'Momma always said life is like a box of chocolates,' says Forrest Gump, sitting at a bus stop bench talking to anyone who'll listen. 'You never know what you're gonna get'. Momma's talking nonsense, of course. You know exactly what you're going to get in a box of chocolates. You just have to read that little piece of card inside the lid. But that's exactly the sort of logical thinking that would completely ruin this gem of a film, so I'll stop it right now.
Tom Hanks plays the lovable simpleton whose life story, originally imagined in the novel of the same name by Winston Groom, is tracked in this modern day parable. Despite a lowly IQ of just 75, he breezes completely unfazed from one instance of remarkable good fortune to the next, becoming a college football star, a Vietnam war hero, a ping-pong champion, a shrimp boat captain, a cross-country runner and eventually an unaffected millionaire. It's no wonder the film stretches well past the two-hour mark.
Subtle but hugely effective special effects place Forrest slap-bang in the middle of real historical footage, enabling us to see him shake hands with JFK, sit alongside John Lennon on a chat show and being recommended a stay in the Watergate Hotel by President Nixon. His ongoing unconditional love for childhood sweetheart Jenny (Robin Wright) provides a constant backdrop to Forrest's thoughts and actions, and is also the source of some overly-sickly melodrama. Hanks, though, is perfect in the role, borrowing a little from his innocence-driven performance in 'Big' and garnering audience affection like it's the oldest trick in the book.
There's also a fine supporting cast including an on-form Gary Sinise as the troubled Lieutenant Dan, Mykelti Williamson as the big-gummed shrimp-obsessive Bubba, and Sally Field as Forrest's oft-quoted Momma.
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