Forrest Gump Review: Tom Hanks’ Iconic Hero Still Captivates After 30 Years

Robert Zemeckis’s comedy drama, starring Tom Hanks, is being rereleased to celebrate its 30th anniversary. In this film, Hanks plays Forrest Gump, a savant-patriot from the fictional Greenbow, Alabama. The movie, adapted from Winston Groom’s bestseller from the Reaganite 80s, landed during Bill Clinton’s presidency and even includes a nod to Clinton’s hometown, Little Rock, Arkansas.

Every time I revisit this film, I tell myself I won’t get caught up in its sentimental, politically naive fantasy. Yet, it always manages to charm me. The film is perfectly paced and acted, looks fantastic, and Tom Hanks delivers a performance with a kind of needling genius. His portrayal, despite the peculiar voice, is enthralling. Each movement and facial expression resonate, especially the memorable scene where he dives off his shrimping boat upon hearing of his mother’s illness.

However, there’s one aspect of the film that I find hard to forgive. Forrest’s true love, Jenny (played by Robin Wright), contracts a picturesque form of AIDS and dies sacrificially. It feels like a punishment for her past of drug use and radical associations, contrasting with Forrest’s wholesome lifestyle. This, coupled with her childhood abuse, makes me wonder why she couldn’t have survived in the end.

Forrest Gump is a story of an innocent child with learning difficulties who grows up in 1950s Alabama. His mother, portrayed by Sally Field, goes to great lengths to ensure he gets a good education, even seducing a school board inspector. Forrest faces bullies, but his incredible speed earns him a football scholarship and later, a medal for bravery during the Vietnam War, which he volunteered for.

In the army, Forrest forms a deep friendship with “Bubba” Blue (Mykelti Williamson). After his service, he becomes a ping-pong champion and later finds success in the shrimping business with his former commanding officer, Lieutenant Dan (Gary Sinise). Forrest’s fame continues to grow when he starts running across America, gaining media attention, yet the public remains largely unaware of his wealth and previous acclaim. Throughout all of this, he never stops longing for Jenny.

This film is peculiar in many ways, highlighting both Forrest’s incredible fame and his ordinariness. You can draw parallels with Hal Ashby’s “Being There” (1979) or Woody Allen’s “Zelig” (1983), but without the satire. There’s an element of artless, dopey wisdom in Forrest’s accidental involvement in major historical moments.

“Forrest Gump” fits into a tradition of white gothic-schmaltz, akin to the works of John Irving in literary fiction and cinema. However, in this film, the sentimentality is particularly pronounced. “Forrest Gump” epitomizes Hollywood filmmaking at its most indulgent, offering a rich, sugary experience that requires a taste for sweetness.

Forrest Gump is in UK cinemas from 19 July.

Source: Guardian News and Media