Forrest Gump

Critics 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.

72%

TOMATOMETER

Total Count: 98

95%

Audience Score

User Ratings: 1,244,237
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Movie Info

"Stupid is as stupid does," says Forrest Gump (played by Tom Hanks in an Oscar-winning performance) as he discusses his relative level of intelligence with a stranger while waiting for a bus. Despite his sub-normal IQ, Gump leads a truly charmed life, with a ringside seat for many of the most memorable events of the second half of the 20th century. Entirely without trying, Forrest teaches Elvis Presley to dance, becomes a football star, meets John F. Kennedy, serves with honor in Vietnam, meets Lyndon Johnson, speaks at an anti-war rally at the Washington Monument, hangs out with the Yippies, defeats the Chinese national team in table tennis, meets Richard Nixon, discovers the break-in at the Watergate, opens a profitable shrimping business, becomes an original investor in Apple Computers, and decides to run back and forth across the country for several years. Meanwhile, as the remarkable parade of his life goes by, Forrest never forgets Jenny (Robin Wright Penn), the girl he loved as a boy, who makes her own journey through the turbulence of the 1960s and 1970s that is far more troubled than the path Forrest happens upon. Featured alongside Tom Hanks are Sally Field as Forrest's mother; Gary Sinise as his commanding officer in Vietnam; Mykelti Williamson as his ill-fated Army buddy who is familiar with every recipe that involves shrimp; and the special effects artists whose digital magic place Forrest amidst a remarkable array of historical events and people. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
  • Rating:
    PG-13 (for drug content, some sensuality and war violence)
  • Genre:
    Comedy, Drama, Romance
  • Directed By:
    Robert Zemeckis
  • Written By:
    Eric Roth
  • In Theaters:
     wide
  • On Disc/Streaming:
  • Box Office:
    $330,000,000
  • Runtime:
  • Studio:
    Paramount Pictures

Cast

Tom Hanks
as Forrest Gump
Robin Wright
as Jenny Curran
Gary Sinise
as Lt. Dan Taylor
Mykelti Williamson
as Bubba Blue
Sally Field
as Mrs. Gump
Haley Joel Osment
as Forrest Jr.
Michael Conner Humphreys
as Young Forrest Gump
Hanna R. Hall
as Young Jenny Curran
Ellen Lewis
Dick Cavett
as Himself
Rebecca Williams
as Nurse at the Park Bench
Geoffrey Blake
as Wesley
George Kelly
as Barber
Bob Penny
as Crony
John Randall
as Crony
Sam Anderson
as Principal
Margo Moorer
as Louise
Ione M. Telech
as Elderly Woman
Christine Seabrook
as Elderly Woman's Daughter
John Worsham
as Southern Gentleman
Peter Dobson
as Young Elvis Presley
Siobhan Fallon Hogan
as School Bus Driver
Alexander Zemeckis
as School Bus Boy
Logan Livingston Gomez
as School Bus Boy
Ben Waddel
as School Bus Boy
Elizabeth Hanks
as School Bus Girl
Tyler Long
as Red Headed Boy
John William Galt
as President Johnson
Christopher Jones
as Boy with Cross
Grady Bowman
as Fat Boy
Kevin Mangan
as Jenny's Father
Fay Genens
as Jenny's Grandmother
Frank Geyer
as Police Chief
Joe Alaskey
as Richard M. Nixon
Rob Landry
as Red Headed Teen
Jason McGuire
as Fat Teen
Pete Auster
as Teen with Cross
Sonny Shroyer
as College Football Coach
Brett Rice
as High School Football Coach
Ed Davis
as High School Football Coach
Daniel Striepeke
as Recruiter
Mary Ellen Trainor
as Jenny's Babysitter
Bruce Lucvia
as Kick Off Return Player
David Brisbin
as Newscaster
Kirk Ward
as Earl
Aaron Michael Lacey
as Lt. Venetti
Angela Lomas
as Black Student
Timothy Record
as Black Student
Deborah McTeer
as Woman with Child on Park Bench
Mark Matheisen
as Jenny's Date
Al Harrington
as 1st Local Anchor
Bob Harks
as University Dean
Don Fischer
as Army Recruiter
Kenneth Bevington
as Army Bus Driver
Michael Flannery
as Bus Recruit
Gary Robinson
as Bus Recruit
Marlena Smalls
as Bubba's Mother
Kitty K. Green
as Bubba's Great Grandmother
Afemo Omilami
as Drill Sargeant
Matt Wallace
as Barracks Recruits
Dante McCarthy
as Topless Girl
Paulie DiCocco III
as Emcee
Mike Jolly
as Club Patron
Michael Kemmerling
as Club Patron
John Voldstad
as Club Patron
Jeffrey Winner
as Club Patron
Russ Wilson
as Pick-Up Truck Driver
Daniel J. Gillooly
as Helicopter Gunman
Calvin Gadsden
as Sargeant Sims
Aaron Izbicki
as Dallas
Michael Burgess
as Cleveland
Steven Griffith
as Tex
Bill Roberson
as Fat Man on Beach
Michael McFall
as Army Hospital Male Nurse
Eric Underwood
as Mail Call Soldier
Stephan Derelian
as Wounded Soldier
Byron Minns
as Wounded Soldier
Bonnie Ann Burgess
as Army Nurse
Oliver Scott
as 1st National Correspondent
Hilary Chaplain
as Hilary
Isabel Rose
as Isabel
Jay Ross
as Veteran at War Rally
Richard D'Allesandro
as Abbie Hoffman
Dick Stilwell
as Policeman at War Rally
Kevin Davis
as Black Panther
Michael Jace
as Black Panther
Tim Perry
as Hippie at Commune
Vanessa Roth
as Hollywood Boulevard Girl
Emily Carey
as Hollywood Boulevard Girl
Paul Raczkowski
as Man in VW Bug
Valentino
as Chinese Ping Pong Player
Tiffany Salerno
as Carla
Marla Sucharetza
as Lenore
Aloysius Gigl
as Musician Boyfriend
Jack Bowden
as 4th National Correspondent
Lazarus Jackson
as Discharge Officer
Benson W. Terry
as Stanley Loomis
Matt Rebenkoff
as Drugged Out Boyfriend
Peter Bannon
as 2nd Local Correspondent
Joe Washington
as 2nd Local Anchor
Nora Dunfee
as Elderly Southern Woman
Natalie Hendrix
as 3rd Local Anchor
Hallie D'Amore
as Waitress in Cafe
Jim Hanks
as Running Double
Chiffonye Cobb
as Hannibal Reporter
Juan Singleton
as Hannibal Reporter
Bobby K. Richardson
as Hannibal Reporter
Michael Mattison
as Taxi Driver
Lenny Herb
as Young Man Running
Charles Boswell
as Aging Hippie
Tim McNeil
as Wild Eyed Man
Lonnie Hamilton
as The Minister
Teresa Denton
as Lieutenant Dan's Fiancee
Hanna Hall
as Jenny Curran
Harold G. Herthum
as Doctor
Tommy Johnson
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Critic Reviews for Forrest Gump

All Critics (98) | Top Critics (28) | Fresh (71) | Rotten (27)

  • It remains a bad movie that gets worse with age.

    Jul 5, 2019 | Full Review…

    Eric Kohn

    indieWire
    Top Critic

  • I can't see how people with low I.Q.s or those who love them are in any way comforted by all this hogwash. I can easily see how such people might be offended by its smug unreality.

    Feb 20, 2019 | Full Review…

    Stanley Kauffmann

    The New Republic
    Top Critic

  • Contrasting Forrest's unassuming innocence with the upheavals and rancor of the times, the film is a wisely goofy commentary on the stupidity of smartness.

    Jul 9, 2018 | Full Review…

    Duane Byrge

    Hollywood Reporter
    Top Critic

  • Forrest Gump, the new Tom Hanks movie directed by Robert Zemeckis, is a one-of-a-kind treat.

    Apr 26, 2018 | Full Review…

    Jay Carr

    Boston Globe
    Top Critic

  • A dark and driven work, haunted by violence, cruelty and a sense of the tragically absurd.

    Feb 17, 2015 | Rating: 4/4 | Full Review…

    Dave Kehr

    New York Daily News
    Top Critic

  • 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.

    Sep 3, 2014 | Rating: C | Full Review…

    Amy Nicholson

    L.A. Weekly
    Top Critic
View All Critic Reviews (98)

Audience Reviews for Forrest Gump

  • Sep 09, 2016
    This movie is about as perfect as you can get. It is fascinating seeing this simple man make his way through some of the more turbulent times in American history. But with how innocent Forrest Gump is, he doesn't feel the gravity of all of the important events he is a part of. Tom Hanks is perfect in the lead role and there is not an actor in a supporting role that I can find fault in their performance. Sally Field, Robin Wright, Gary Sinise, Mykelti Williamson, and on and on and on. The cast was amazing. I never miss a chance to catch this when it is on TV and it continues to be my favorite movie of all time.
    Patrick W Super Reviewer
  • Mar 24, 2016
    Sometimes it's funny, sometime it's sad. It wasn't too much to handle and I had a lot of fun watching this film. However I thought it overstayed its welcome a little bit too much and I think I would cut some scenes out of the movie. It was also more violent than I thought it would be and I couldn't help notice one small scene with nudity in it.
    Tarin P Super Reviewer
  • Feb 24, 2016
    Forrest Gump is beautiful, has a lot of heart and is very well acted. This might be Tom Hanks's best performance, he is so convincing with his role and everyone else does a good job as well. Forrest Gump is very sentimental but all in the right ways and is one of my favourite movies of all time!
    Mr N Super Reviewer
  • Nov 22, 2015
    "Forest Gump" is one of my all time favourite drama's. "Forest Gump" has got incredible acting from "Tom Hanks" and "Robin Wright". "Forest Gump" has an amazing/sad plot to it which is "Forest Gump" is not a very intelligent boy, but he has great listening skills. When he is on the bus to his first day at school he meets a girl named "Jenny Curran" who goes on to be his best friend throughout all his schooling years. The special effects in this movie are great, everything that happens looks normal, nothing looks like the back a green screen. "Forest Gump" has got sad music to go with the sad scenes which just makes them better and better. If you haven't seen "Forest Gump" I definitely recommend you watch this classic. I give "Forest Gump" a 9.5/10.
    Steve G Super Reviewer
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