Forrest Gump(Top 100)

For my movie I watched Forrest Gump. I have always heard form many people about how amazing the movie is and how it is almost universally beloved, and now I finally understand why. The movie is a true classic. At first it was difficult to determine what exactly the tone of the movie was. At some moments it was upbeat and comedic, making light with even some of the most serious topics. But at others the mood became deep and very very serious. Most films could not do this without it becoming confusing, but in this movie it is done perfectly. The character of Forrest, played masterfully by Tom Hanks, makes this particularly possible, as his world view puts things that we all know to be very serious and grim events in a different light. The characters in general are all beautifully constructed and perfectly executed, and they all play off one another to give this amazing depiction of the world and of life. In particular I found Gary Sinise as Lieutenant Dan to be particularly amazing. While many of the characters, including Forrest himself, remained mostly static throughout the movie, Lieutenant Dan provided an incredible dynamic character as he goes through despair and grief at being wounded yet alive, and in this despair he feels contempt for God and also at Forrest for a time. In this despair he provides a perfect foil to Forrest as the two interact, and at many times, he treats Forrest with scorn and contempt, but ultimately he stands up for him with the girls. He follows through on his mocking promise to be Forrest's first mate, and in the end, he quite literally becomes whole again, he gets new legs and, as Forrest says, he makes his peace with God, and winds up happy in spite of everything that happened to him, largely because of Forrest. He goes through the ups and downs of life just like most of us do, albeit to the extremes. While in many movies the protagonist is the person who grows and changes as the movie goes on, in this case Forrest remains more or less static throughout the film, and it is beautiful. Forrest faces the worst the world has to offer, and he encounters darkness and despair in situations and in people. But whether it's in Vietnam or with Lieutenant Dan or Jenny, Forrest remains exactly the same, a good, happy, loving person. And that is the thing that I think makes this movie so incredibly powerful. This "idiot" who seems like he would just be destroyed by the world, faces the darkness, the sadness, and the suffering in the world, and he beats it. He overcomes his own limitations, as well as some of the worst situations possible and prospers. Not only that, but he saves the people around him from lives of pain and despair, such as Jenny and Lieutenant Dan. In this story, the nice guy finishes first, and I think that's something everyone wants to see. This is easily one of the best movies I've ever seen, I would give it a 10 out of 10 and will definitely watch it again.