Forrest Gump (1994) is a quintessential classic. This cinema masterpiece rightfully deserves a spot in history, and I dare anyone to tell me why it shouldn't. Read here why I think that is the case!
Starting out in beautiful Savannah, Georgia, we find Forrest Gump waiting on a bench for the bus (I've seen this bench in person). As more people sit beside him, he tells his life story.
Let's get this out of the way. Tom Hanks is perfect in every way in this role. He is emotional, sad, happy, comedic and so much more compiled into this one role. Was Morgan Freeman in The Shawshank Redemption or John Travolta in Pulp Fiction great? Of course they were, but Tom Hanks won over them for best actor. There should not have been any other outcome.
Speaking of this subject, Gary Sinise did not win for his role as Lieutenant Dan. I argue that not only should he have won, but I think his performance is just as good as Tom Hanks. Also, we can't leave out Mykelti Williamson as Bubba. He is an underrated actor. Imagine my joy when I was watching the FX television show Justified, and he appeared.
The plot is unique and interesting. While it derives some aspects from the book, the movie script changed multiple plot points for the better. See? This is an example of the movie being way better than the book for all you naysayers. I bet most of you didn't know there even was a book. I cannot possibly hit everything I love about this movie, so here are a few. The Bubba Gump's Shrimping Company storyline is one of my favorites. Forrest basically gets lucky and has a monopoly on shrimp in the area after a storm.
Also, I've been to the restaurant and quite enjoy the food and atmosphere. Anything involving Lieutenant Dan is fantastic. You believe him. You believe he wanted to die and not be paralyzed in Vietnam. You believe he will help Forrest with shrimping. You believe he turns his life around finding the love of his life. He's a world talent in ping pong, he meets multiple presidents, he's an all-American football player and so much more. Forrest runs across America just because. This section ends unconventionally with just deciding to go home leaving everyone bewildered.
Another interesting part I think about a lot is the character of Jenny. She's not a good person at least for most of her life. She is not redeemable until the end but even then she may only be marrying him because of having aids. She kept his kid a secret from him for years. She would toy with him and then leave over and over again. To be fair, you aren't supposed to see her as a saint anyways. I come around each time though when Forrest is speaking at her grave. You all know which scene I mean.
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