious.
  • aquateen2
    April 27, 2012
    aquateen2
    [img]http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/user/icons/icon14.gif[/img]

    It's almost overwhelming but isn't, and flawed in some places. Forrest Gump is typically formulaic in terms of Oscar's bait and unbearably long but it's the fine direction and performances that keep the ... read morefilm from becoming boring. The titiluar character played by Hanks is constantly and consitently interesting and although it's patriotism and lack of plot is ofputting it's still a heartwarming story with on occasions a little bit of edginess.
  • fb1664868775
    March 1, 2012
    fb1664868775
    Zemeckis is channeling Frank Capra's ghost on this one. Regardless who you are , this film will surely emit some kind of emotion from you.
  • fb100000716838411
    February 1, 2012
    fb100000716838411
    Seeing the world through your eyes isn't the same unless you've first seen the world through forrest Gump's eyes. Tom Hanks plays the role of Forrest Gump, a good-natured, down to Earth man with a very low IQ. Summarizing this movie in a review is almost impossible because so muc... read moreh happens in this movie. Forrest finds his first love, he fights in Vietnam, he becomes a Ping-Pong champion, he starts a shrimping business and he runs across the country. And to be honest, that's not even half of what he does in this movie. There is a very small amount of major characters, but that works to the film's advantage. When the audience knows so little characters and their personalities, it makes it easier for a connection to be felt for the characters since there isn't a large amount of major characters with forced characteristics. Robin Wright does a great job playing Jenny, Forrest's one and only love. Mykelti Williamson plays Bubba, a friend of Forrest in Vietnam and the one who is responsible for Forrest starting a shrimping business. He does a good job with his limited screen time. Sally Field plays Forrest's mom and does very well in her role, and Gary Sinise plays the stubborn, but likable Lt. Dan Taylor in his Oscar nominated performance. (He should've won though.) Forrest Gump is a mixture od genres. It's a drama, a romance story, a comedy and in the war scenes, a pretty decent acion film. A large number of historical events are shown in the movie and Forrest ends up being involved in alot of them, which has some very funny results. For example, Forrest ends up being responsible for the discovery of Nixon's spies in the Watergate Hotel, leading to the Watergate Scandal. This film is everything you could hope for in a movie. It's funny, sad, brilliantly written, superbly acted (Tom Hanks deserves that Oscar.) and visually entertaining. This film is a masterpiece and anything but "Overrated."
  • TheGame90
    January 7, 2012
    TheGame90
    Possibly the most overrated movie of all times. No big deal. Hanks does what he does best. But I've seen him do much better things than this. It's a good movie and a good story and so on...but just very overrated. I liked though how they edited him into old video clips...that was... read more fun...
  • scottgreen96
    October 28, 2011
    scottgreen96
    So many different places are discovered through Forrest's eyes and has earned the respect of everyone who haas layed eyes on this wonderfully peaceful and simplistic being, it's concept is simple, but it's detail is deep.
  • spielberg00
    October 1, 2011
    spielberg00
    Tom Hanks gives a brilliant performance as the title character in Robert Zemeckis's Academy Award-winning comedy/drama FORREST GUMP, but I continue to hold my ground that Will Ferrell and Adam Sandler could have easily done better.

    This film is the tale of a man, suffering from ... read moremental retardation since the beginning of his childhood, who is sitting on a bench, apparently waiting for his bus, when he decides to tell his life story to anyone who sits down next to him. Routinely, he introduces himself to each new person (some seeming interested, others seeming to care less), and continuing his story from where he had left off with the previous person. Forrest Gump's story tells about Bubba, a man who he met in war and immediately befriended; his "mama", who he references many times throughout the film, especially in the famous quote, "Mama always told me, 'Life is like a box of chocolates: you never know what you're gonna get"; and Jenny, the love of his life who he is intending to visit.

    Many say this really should not have won the Academy Award for Best Picture. I don't think I have seen any of the other 1994 nominees, but for now, I beg to differ. Though imperfect in its own ways, this film is a gem, and rarely do I say that. It's one to be watched over and over.

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Critic Reviews

Michael Wilmington
February 20, 2013
Michael Wilmington, Chicago Tribune

This tall tale may reach monumental proportions, but Forrest Gump always keeps its magical airiness and grace. Full Review

Gene Siskel
February 20, 2013
Gene Siskel, Chicago Tribune

Credit for the success of the film has to start with director Robert Zemeckis, who has taken his Back to the Future and Who Framed Roger Rabbit success and parlayed it into a more mature, yet equally ... Full Review

Anthony Lane
February 20, 2013
Anthony Lane, New Yorker

Warm, wise, and wearisome as hell. Full Review

David Ansen
May 12, 2008
David Ansen, Newsweek

For all its ambition, the movie ends up using great historical events in the service of a dubious sentimentality. Full Review

Todd McCarthy
January 28, 2008
Todd McCarthy, Variety

A picaresque story of a simpleton's charmed odyssey through 30 years of tumultuous American history, Forrest Gump is whimsy with a strong cultural spine. Full Review

Jonathan Rosenbaum
February 5, 2007
Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader

Judging by the the movie's enduring popularity, the message that stupidity is redemption is clearly what a lot of Americans want to hear. Full Review

January 26, 2006
Time Out

As this mawkish conservative movie ultimately goes to prove: ignorance is bliss. Full Review

Stephen Holden
May 28, 2003
Stephen Holden, New York Times

Forrest Gump has the elements of an emotionally gripping story. Yet it feels less like a romance than like a coffee-table book celebrating the magic of special effects. Full Review

Rita Kempley
January 16, 2002
Rita Kempley, Washington Post

Skillfully adapted by screenwriter Eric Roth, the story belongs in the company of such sweet classics as Rain Man and Harvey. Full Review

Peter Travers
May 12, 2001
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

A movie heart-breaker of oddball wit and startling grace.

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    • Forrest Gump: Hello. My name is Forrest. Forrest Gump.
    • Forrest Gump: Mama always said life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get.
    • Forrest Gump: The Army was real easy. You just have to stand up straight, make your bed real neat, and always answer every question with 'Yes, Drill Seargent!'.
    • Lt. Dan Taylor: Have you found Jesus?
    • Forrest Gump: I didn't know we were supposed to be looking.
    • Drill Sergeant: You are a goddamn genius Gump!
    • Forrest Gump: Though he did take care of my Bubba- Gump money. He got me invested in some kind of fruit company. And so then I got a call from him saying we don't have to worry about money no more.
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Forrest Gump Trivia

  • what came up on the board when forrest gump was playing football?  Answer »
  • Note the Quote: "I may not be a smart man, but I know what love is"  Answer »
  • "Run, Forrest, run!!!" Is a repeated quote in which award winning movie?  Answer »
  • Name the movie this memorable quote is from: "Life's a box of chocolates, Forrest. You never know what you're gonna get."   Answer »
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