Forrest Gump

Quite simply, the greatest film ever made.

Humour, sadness, action, drama and a Vietnam film all rolled into one.

I'm not a stone cold, heartless villain, but it takes a lot to make me cry when I watch a movie. Bambi's mother, I couldn't care less. Jimmy Stewart in, "Oh, what a wonderful life," - yeah right! The Lion King, when Mufasa bites the big one - on the verge.

But seriously - I bawled my big brown eyes out, on several occasions in this film. A real tear-jerker, and a wonderful character, played to perfection by Tom Hanks. Every bit as worthy for the Oscar as Rooney was to win the Premiership in 2007.

I cannot say it enough: This is THE film of all time. Watch it, and you'll see.

This is a powerful yet charming movie; fun for its special effects and profound in how it keeps you thinking long after it's over. Like others, I've seen this movie more than once. One comment I've never heard is that Forrest's simplicity is almost zen-like. I should read the novel to get the author's intention (I remember some people preferring the book and complaining that no one at the Academy Awards gave him any credit.) But rather than an implication that you should do what you're supposed to do and believe in God and you'll win in the end, I see it as zen-like, i.e., living in the moment and not having expectations or particular cravings (other than his loving Jenny.) So he ends up just stumbling into all the major historical events of the time. Granted, he achieves this only because he doesn't have the brains to think otherwise and actually have expectations, but so many of our problems are because we do have higher intellect and desires, which ironically makes us unhappy because we know what we are missing. We love our cats and dogs for the same simplicity and always being in the moment. There's a line in the movie wondering if everything is predestined or happens randomly or it's a combination of both. It is something to mull over for a long time.

Every once in a while, something comes along that hasn't been done before. This movie is one of those things. First of all, we have a principal character whose take on life is one where you don't judge it; you live it. I know he's a film character. It doesn't matter because we use images such as these to inspire us and to give us our own way of treating each day. Forrest lets no grass grow under his feet. He is the consummate optimist. He doesn't complain because he sees early on that it does you no good. His life is one adventure after another, in and out of the public eye, but his shyness and demeanor don't ever get to his head. He is the epitome of patience, something sadly lacking in the lives of most Americans. He is pushed around by the gusts of time and always lands on his feet. His relationship with a troubled girl is the one consistent thing in his life, and that is also shows his pugnaciousness. There are some commentators and reviewers who call this character stupid. He is a slow processor, but his stability lies in his morality and his consistency. His mother raised him well.

Tom Hanks has become our new Jimmy Stewart. His roles are about human emotion and dedication. He is the everyman in many ways. Obviously, the subject matter has changed, but you can bank on his decision making when it comes to film.

The other heroes are the special effects people. They are able to make this work; to create an incredible world for him to function within. The news clips are quite marvelous. I usually put this film in my top ten.

When I first saw this movie I didn't appreciate it like I do now. I think it may have been because I was so young when I first saw it. Just recently I saw the movie again. What an amazing story and moving meaning. That movie teaches you so much about life and the meaning of it. That life isn't as bad as most people make it seem. That an innocent man can impact so many lives with his innocence. The meaning of the movie to me is that everyone needs to have a better outlook on life. That we need to appreciate more of the little things and not let the big things hold us back. That truly although life may throw us trials and tribulations like a box of chocolates but that we have to just bite into it and get through it even if we don't like it. That we all need to hold true to our values and not sink into a place that feels like there's no hope... I just love this movie. And anyone who hasn't seen it or who thinks that don't like it I seriously suggest seeing it or seeing it again. It truly is amazing...

I have seen this movie easily a half a dozen times, and I find that the beauty of the film is how Forrest Gump not only shares his innocence and purity with others, including the audience, he also manages to retain that innocence and purity through some very difficult times. As a Viet Nam veteran, and a college graduate of the late Sixties, I could of course personally relate to the various periods that Forrest Gump endures. I would only mention that the skillful and seamless blending of music, action, and period costume was enthralling. And yet it was so perfectly understated that Forrest Gump's travels through thirty five years of the stormiest and most meaningful years of American history only became clearly defined for the viewer. Even more so than the well known chocolates quote as a metaphor for life, I felt that the remark that stupid is what you do is probably more workable for most of us.