Picture 67: Forrest Gump (1994)

1994 was an extraordinary year for cinema. The Shawshank Redemption, Pulp Fiction and The Lion King all reached the big screen. Yet only one film could claim the Academy Award for Best Picture, and Forrest Gump took the crown. No pressure Forrest!  

Robert Zemeckis’ comedy-drama takes us to 1950s' Alabama. We meet young Forrest, a boy wearing leg braces due to spinal issues. His mother runs a boarding house and lots of people come to stay, including a random visit from Elvis Presley before his rise to fame. Bullied at school because of his leg braces and low IQ, Forrest finds comfort when a young girl named Jenny offers him a seat on the school bus. From that moment on, he is devoted to her.

After breaking free from his leg braces in cinematic fashion, Forrest discovers an extraordinary talent for running. We follow his remarkable journey through college, where he becomes an All-American football player and meets President John F. Kennedy at the White House. He later serves in Vietnam before becoming a successful shrimp dealer.

Through a series of improbable events, Forrest demonstrates that low intelligence need not be a barrier to success. But can his remarkable run of good fortune continue? And will he ever be reunited with his childhood sweetheart, Jenny?

Forrest Gump provides over 2 hours’ worth of heartwarming and tear-jerking entertainment. Tom Hanks, Gary Sinise and Robin Wright all deliver outstanding performances, while Alan Silvestri’s unforgettable score adds a sense of magic to the Deep South. However, it’s just a little too sentimental and unrealistic to rank among the very greatest Best Picture winners. It turns the American Dream into a feel-good fantasy at the expense of depth and nuance.

Watch out for child actor Haley Joel Osment, who would later star in the Sixth Sense (1999) and A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001).

Rating: 7/10

Oscar Best Picture Rankings:

1.     The Godfather (1972)

2. Schindler’s List (1993)

3. Casablanca (1943)

4. The Apartment (1960)

5. Rebecca (1940)

6. The Godfather: Part II (1974)

7. The Sound of Music (1965)

8. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

9. Ordinary People (1980)

10. A Man for All Seasons (1966)

11. Gandhi (1982)

12. The Deer Hunter (1978)

13. Lawrence of Arabia (1962)

14. Ben-Hur (1959)

15. The Last Emperor (1987)

16. Unforgiven (1992)

17. Lost Weekend (1945)

18. Platoon (1986)

19. Gone With the Wind (1939)

20. Rocky (1976)

21. Annie Hall (1977)

22. Amadeus (1984)

23. All About Eve (1950)

24. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)

25. Hamlet (1948)

26. How Green Was My Valley (1941)

27. Out of Africa (1985)

28. West Side Story (1961)

29. Mrs. Miniver (1942)

30. All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)

31. Wings (1928)

32. Mutiny on the Bounty (1935)

33. You can’t take it with you (1938)

34. Patton (1970)

35. Terms of Endearment (1983)

36. The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)

37. On the Waterfront (1954)

38. The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)

39. Midnight Cowboy (1969)

40. Driving Miss Daisy (1989)

41. Rain Man (1988)

42. Kramer vs. Kramer (1979)

43. Forrest Gump (1994)

44. Dances with Wolves (1990)

45. Marty (1955)

46. Oliver! (1968)

47. Cimarron (1931)

48. Grand Hotel (1932)

49. The French Connection (1971)

50. An American in Paris (1951)

51. From Here to Eternity (1953)

52. It Happened One Night (1934)

53. My Fair Lady (1964)

54. Gentleman’s Agreement (1947)

55. Cavalcade (1933)

56. The Sting (1973)

57. The Life of Emile Zola (1937)

58. Going My Way (1944)

59. The Great Ziegfeld (1936)

60. Chariots of Fire (1981)

61. All the King’s Men (1949)

62. In the Heat of the Night (1967)

63. Gigi (1958)

64. Around the World in 80 Days (1956)

65. The Greatest Show on Earth (1952)

66. The Broadway Melody (1929)

67. Tom Jones (1963)

Previous or current ranking leaders are in bold.

With credit and thanks to the patrons of the Best Picture Film Club:

Dr Sophie Bloomfield – Fashion Correspondent

Dr Caspar Briault – Head of Cynicism

Dr Conrad Charlton

Dr Sophie Clarke

Dr Kate Diomede

Dr Fionnuala Durrant

Dr Josh Fisher

Dr Joseph Gallaher – CEO and Founder

Dr Joseph Hamilton

Dr Adam Holland – Head of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

Dr Sid Mohan - Divisional Lead for the 1980s

Dr Hannah Morrison

Dr Meera Radia