Despite some low-key humour and the satirical approach to the whole plot, it’s basically quite a sad story. There are no villains, there isn’t even really a storyline as such, yet it’s a wonderful film. Tom Hanks is superb as Forrest, as is Michael Conner Humphreys who plays him as a child. It’s a celebration of an ordinary person who is not good-looking or intelligent, yet achieves beyond most people’s wildest dreams. The ending is bittersweet but overall encouraging.

Highly recommended to adults and older teenagers. ( )

Hard not to see it as saccharine allegory but affecting nevertheless. ( )

One of my all-time favorite movies, which I have seen countless times. The beautiful relationship between Forrest and Jenny, all the subtle humor, the clever placement of Forrest within so many monumental historic American events, the scenes on the park bench. I could go on and on about my love of this movie. ( )

The young life of an idiot who can run fast.

It's mostly entertaining, but it's so very dumb. If the movie had just been about Forrest, it could have been pretty good. Instead it's a sort of aimless nostalgia-fest for baby boomers, bathed in disgustingly bad philosophy.

Concept: D
Story: D
Characters: A
Dialog: B
Pacing: B
Cinematography: C
Special effects/design: A
Acting: A
Music: D

Enjoyment: C plus

GPA: 2.5/4 ( )

Substance: See the internet and other reviews.
Style: Ditto. The interjection of Forrest Gump into actual historical video footage was technically superb. Tom Hanks portrays the just-under-normal-intelligence hero superbly.
Diatribe: (spoiler alert) I know we are supposed to feel sorry for Jenny and understand that she is "messed up" and that's why she keeps kicking Forrest in the head, psychologically, but I did not like the way she trampled on his feelings out of her own selfishness. Maybe she didn't want to burden Forrest with her problems, or maybe she just didn't want the dummy to be really involved in her life because that would interfere with her self-expression. The movie does not make this clear. However, to keep Forrest's child away from his father and only bring him back when she got terminally ill shows that she never, ever, really understood Forrest. Not at all.
Worth watching for the ping-pong exhibitions. ( )