#76 Forrest Gump

A.F.I. Ranking: 76

Director: Robert Zemeckis

Starring: Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Gary Sinise, Sally Field

Release Year: 1994

Brief Synopsis: Forrest Gump tells the story of Forrest, a boy with braces on his legs and a slow mind. This simple boy moves on to grow-up through some pretty great things in his life. He goes to college, Vietnam, becomes a ping-pong champ, runs across the country, and becomes a father. Through his adventures he stumbles across some pretty historical events and some pretty important people such as JFK and John Lennon. While all of this is fantastic, Forrest just wants to find his Jenny and live happily ever after.

My Thoughts: The DVD box calls this movie an epic and it definitely is. This movie takes the audience through the American history of the 1960s and 70s in a very unique way, as a backdrop to Forrest’s life. This movie has many great performances. It is funny, sweet, heartbreaking, and heartwarming all at the same time. It is filled with so many lines that have become a part of American language. Tom Hanks received an Academy Award for his performance, and rightfully so. As I watched this movie tonight I thought two things: one- they haven’t made great movies like this in a very long time, and two- “He sure does love his Dr. Pepper!”

Rating: List Worthy!