“Forest Gump”

Forest Gump is a sprawling period piece, starting in Forest’s childhood in the 1950s and covers everything from the Vietnam War to the early success of Apple computers. In essence, the film is a history lesson of the last half of the twentieth century seen through the eyes of a simple man.

Forest’s story begins in Alabama, where, as a child, he has to overcome a spinal disability and a low IQ, with the help of his loyal and optimistic mother (Sally Field). Despite his disabilities, Forest never seems to be held back. His skill at football gets him into college, where he has a first-hand look at the desegregation of white schools. Then he goes to Vietnam and becomes a war hero. He falls in love with his childhood sweetheart, Jenny (Robin Wright), despite the mistakes she makes in life; like becoming a stripper and getting mixed up with the Black Panthers.

The film handles all these intense themes with a sense of humour. While the punch lines are well delivered, thanks mainly to Robert Zemeckis’s direction, the jokes downplay their severity. Perhaps this is intention, as the audience is supposed to witness these things through Forest’s eyes. Nevertheless, the film is overly sentimental and overacted, including Tom Hanks who won an Oscar. There are simply too many history lessons, so that watching the film is like eating a box of chocolates, at first it tastes good, but consuming the whole thing in one sitting will make you puke.