Sunday, July 16, 2006

Forrest Gump

The 1994 Robert Zemeckis film, Forrest Gump, is one of the best movies made in my lifetime. It helped Tom Hanks win his second Oscar in a row (his first was for playing a homosexual with AIDS who was unfairly fired from his job in 1993's Philadelphia). It also features Sally Fields (another two time Oscar winner), Gary Senise, and Robin Wright Penn (wife to Sean Penn). There are so many aspects to this film that make it noteworthy, which I will discuss here.

First of all, the acting is supreme. There is never a fake moment, or a moment that you remember that Forrest Gump is really Tom Hanks. Hanks, a gifted actor in my opinion, takes into account every facial movement, glance, and mannerism that Forrest relays on the screen. He really becomes a whole other person, which is what acting is all about. Some actors, like Dustin Hoffman, are extremely intense, living their characters until the shoot is officially over and done with. Tom Hanks, however, I feel is just naturally gifted. He goes in there and does a job. How many other actors would you go to see in a movie where it's him and a volleyball for two hours? Sally Field isn't anything new or special as Forrest's mother, but it's not asked of her to be something new. She is caring and very southern. Robin Wright Penn is very good as well as the extremely confused, messed-up friend of Forrest, Jenny. To play a character with a thought process like Jenny, you have to step outside yourself. She also somehow makes Jenny endearing. A person like that is really hard to like. They're unstable, undependable. She hurts Forrest (who everyone likes from the beginning). Gary Sinese also shines as Lieutenant Dan, Forrest's commander during his tour in Vietnam who looses his legs and is saved by Forrest.

The soundtrack of Forrest Gump is yet another aspect of the film that earns props from "Spoiler Alert". It is a 2-disc set full of contributions from every important popular musician from the 1950s until the 1980s. It includes Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, The Mama's and the Papa's, and the King himself. Alan Silvestri also provides a beautiful score, including "The Feather Suite", which is a song instantly recognized by many today.

The history lesson taught by Forrest Gump is one that can be appreciated by both the Baby Boomers and their children. While the Baby Boomers can comment on the reality of the situations, the children can learn about the one era of history that their teachers can never quite get to in class. Important figures such as John F. Kennedy, John Lennon, and Elvis Prestley are met by Forrest. Topics such as the Vietnam War, Civil Rights, and AIDS are discussed (AIDS is the mystery illness that Jenny dies from, assumed from the myriad activities she is involved in throughout the film). The editing, especially for the time, is excellent and the film has seemingly universal appeal.

This is a rental for almost the entire family, barring any small children.

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