4. Forrest Gump
Release Date: July 6th, 1994
Director: Robert Zemeckis
Starring: Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Gary Sinise, Sally Field, Mykelti Williamson
Random Cameo: Haley Joel Osment! Well, it’s a bit more than a cameo, but yes, Forrest Gump’s son is indeed played by the Oscar nominated Sixth Sense star. This was before he could see dead people.
First Time I Saw It: I don’t think I saw this in the theater. Or maybe I did? I don’t know, I might be confusing this one with Mr. Holland’s Opus. Regardless, I saw this when I was ten years old. I loved it back then, and I love it now.
Why I Ranked It So Highly: This movie went up against Pulp Fiction and The Shawshank Redemption, two movies that could arguably rank #1 of best movie ever made if you took a national poll of people over 26. I know I’m alone on an island, but the Academy made the right call on this one. This is better than both those movies. While it probably just misses out on my top ten movies of all time, Forrest Gump is a perfect film. There is nothing wrong with this movie. It’s perfectly paced. Perfectly acted. It’s beautiful. Robert Zemeckis doesn’t get enough credit as a director. This guy has done a lot of iconic films, and there is no doubt he should be right up there with Spielberg and Scorsese. No question.
Why I Love It: I revisit this movie at least once every couple of years, and I’m always astonished at how well it holds up. I love all the quotable lines. I love the epic nature of the story. But most of all, I love this character. Other than Rocky Balboa, Forrest Gump might be the most likable/rootable character you’ll ever find on screen. Tom Hanks delivers one of my favorite performance of all time. It’s hilarious. It’s heartbreaking. The score is whimsical. It’s one of those movies that makes you appreciate all the working parts that go into filmmaking. This film won six Academy Awards, including four of the big ones, and it deserved all of them. People can hem and haw all they want about Hanks beating Morgan Freeman that year, but not me. I cannot praise this movie enough. It’s filmmaking at its finest. –Daniel Cohen
