Forrest Gump (1994)
TOMATOMETER
AUDIENCE SCORE
Critic Consensus: Forrest Gump may be an overly sentimental film with a somewhat problematic message, but its sweetness and charm are usually enough to approximate true depth and grace.
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Cast
as Forrest Gump
as Jenny Curran
as Lt. Dan Taylor
as Bubba Blue
as Mrs. Gump
as Forrest Jr.
as Young Forrest Gump
as Young Jenny Curran
as Himself
as Nurse at the Park Bench
as Wesley
as Barber
as Crony
as Crony
as Principal
as Louise
as Elderly Woman
as Elderly Woman's Daughter
as Southern Gentleman
as Young Elvis Presley
as School Bus Driver
as School Bus Boy
as School Bus Boy
as School Bus Boy
as School Bus Girl
as President Johnson
as Red Headed Boy
as Boy with Cross
as Fat Boy
as Jenny's Father
as Jenny's Grandmother
as Police Chief
as Red Headed Teen
as Richard M. Nixon
as Fat Teen
as Teen with Cross
as College Football Coach
as High School Football Coach
as High School Football Coach
as Jenny's Babysitter
as Recruiter
as Kick Off Return Player
as Newscaster
as Earl
as Black Student
as Lt. Venetti
as Black Student
as Woman with Child on Park Bench
as Jenny's Date
as 1st Local Anchor
as University Dean
as Army Recruiter
as Army Bus Driver
as Bus Recruit
as Bus Recruit
as Bubba's Mother
as Bubba's Great Grandmother
as Drill Sargeant
as Barracks Recruits
as Topless Girl
as Emcee
as Club Patron
as Club Patron
as Club Patron
as Club Patron
as Pick-Up Truck Driver
as Helicopter Gunman
as Sargeant Sims
as Dallas
as Cleveland
as Tex
as Fat Man on Beach
as Army Hospital Male Nurse
as Mail Call Soldier
as Wounded Soldier
as Wounded Soldier
as Army Nurse
as 1st National Correspondent
as Hilary
as Isabel
as Veteran at War Rally
as Abbie Hoffman
as Policeman at War Rally
as Black Panther
as Black Panther
as Hippie at Commune
as Hollywood Boulevard Girl
as Hollywood Boulevard Girl
as Man in VW Bug
as Chinese Ping Pong Player
as Carla
as Lenore
as Musician Boyfriend
as 4th National Correspondent
as Discharge Officer
as Stanley Loomis
as Drugged Out Boyfriend
as 2nd Local Correspondent
as 2nd Local Anchor
as Elderly Southern Woman
as 3rd Local Anchor
as Waitress in Cafe
as Running Double
as Hannibal Reporter
as Hannibal Reporter
as Hannibal Reporter
as Taxi Driver
as Young Man Running
as Aging Hippie
as Wild Eyed Man
as The Minister
as Lieutenant Dan's Fiancee
as Jenny Curran
as Doctor
News & Interviews for Forrest Gump
Critic Reviews for Forrest Gump
All Critics (88) | Top Critics (22) | Fresh (63) | Rotten (25) | DVD (14)
A dark and driven work, haunted by violence, cruelty and a sense of the tragically absurd.
So afraid to dredge up debate that when Forrest is handed a mic at an antiwar rally, someone unplugs the speakers so we can't hear him - fitting for a movie with nothing to say.
It's most successful when it is being off-center, a state of grace it doesn't quite have the nerve to maintain.
This isn't the meaningful movie it pretends to be. But as a goofy entertainment that speeds through the latter half of the 20th century, stopping here and there to snap a photo or two, Forrest Gump does just fine.
Good as Wright and Sinise are in their roles as Forrest's near-suicidal soulmates, the movie always comes back to Hanks, and director Robert Zemeckis helps him to achieve some of his finest emotional moments.
The movie's technical tricks are great fun, as is its musical soundtrack, which captures the essences of the eras it traverses. But when you come right down to it, it's the oddly magnetic personality of Forrest himself that is the biggest draw.
Audience Reviews for Forrest Gump
With a fine performance by Tom Hanks, this is a refreshing feel-good movie that is always fun and charming, even if sometimes sentimental and a bit vague about its purpose - and if you are able to overlook its flaws, you will find a captivating story of innocence and optimism.
Super Reviewer
Forrest Gump: Jenny, I don't know if Momma was right or if, if it's Lieutenant Dan. I don't know if we have a destiny, or if we're all just floatin' around accidental-like on a breeze, but I, I think maybe it's both. Maybe both is happenin' at the same time. "The story of a lifetime." Forrest Gump is a beautiful film and definitely is the film that Robert Zemeckis and Tom Hanks are most known for. It's one of those rare movies that everyone has seen and just about everyone loves. It's a classic and it's not hard to see why. The movie takes on the simpleness of it's title character, Forrest Gump. It's not flashy, it's simple, and the simpleness is beautiful. Forrest Gump is an unintelligent, but interesting man. He was born in Alabama where he grows up with his friend, Jenny, and his mother. Forrest sits on a bus stop bench, telling strangers his life story. How he played football at the University of Alabama, how he went to Vietnam, how he met presidents, and how he has always loved his friend Jenny. Forrest's journey puts him at many important events during the sixties and seventies, and the movie surrounds the story of Forrest with civil rights issues, the hippy generation, and just about all the other major news of those decades. It does so in a very good way too, allowing the audience to see it as Forrest does. How can you watch a movie so brazen with soul and warmth and not just love it. It's a comedy and a drama. It's funny, sad, and inspiring. It's one of those films you can watch a million times over and still get that same feeling you had the first time you watched it. It just is everything you want in a movie. Tom Hanks is brilliant and Zemeckis' direction is incredible. It isn't just a story of a man, but of the generation he was apart of. The brilliance of how these two different elements are put together is what makes Forrest Gump the lovable and great movie it is. If you're one of the few people who haven't seen Forrest Gump, all I can say is, watch it.
Super Reviewer
A nice enough concept, fairly well pulled off but is mainly crushed by its own sentimentality and heavy handed emotional manipulation (not to mention ham-fisted politics). Good revision for your 20th century American history exam, otherwise watch Big Fish instead.
Super Reviewer
Forrest Gump Quotes
| Forrest Gump: | You died on a Saturday mornin'. And I had you placed here under our elm tree. And I had that house of your father's bulldozed to the ground. Momma always said dyin' was a part of life. I sure wish it wasn't. Little Forrest, he's doin' just fine. About to start school again soon. I make his breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day. I make sure he combs his hair and brushes his teeth every day. Teachin' him how to play Ping-Pong. He's really good. We fish a lot. And every night, we read a book. He's so smart, Jenny. You'd be so proud of him. I am. He, uh, wrote a letter, and he says I can't read it. I'm not supposed to, so I'll leave it here for you. Jenny, I don't know if Momma was right or if, if it's Lieutenant Dan. |
| Forrest Gump: | I don't know if we each have a destiny, or if we're all just floatin' around accidental-like on a breeze, but I, I think maybe it's both. Maybe both is happenin' at the same time. I miss you Jenny. If there's anything you need. I won't be far away. |
| Forrest Gump: | Life is like a box a chocolate, you never know what your going to get. |
| Forrest Gump: | Mama always said life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get. |