Aside from all of the moral philosophy, the biggest plot point of Forrest Gump is that if the title character had really existed, he would be the most important person of our time. Not only did he invent Elvis Presley's highly censored leg performance movements; he was a war hero who won the Congressional Medal of Armor; he was the best runningback in the history of the University of Alabama; he improved relations with China through his ping pong skills; he created a shrimping business that became a household name (which is remarkable, as there is no shrimping business that is a household name); and he started a movement where he ran back and forth across the country for over three years, and became national news, inspiring people with his running. Not to mention he met three consecutive presidents. All of these accomplishments, and it's all from a man with an IQ of 75.

All of that being said, there really is no plot to "Forrest Gump", and if there was, it'd be described as "Forrest Gump goes through life." But nonetheless, the film succeeds in being great, mainly because of Tom Hanks' excellent performance, and all of the great quotes Eric Roth's script provides for us, the screenplay being taken from Winston Groom's novel. This is Hanks at his best- when an actor plays someone who is merely a differently scripted version of himself, it's a fairly easy acting job. I wouldn't call David Carradine a great actor just because of his performance in Kill Bill, because he himself said that Bill is the way he walks and talks. But Hanks is a fairly intelligent man, and his IQ is definitely far above that of Forrest's. His performance as an age 17 to 40something mentally challenged character is more convincing than you'd believe.

You'll walk away from the film remembering several quotes. The most popular one, and you've probably heard it whether or not you've seen the movie, is Forrest's mother's (Sally Field) saying, "Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get." Then there's, "Stupid is as stupid does." Stuff like that just gets to you, even as cheesy as it can sound sometimes. The conversational dialogue, one could say, is even better- at one point, Lieutenant Dan (Gary Sinise) asks Forrest, "Have you found Jesus yet, Gump?" and he answers, "I didn't know I was supposed to be looking for him, sir." The script manages to make the film very dramatic, while at the same time making it very funny. It's one of those all-genre mixers. Forrest's final monologue to his wife at the end of the film almost brings tears to my eyes every time. It's an amazingly powerful scene.

I must say, though, that I'm quite surprised every time that I am reminded that Robert Zemeckis is the film's director. Generally, Zemeckis' movies tend to be less artistic, and more focused on intensity (i.e., "Back to the Future", "Contact", "What Lies Beneath"), but his skill just shines through in every shot of "Forrest Gump". As Forrest does travel through the sixties, seventies, eighties, and nineties, it's difficult to capture all of these time periods correctly, but Zemeckis does it with remarkable angles, creating lasting impressions in every scene. His war scene is moving, the shots of Forrest running are beautiful, and the way he films Forrest's final monologue is incredible. This is his best film, hands down.

If there's any grudge I hold with "Forrest Gump", it's that it beat out one of my favorite movies, "Pulp Fiction", in the race for Best Picture at the 1995 Academy Awards. I guess that shouldn't bother me much, since the Academy is a corrupt, despicable organization in the first place, but... Forrest Gump? Best Picture? Why? I swear, the world just seems like it's going to hell sometimes...

Rating: A

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older