Forrest Gump (1994)

My Review

The Best Picture of 1994 is…..”Forrest Gump.” Tom Hanks plays the title role of the slow-witted and friendly Gump who sits at bus stops and tells his unlikely story to anyone who will listen. Everything from giving a young Elvis Presley hip-swinging lessons to meeting three U. S. Presidents (Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon) to being one of the first investors in Apple Computers seems far-fetched. However, it is not only believable but wildly entertaining in the hands of Hanks, director Robert Zemeckis (“Romancing the Stone” 1984), and screenwriter Eric Roth.

Co-stars include Sally Field as his mum, Robin Wright as his girl friend, Gary Sinise as his platoon leader, Mykelti Williamson as Bubba, Haley Joel Osment as Forrest Gump Jr., Sam Anderson as Principal Hancock, Geoffrey Blake as an SDS member, Sonny Shroyer as Bear Bryant, Siobhan Fallon Hogan as Forrest’s bus driver, Grand L. Bush as a Black Panther, Peter Dobson as Elvis Presley, Kurt Russell as the voice of Elvis, and Dick Cavett as himself. This was Haley Joel Osment’s feature film debut.

The very watchable “Forrest Gump” was the second highest grossing film of 1994 for The Tisch Company and Paramount Pictures. It was primarily shot in South Carolina, North Carolina, and Georgia, with additional scenes filmed in California, Utah, and Maine. “Forrest Gump” was nominated for thirteen Academy Awards, winning six – Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (Hanks), Best Screenplay, Best Film Editing, and Best Visual Effects. Non-winners include Best Supporting Actor (Sinise), Best Cinematography (Don Burgess), Best Original Score (Alan Silvestri), Best Art Direction, Best Makeup, Best Sound, and Best Sound Effects.

Remember – “Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what your going to get.”