Forrest Gump

Forrest Gump: What’s my destiny, Mama?

LIFE IS LIKE A BOX OF CHOCOLATES

I am sure most of us who watched the movie would remember almost all the lines I mentioned above. After all most of it is from the most parodied movie character on the planet. Having watched this cinematic classic, not once, not twice, not 10 times but 33.33 times (dont ask me why!!), I have to write a review on this wonder. I always tend to watch this movie, whenever they show it. All the networks telecast it at least twice or thrice a year here. Why is this 6-time oscar winner (13 nominations and winners in best actor, director, editor, picture, visual effect, writing & screen play) considered one of the all-time great movies made? Is this just the story, filming, acting, music or what? If you look at this movie more closely, you will see that almost everything this movie has to offer is just brilliant. Was Tom Hanks worthy enough to win oscar? Yes. You bet!. Was Gary Sinise unfortunate to lose one? Yes. You bet!.

THE PLOT AND ANALYSIS

If you consider this movie’s core plot, it is about love and life. But indirectly this movie is about US history 101 through the eyes of a baby-boomer. This movie follows life of a low IQ person known as Forrest Gump (FG) and love of his life Jenny. Through his biography, the movie explores his accidental contacts with some of the most impacting and powerful people of US such as Elvis Presley, Kennedy, LB Johnson, Nixon, Vietnam war and the flower child’s movement. The director indirectly symbolizes the stupidity of FG to recognize the importance of his actions. In a way FG is a representative from the baby-boomer generation from US for having walked through blindly in life.

On the contrary, it tells you how to take life easily. How, even a person with low IQ, have wonderful morals and values to take life easily and live significantly insignificant. Most of us signify ourselves though we are insignificant. Many of us think, for the world you may be a single person. But to one person you are the world. This is like Peter Parker of spider man. For FG, Jenny is the world. For his mother he is the world. This movie intricately weaves the love and relationship with symbolized history as a means to bring forth the human emotions and values. It in a way indirectly attacks the Political actions of the past. This movie may let you believe to do things you are supposed to do even if you are a simpleton, dont worry. Do as you’’’’re told, dont question war, injustice, corruption, exploitation etc and America will reward you. Remember, if you do want to say anything of worth, make sure the microphone isn’’’’t working. This movie indirectly criticizes the Baby-boomer generation of America (Mind you, one of the richest, anywhere in the world)

ACTING

This movie is all about Tom Hanks. I am sure I will be the most ostracized person on earth if I say he was giving his second best performance in this movie (I believe so). If such a performance as FG is so daunting and mesmerizing, I wonder what this guy is capable of? Was this movie the crown jewel of his career? Possibly yes. He learnt his accent from a 13-year-old boy from south and practiced for month. Believe me, still there are ads and mockery of this accent and character. This alone symbolizes how well America loves this movie. His acting was out of the world. Too good for many mortals to bear, his acting in this movie is being analyzed by many film students around the world, so I hear.

I am sure you all will get a lump in your throat when it finally registers that he has a child. Watch his expression. Simply, outstandingly fantabulous!!

Sally Field as Mama Gump gives a two-thumbs-up performance, too

Gary Sinise is another impeccable character as a grunting Vietnam War vet. He should have won an Oscar for his once in a lifetime performance. He is simply outstanding.

Robin Wright-Penn as Jenny and Mykelti Williamson as Bubba act well too. So are the so many actors who have done their jobs well.

TECHNICALITIES

There are two more guys who have done an excellent job here. They are the director and the screenplay writer.

Eric Roth who won an oscar for this and missed out another for The Insider has done some exceptional job in this movie. Most of the catchy phrases and taglines themselves are self-explanatory. Need I say more? It was a double-oscar worthy effort.

Where art thou, Robert Zemeckis? I think this movie was the summit for RZ after his Back to the Future success. He has done an outstanding job. I heard he ad-libbed many of Tom Hanks comments into the script in a beautiful manner. He too deserved his oscar.

Another thing this movie is wildly famous for is the visual effect for which it was awarded too. The super-imposing and composting to generate the Computer Generated Images (CGIs) (Phew! I almost wrote Perl/PHP/Python), is simply outstanding. The guys at ILM did some great ground work prior to the other star movie, Jurassic Park. The Football stadium scene, War-Rally at Lincoln Memorial and the Ping-Pong Tournament scenes are just amazing. The technically lesser grades such as shaking hands with JFK and all are widely known. : )

Another thing I fell in love with is the music utilized in the movie. If you watch closely, Alan Sylvestri has beautifully interwoven the music of corresponding year with his own for the movie. The soundtrack is a big hit too.

Cinematography is also excellent. Just remember the scene where the feather floats into the air, at the beginning of the movie and also at the end.

CONCLUSION

All in all, this movie will get the maximum rating for all the categories that are there. This movie is an experience. Not once did I feel bored to watch this movie. Believe me, time is of importance to me too. I do not watch crappy movies again and again. This movie makes you laugh. Sometimes it will make you cry too. You learn a lot from this movie, if you are open. If you look for a full-action or a comic movie, this is not it. You cannot get enjoyment from other people’s pain. This movie succeeds immensely in that aspect. Though FG is a low IQ person, you become FG by the end of the movie. You crave for the sheer lingering he creates in you.