Tom Hanks Movie: *****Forrest Gump

 The classic movie for which Tom Hanks won the best actor Oscar.  This was his second such win.  The movie also won best picture and Joe Zemeckis best director.  Gary Sinise was nominated for best supporting actor.  The story takes lace on the bus bench as Forrest tells his story.

Forrest Gump (Tom Hanks) has some intellectual issues in that his IQ is below 80, the cut off for regular school.  However his mother (Sally Fields) advocates for him and he goes to school.  Forrest has issues with his legs, but he out grows this and is actually very good at running.  He has to run away from the boys who bully him, and with the encouragement of Jenny (Robin Wright).  His running ability gets him through high school and college playing football and an All American.  He meets President Kennedy with the other All Americans. 

  He joins the military after college and goes to Viet Nam were he mets Lieutenant dan (Gary Sinise) and his friend Bubba (Mykelti Williamson).  Their unit is attacked, and Forrest runs away.  However he comes back and one by one takes the other soldiers and runs out with them.  This includes Lieutenant dan who wants to die like his ancestors.  He survives but loses his legs.  He does also find Bubba but Bubba does not survive.  He agrees to do shrimp fishing for Bubba.  Forrest was hit in the buttocks and lands in the hospital.  There he learns ping pong.  He is awarded the Medal of Honor for his efforts, which he receives from President Johnson.

He is so good at ping pong he is part of the tour to China.  Completing his tour playing ping pong he again sees the resident, this time Nixon.  However at the hotel he complains of lights in the room across the way--Watergate.  He is also finagled into talking at an anti-war rally, and there he runs into Jenny again.  She is hanging with the wrong crowd, and her boyfriend treats her poorly.  She is with the Black Panthers.  

Forrest Gump then tries shrimp fishing.  He had money from a ping pong endorsement.  Lieutenant Dan joins him, and some how they make out good.  They invest the money in a fruit business Apple, and are set for life.  They even share with Bubba's mother.

At some point Bubba's mother dies, and Jenny comes to him.  They make love, but she doesn't want to marry.  Forrest goes on a run, and keeps running.  He is inspiration for happy face and for "shit happens."  One day he is done running and goes home.  He cares for the lawn at the school.  He has been waiting at the bus stop for Jenny and realizes she is not far away so he runs to meet her, and his son (Haley Joe Osment).  Jenny is sick.  They marry and have almost a year before she passes away.  

There is a feather at the end, indicated the haphazard nature of life.  "Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to get."