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Day 37: June 6th, 2010

Forrest Gump




A Film Everyone Should Watch.

So my good friend Powdered Water recommended Forrest Gump for me in my last attempt at this, I didn't get a chance to get to it. Now I have and that's one more off the list. Sooner or later, every film that was recommended to me will be watched, as long as I can get a copy of it.

Forrest Gump tells the story of, well Forrest Gump. The man was born with some disabilities, but he has overcome them and somehow seems to be present at a lot of historical moments. He's in love with his childhood friend Jenny, who constantly eludes him.

The film that beat my favourite film of all time at the Oscars. I'm not hating it, I think that both films deserved the title. Forrest Gump is something else. It seems to have been one of those, right place at the right time flicks. Everything about it simply works, it's heartwarming, funny, intelligent and depressing.

Tom Hanks gave us an unforgettable performance that goes down in history as one of the greatest. He is lost in this character and Gump takes a life of it's own. Probably one of the most lovable characters in the history of cinema. Jenny, the woman of his affections is played by Robin Wright Penn, her performance is almost saddening. Her life is constantly spiraling out of control and you can do nothing to stop it. Gary Sinise is hilarious as Lt. Dan, the hard ass in the army who loses his legs. We love to hate it at the beginning, then we come around, much like his character.

Speaking of losing legs, despite the film not needing a heavy load of CGI, it uses it beautifully. Inserting Gump into old footage and giving Sinise the lack of legs among other things. These are small things compared to what people are doing today, but Zemeckis has always been one to push technology in films, here he does it very well and never does it encompass the film. The story is forefront, something that he needs to get back into.

Forrest Gump is an everyman film. Meaning the almost everyone will like it. Some political messages may turn people the other way, but the overall feel of the film is something that a lot of people share. Every once in a while there is one film that touches a lot of people, I think Forrest Gump is one of those films. Even though the film goes off in many different directions, it works. Forrest in the army in one segment, then running around the country in another? I love it.