Forrest Gump (1994)
★★★★½ — Forrest Gump (1994)
Robert Zemeckis directed Forrest Gump at the height of his commercial powers, coming off theBack to the Future trilogy and What Lies Beneath still some years ahead, with this 1994 Paramount release landing squarely in the middle of a prolific, effects-driven phase of his career. The film adapts Winston Groom's 1986 novel of the same name, which itself was a modest, sardonic book quite different in tone from what ended up on screen. At a $55 million budget it was a sizeable studio bet, though the returns were extraordinary, with nearly $680 million at the worldwide box office making it one of the biggest films of the decade. Tom Hanks had won the Best Actor Oscar the previous year for Philadelphia, and won it again for this, a back-to-back achievement only one other actor (Spencer Tracy) had managed before him.
And then, for no particular reason... I went for a run. Forrest Gump is a great film. No two ways about it. Great film. It's alternate history, but it's entertaining as heck. Great soundtrack, great moments in Americana, great acting by Tom Hanks, Sally Field and others. This is my best friend's favourite film and I wouldn't go THAT far but it's certainly up in the top echelon from the 90s.
Rating: ★★★★½ | Year: 1994 | Watched: 2025-04-13
Where to watch (UK)
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Related on Movies With Macca
More from Robert Zemeckis: Cast Away (2000)
More with Tom Hanks: Toy Story 4 (2019) · Inferno (2016) · Angels & Demons (2009) · The Da Vinci Code (2006)
More from the 1990s: Lessons of Darkness (1992) · Shinjuku Boys (1995) · Blue (1993) · Cemetery Man (1994)
More comedy: The Eagle (1925) · The General (1926) · Americana (2023) · The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988)
More drama: Viy (1967) · Wonder (2017) · A Better Tomorrow (1986) · Beautiful Boy (2018)
