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I could watch this a thousand times and still not get tired of it. It's a classic for any generation and should be appreciated by all for what it is. I would consider this, along with Raiders and Empire Strikes Back, as Pantheon movies, meaning they are movies that I will never grow tired of, no matter what. When I watch these movies, they bring a mix of nostalgia, joy, thrills, and a sense of wonder. These movies are the reasons why I will always love cinema to the day I die.
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| 8 |
This movie is so overrated! I can not, and will not, understand how anyone could love this film. But you can obviously tell from my 3 star rating that I did like the film at least somewhat and that is true. However, there are far too many flaws in the movie to be anything above what I've given it. And the biggest problem of all time in almost any movie (that has some people liking it, not you Monster Man, sorry) is the bitch of a woman, Jenny.
Jenny is a horribly constructed character. Throughout the movie your constantly thrown back and forth between hating her and sympathizing with her, and by the end of the movie you can't feel sad for her death. Maybe a little, but barely. I honestly do not know why Robert Zemeckis would make such careless decisions such as this (and I do love the man, he's made some great movies, especially Back to the Future). She's a whore, liar, drug user, and all around disgusting person. Do I think the actress who played her is at fault? No, not really. It's the fault of the screenwriter for creating such a useless person. My god. Anyways...
Tom Hanks, although maybe slightly overrated as an actor in general, gives a pretty decent performance as Mr. Gump himself. Yes, all his classic lines are tiring by now, and his portrayal of a mentally handicapped man is no where near as brilliant as Dustin Hoffman's performance in Rain Man, but he gets the job done. He provides some decent laughs, heartwarming moments with Bubba, and more. The man has clearly seen better days though (Big and Saving Private Ryan ring a bell).
One of the great performances in the movie I thought though, was by Gary Sinise as Lieutenant Dan Taylor. His career basically went down hill from here, but hey, at least he has this on his record. Throughout the movie he seems to almost play several stereotypes of Lieutenants or emotionally scarred war veterans, but beyond his initial skin lies a truly captivating performance that draws us into his character and why he acts the way he does.
Oh yeah and Haley Joel Osment's in this too. The robot child. It's clear he was always one, even at a young age. There's no way he's human.
I'll probably write a longer review, maybe later, but before I wrap up I have to mention the story, the plot, the inexcusable mess. I understand Zemeckis's purpose in having Gump live through the various decades of American history, but still, its too scattered and non-detailed that you really just don't care. Gump will fly through an event like his run across the United States, and several important events in history will be brushed over in about 5 to 10 minutes. It's pretty lame and should have been addressed by the director and the screenwriter, but hey, whatever. They made a whole bunch of money off the movie. Why do they care?
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