12. Forrest Gump

RUN FORREST RUN! Some of us may have yelled these infamous words at someone when encouraging them to run faster. I know I have. Forrest Gump (1994) is an autobiographical narrative in which we follow the life of an Alabama man with a low IQ of 75 through various events: the presidencies of Kennedy and Johnson, the war in Vietnam, Watergate and more historical episodes which have impacted the modern world today. Forrest has a childhood sweetheart and we see this relationship unfold over the years.

This film is an adaptation from a Winston Groom novel of the same name published in 1986. The story is loosely based on the lives of two real people. One of whom is Sammy Lee Davis, a Vietnam War veteran. Forrest Gump is directed by Robert Zemeckis who wrote Back to the Future (1985) and produced the Polar Express. We get to enjoy a stellar performance from Tom Hanks as the protagonist as he embodies the character of Forrest with great fervour. His performance contributed to the film making $677m at the box office, however it failed to make a profit (LA Times). He won an Academy Award for best actor in this role.

I had seen this film repeatedly on video when I was young and have fond memories of watching it, pressing rewind, waiting 5 minutes for the tape to go back to the start before hitting play again. Upon re-watching, a detail I had missed from when I was a child, is the fact that Forrest Gump is named after his ancestor Nathan Bedford Forrest, a Civil War general and first Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK). Apparently, Mrs. Gump named him this to remind him that “sometimes we all do things that just don’t make no sense”. The irony here lies in that naming your child after the first Grand Wizard of the KKK just don’t make no sense.

Despite this odd aspect, the film is well thought through, but strives to remain as impartial as possible about history. This feature divided critics with LA Weekly saying Forrest Gump is “afraid to dredge up debate”. I feel that avoiding debate provides a form of escapism from the often harsh realities of life, which is what films are designed to do. With a well written script and artful humour we can enjoy the innocence of the films character.

I scored this film 75/100. Even though it is 2h22m long, the story moves quickly and hooks you, keeping you guessing. Quotes from this film resonate with you, “Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get” and have become a part of pop culture. The script is simple and easy follow making it a great film that people of all ages can enjoy.

Judging Criteria

SCRIPTURAL INTEGRATION - 20 points: 15

STORY/SCREENPLAY - 10 points: 7

DIRECTOR - 10 points: 7

CINEMATOGRAPHY - 10 points: 7

EDITOR - 10 points: 7

PRODUCTION DESIGN - 10 points: 7

ORIGINAL MUSIC SCORE or SCORE EFFECTIVENESS (if not original) - 10 points: 8

SOUND DESIGN - 10 points:8

ACTING - 10 points: 9

TOTAL SCORE 100 POINTS. : 75