Forrest Gump (1994)
★★★★½ — Forrest Gump (1994)
Forrest Gump arrived in cinemas in the summer of 1994 and, fairly quickly, became one of those films that lodges itself in the cultural memory whether you want it to or not. Released by Paramount Pictures and produced by Wendy Finerman Productions and The Steve Tisch Company, it is based on Winston Groom's 1986 novel of the same name. The premise is deceptively simple: a man from Alabama, not blessed with a high IQ but possessed of uncommon decency and an almost supernatural capacity for good fortune, finds himself present at one defining moment of twentieth-century American history after another. War, politics, sport, pop culture, none of it is off limits. It is part comedy, part drama, part romance, and it runs for a generous 142 minutes without ever quite feeling like it.
Robert Zemeckis directed the film at a point in his career when he was one of Hollywood's most commercially sure-footed filmmakers, and he would return to work with his leading man again six years later on Cast Away. Zemeckis handles the film's tonal range with real confidence, moving between broad comedy and genuine heartache without it feeling clumsy or forced. The visual effects work, particularly the sequences placing Forrest within real archival footage, was technically ambitious for its time and gave the film much of its distinctive personality. The screenplay was written by Eric Roth, who adapted Groom's novel considerably, and the result is a script that became quotable almost overnight ("life is like a box of chocolates" being only the most obvious example).
The cast is doing some of its best work here. Tom Hanks, who had already won an Academy Award for Philadelphia the previous year, plays Forrest with a warmth and stillness that could easily have tipped into parody but never does. Hanks is an actor whose considerable range across genre you can follow in reviews here on the blog, from The Da Vinci Code to Angels & Demons, and Forrest Gump represents him operating at something close to his peak. Robin Wright is quietly excellent as Jenny, the film's emotional centre, and her performance gives the romantic thread its weight. Gary Sinise plays Lieutenant Dan in what became a career-defining role, while Sally Field brings a lived-in tenderness to the role of Forrest's mother. Mykelti Williamson, as Forrest's best friend Bubba, contributes one of the film's most memorable and genuinely funny supporting turns. It is, across the board, a polished but heartfelt ensemble.
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.
For me, that instinct to resist crowning it an all-time personal favourite is honest and fair enough, but there is no real arguing with the film's craftsmanship or its emotional pull. The soundtrack alone earns its place in the conversation, and the way it uses American music as a kind of shorthand for entire decades is one of the cleverer things about it. If you are working your way through the drama films reviewed on this site, something like Sugar Cane Alley makes for an interesting companion piece, very different in tone and scale but equally committed to its characters. Forrest Gump is the kind of film that people tend to have strong feelings about, one way or the other, and if my honest position is somewhere between affection and full-blown devotion, well, life is what it is. Run, Forrest.
Rating: ★★★★½ | Year: 1994 | Watched: 2025-04-13
Trailer
▶ Watch the official trailer for Forrest Gump (1994) on YouTube
Where to watch
Watch in the UK
Stream: Paramount Plus · Paramount+ Amazon Channel · ITVX Premium · Paramount Plus Premium
Rent: Apple TV Store · Rakuten TV · Amazon Video · Google Play Movies
Buy: Apple TV Store · Rakuten TV · Amazon Video · Google Play Movies
Physical: Amazon UK · Zavvi
Watch in the US
Stream: Paramount Plus Premium · Paramount Plus Essential · Paramount+ Amazon Channel · Wonder Project Amazon Channel
Rent: Amazon Video · Apple TV Store · Google Play Movies · YouTube
Buy: Amazon Video · Apple TV Store · Google Play Movies · YouTube
Physical: Amazon US
Affiliate disclosure: Movies With Macca may earn a small commission on purchases or subscriptions started via these links. It costs you nothing extra.
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)
