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Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.

Forrest Gump
Paramount Pictures


9.1

based on 19 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

based on 163 votes
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Rate this movie

FILM:

Internet Movie Database

MPAA RATING: PG-13

Starring Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Gary Sinise, Mykelti Williamson, and Sally Field

A sweeping look at thirty tumultuous years of American history seen through the eyes of the charmed simpleton Forrest Gump (Hanks).

GENRE(S):	Drama
WRITTEN BY:	Winston Groom (novel) Eric Roth
DIRECTED BY:	Robert Zemeckis
RELEASE DATE:	DVD: August 28, 2001 Video: September 10, 1996 Theatrical: July 6, 1994
RUNNING TIME:	142 minutes, Color
ORIGIN:	USA

Received 13 Academy Award nominations in 1995, and won six of those, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (Hanks), and Best Adapted Screenplay. Grossed an astounding $329.7 million in the U.S. after an opening weekend of just $24 million.

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100

ReelViews James Berardinelli

Passionate and magical, Forrest Gump is a tonic for the weary of spirit.

100

Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

What a magical movie.

100

Chicago Tribune Michael Wilmington

Clean up the language, and this little roach of a movie could play the bottom half of a double bill with Rowan and Martin's “The Maltese Bippy.” [26 March 1999, Life, p.9E]

Washington Post Rita Kempley

Zemeckis, an undisputed master of film technology, shows off an equal aptitude for vivid storytelling.

Film.com John Hartl

This is an ambitious movie that attempts too much rather than too little.

Rolling Stone Peter Travers

A movie heart-breaker of oddball wit and startling grace.

Chicago Reader Jonathan Rosenbaum

The results are skillful, highly affecting, and ultimately more than a little pernicious.

Variety Todd McCarthy

Manages the difficult feat of being an intimate, even delicate tale played with an appealingly light touch against an epic backdrop.

Austin Chronicle Robert Faires

A remarkable balance of sentimentality and harshness, darkness and light.

USA Today Mike Clark

Doesn't sound like a very prepossessing title, but prepare to be taken aback by "what's in a name." [6 July 1994, Life, p.1D]

Mr. Showbiz Joseph McBride

The film's technical brilliance and sentimental kick seduced many viewers unsuspecting of its polemical intent.

Time Richard Corliss

It's a long drink of water at the fountain of pop-social memory.

Washington Post Desson Thomson

This is a captivating experience.

San Francisco Chronicle Edward Guthmann

At its best, Forrest Gump is a gentle, elegiac fantasy about love and trust.

Los Angeles Times Kenneth Turan

It's most successful when it is being off-center, a state of grace it doesn't quite have the nerve to maintain. [6 July 1994, Calendar, p. F-1]

The New York Times Elvis Mitchell

Has the elements of an emotionally gripping story. Yet is feels less like a romance than like a coffee-table book celebrating the magic of special effect. [6 July 1994, p. C9]

The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Rick Groen

Yet, for all that's wrong here, one thing is wonderfully, blissfully right, and his name is Tom Hanks.

TV Guide Staff (not credited)

Clearly a great event, Forrest Gump is not, however, a great film. It has the form of an epic without real depth or resonance; the trappings of satire without a coherent attitude; and the semblance of historical revisionism without a critical sensibility.

Entertainment Weekly Owen Gleiberman

It is also glib, shallow, and monotonous, a movie that spends so much time sanctifying its hero that, despite his "innocence," he ends up seeming about as vulnerable as Superman.

The average user rating for this movie is 9.1 (out of 10) based on 163 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Ben gave it a10:
Probably the best movie I have ever seen in my life, and definitely my favorite movie of all time. Tom Hanks does an incredible job as Forrest Gump, definitely a buy for me!

Paul L. gave it a10:
What a magical movie through the eyes of Forrest Gump. This is a phenomenon of a simple man who changed the world forever.

banana square gave it a10:
Tom hanks has performed unspeakably well!

Alex gave it a10:
One of, if not the most inspiring movie I have ever seen. Has everything you could ask for from a film and more.

Matt F. gave it a0:
This was an awful, ignorant, simpleminded movie. Tom Hanks delivered his least nuanced and one-note performance to date, and he won the Oscar! What a disgrace. This is a terrible film whose message is to conform; black panthers and hippies are evil. I hate this corny film.

[Anonymous] gave it a10:
This movie is the coolest Rob Zemeckis film ever. It had everything you want in a movie. Great acting, emotion, comedy, violence and all the things in this movie. See it. SEE It. SEEEEE IIIITTTT!!!

Danica G. gave it a10:
One of my favorite movies of all time! What an amazing story that is told which displays all of the joys, pains, and victories that Forrest's character has encountered throughout his life. What a beautiful story, one that I can watch over and over again. You really feel connected with Forrest's character.

Forrest Gump Paramount Pictures

Forrest Gump
Paramount Pictures