--- title: "Forrest Gump" year: 1994 kind: "film" canonical: "https://film.one/film/forrest-gump" fi1m_id: "forrest-gump" imdb_id: "tt0109830" tmdb_id: 13 wikidata_id: "Q134773" fi1m_score: 66 critics_score: 62 critics_reviews: 19 published: "2026-09-13" updated: "2026-09-18T08:38:13.605444+00:00" region: "IE" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Forrest Gump (1994) Directed by Robert Zemeckis · 2h 22m · IFCO 15 · Comedy, Drama, Romance ## Identity Forrest Gump - **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/forrest-gump - **Type:** Film - **Fi1m ID:** forrest-gump - **IMDb ID:** tt0109830 - **TMDB ID:** 13 - **Wikidata ID:** Q134773 - **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0109830/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/13, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q134773 **Fi1m score: 66** · Critics 62 from 19 reviews *In a sentence:* American history becomes much more agreeable once someone has edited Tom Hanks into the footage > Tom Hanks gives this technically accomplished fable warmth and a welcome lack of condescension. But Robert Zemeckis lets it run too long, and its comforting account of American history leaves too much unexamined. ## Synopsis Forrest Gump (Tom Hanks) has a straightforward view of life and a habit of finding himself close to events that shape American history. As the country changes around him, he makes his way through it without always grasping the significance of the people he encounters. Jenny Curran (Robin Wright) follows a different path through the counterculture. Sally Field plays Mrs. Gump, with Gary Sinise as Lieutenant Dan Taylor and Mykelti Williamson as Bubba Blue. Robert Zemeckis directs this comedy, drama and romance, with Eric Roth adapting Winston Groom’s novel for the screen. ## Review Robert Zemeckis asks us to follow an innocent through upheavals in American history and to value the decency that survives the journey. *Forrest Gump* is easy to like in stretches, chiefly because Tom Hanks makes Forrest such agreeable company. It is also overlong and too satisfied with the comforting lessons it draws from difficult subjects. The comic encounters work better than the attempts to make Forrest’s uncomprehending progress explain something about the country around him. Hanks gives the part a directness that keeps its sweetness from becoming unbearable. He does not invite us to feel cleverer than Forrest, or turn every misunderstanding into a plea for sympathy. We laughed at his appearances inside historical footage, because his deadpan manner makes these improbable meetings seem perfectly ordinary to him. The effects are ingenious, but Hanks avoids the knowing manner that would spoil the joke. His performance gives us someone to care about even when the film seems content merely to keep moving. Don Burgess’s photography helps the manufactured encounters sit comfortably beside the rest of the film; Forrest looks no less solid when the footage around him belongs to another time. Rick Carter’s production design makes the changes of period easy to read, so the comedy need not pause to explain where Forrest has landed. That clarity is useful, although Zemeckis makes this changing America rather too easy to pass through. We are seldom encouraged to look beyond the historical encounter to the people who cannot simply move on to the next episode. Eric Roth’s screenplay, adapted from Winston Groom’s novel, is much less persuasive when it sets Forrest’s innocence against Jenny’s involvement with the counterculture. The contrast makes Forrest’s lack of curiosity look like sound judgement, and other people’s attempts to change their lives look suspect. That is a cramped way of thinking about a country, even for a fable. Robin Wright gives Jenny enough emotional weight to trouble that easy division, but the writing keeps pushing us back towards Forrest’s reassuring view. Arthur Schmidt’s editing keeps the individual episodes clear and often gives Hanks’s comedy just enough time. What it cannot do is make each new historical encounter feel necessary to the last. At 142 minutes, the succession becomes tiring: another setting, another brush with history, another opportunity to admire Forrest’s goodness. There is not enough development between these episodes to justify their number, and the emotional emphasis grows heavier as the structure grows more obvious. Alan Silvestri’s score contributes to that pressure by underlining feelings the performance has already made plain. Its tenderness is effective in isolation, but the repeated encouragement to be moved leaves too little space for a quieter response. A sentimental comedy has every right to ask for tears; our objection is how insistently this one asks. Hanks has the patience and sincerity to earn them without so much assistance. There is enough good acting and technical ingenuity here to justify an evening for anyone fond of an expansive, sentimental fable. We would be less keen to recommend it to someone looking for much insight into the history it borrows. Go for Hanks, and allow yourself to remain unmoved when the music decides it is time. *Fi1m score 66, published 13 September 2026.* ## What the critics say Most critics like Forrest Gump, though not by a wide margin, and almost all of them agree on what works. Tom Hanks’s performance is praised in nearly every review, positive and negative alike, for its warmth and its refusal to condescend to the character. The effects that place him in archive footage alongside real figures are the other constant, with several reviewers calling the technical work the film’s chief achievement and Zemeckis’s direction assured. The reservations are about everything else. A large minority find the sentimentality cloying, the episodic structure loose and the politics complacent: a film that rewards its hero for knowing nothing and treats the counterculture as a cautionary tale. The spread is unusually wide, from full marks to outright dismissal. The Independent and The New Yorker are hostile from the start, and later pieces from IndieWire, Time Out and Den of Geek argue the film has aged badly. ## Straight answers **Is Forrest Gump worth watching?** *Forrest Gump* is worth an evening for anyone fond of an expansive, sentimental fable, and we scored it 66. Tom Hanks makes Forrest agreeable company and the historical trickery is ingenious, but the film runs too long and draws comforting lessons from difficult history. Go for Hanks, and expect the music to tell you when to cry. **How long is Forrest Gump, and what is it rated?** *Forrest Gump* runs 2h 22m and is rated 15 by the IFCO in Ireland. It is a comedy and drama film. **Where can I watch Forrest Gump in Ireland?** *Forrest Gump* is streaming on Amazon Prime Video, Paramount+ and Netflix in Ireland, and it is also available to rent from Amazon Prime Video from €2.99. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service. **How violent or frightening is Forrest Gump, and is it suitable for children?** *Forrest Gump* carries a UK 12 certificate, which suits teenagers and older children rather than the very young. It is a sentimental comedy rather than a frightening one, but it passes through wars, political upheaval and the counterculture, and the 12 reflects adult themes handled gently rather than any sustained violence or horror. **How does Forrest Gump compare to Being There?** *Forrest Gump* is the warmer and more reassuring of the two, while [*Being There*](https://film.one/film/being-there) is the sharper satire. Both follow an innocent through American life, but Hal Ashby's film uses Peter Sellers's gardener to unsettle the country around him, where Zemeckis lets Forrest pass through it comfortably. We prefer the earlier film; Gump is the easier company. **Is Forrest Gump based on a true story or a book?** *Forrest Gump* is based on Winston Groom's novel, adapted for the screen by Eric Roth, and is not a true story. Forrest is a fiction placed inside real historical footage, which is where much of the comedy comes from. Knowing the book is not necessary; the film stands entirely on its own. **What should I watch after Forrest Gump?** After *Forrest Gump*, try [*Being There*](https://film.one/film/being-there) (1979, Fi1m 84): Another innocent confounds America, with sharper satire and considerably less reassurance. Then [*The Straight Story*](https://film.one/film/the-straight-story) (1999, Fi1m 88): A patient journey through America, with kindness allowed to speak quietly; and [*Good Bye, Lenin!*](https://film.one/film/good-bye-lenin) (2003, Fi1m 78): Family affection and manipulated history meet in a less comfortable national fable. ### Reviews we read (19) - **RogerEbert.com**, Roger Ebert (4/4): The critic calls it a magical movie and a meditation on recent American history seen through the eyes of an honest, simple man. He singles out Tom Hanks' dignified, straight-ahead performance and the innovative use of special effects to place the character in real historical events. [Read](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/forrest-gump-1994) - **The Times** (★★★★★): The review describes the film as a consistently moving and visually spectacular sprawling picaresque that remains relevant, slickly self-aware, and the pinnacle achievement of its director despite some dated elements. [Read](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/film/article/forrest-gump-film-review-tom-hanks-vfw7nmxd8) - **The Hollywood Reporter**, Duane Byrge (90/100, inferred): The film is an uplifting saga and cheeky social satire that contrasts Forrest’s innocence with the upheavals of recent U.S. history. Hanks delivers an Oscar-level performance as the wise fool, and Zemeckis directs with graceful, technically eloquent maturity. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/forrest-gump-review-1994-movie-1018984/) - **Variety**, Todd McCarthy (90/100, inferred): A picaresque story of a simpleton’s charmed odyssey through American history that is whimsy with a strong cultural spine; elegantly made and winningly acted by Tom Hanks, technically dazzling, and shrewdly packaged to appeal to baby boomers with emotional and iconographic touchstones. [Read](https://variety.com/1994/film/reviews/forrest-gump-1200438040/) - **Radio Times**, Adrian Turner (4/5): A box-office blockbuster and Oscar winner that sees naive Gump drift through key American historical events and emerge triumphant, with Hanks delivering a remarkable performance and stunning special effects. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-ejxyzu/forrest-gump/) - **The Guardian**, Derek Malcolm (75/100, inferred): The critic calls the film a brilliantly made technical tour de force that places its simple protagonist in the midst of recent American history like a modern Zelig. It is a triumph of style over content that goes on too long but appeals widely thanks to Hanks' sincere central performance. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/News_Story/Critic_Review/Guardian_review/0,,544587,00.html) - **Empire**, Angie Errigo (70/100, inferred): The charmed life journey of an innocent through turbulent American history makes for an original and hugely appealing story with dazzling special effects. It singles out Tom Hanks' captivating, disarming performance as the standout element while noting the film is overlong and occasionally overly sentimental. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/forrest-gump-review/) - **Los Angeles Times**, Kenneth Turan (70/100, inferred): Turan calls the film sweet and eccentric with a gentle sensibility, highlighting Hanks' deadpan comic determination and the impressive special effects as its strongest elements. He notes it stumbles when forcing charm toward obvious sentimentality and broader societal points. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-07-06-ca-12186-story.html) - **The AV Club**, Noel Murray (B-): The multi-Oscar winner has suffered strong backlash for emotional manipulation and its simplistic hero, yet Zemeckis' visual style, pacing, and lyrical moments using old-school techniques are praised. Hanks' performance as the limited simpleton and the character's conception are major flaws that make the film divisive. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/forrest-gump-1798207450) - **Slant Magazine**, Rob Humanick (60/100, inferred): The film mixes affecting sincerity with absurdity that invites ridicule, succeeding through Zemeckis's optimistic touch and Hanks's performance despite some problematic elements. It singles out the Jenny AIDS subplot as a calculated and despicable deviation that lands poorly. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/forrest-gump/) - **The New York Times**, Janet Maslin (50/100, inferred): Maslin praises the film's technical sleight-of-hand and seamless special effects integrating Hanks into historical footage, along with Hanks' warm, uncondescending performance. She criticizes the loose, vignette-like structure and overreliance on saccharine sentimentality that undermines dramatic coherence. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/1994/07/06/movies/film-review-tom-hanks-as-an-interloper-in-history.html) - **IndieWire** (30/100, inferred): The film is a slick celebration of the human spirit that exploits American history as empty signifiers for technological effects and preaches conservatism by having its naive hero emerge unscathed from tumultuous events. It is viewed as a bad movie that gets worse with age and scarier than its reputation suggests. [Read](https://www.indiewire.com/features/commentary/forrest-gump-25th-anniversary-bad-movie-1235021959/) - **The Independent**, Quentin Curtis (30/100, inferred): The critic views the film as passive and simple-minded like its hero, acting as a narcotic security blanket that anaesthetises America from real engagement with history. It praises Tom Hanks' skill and charm in the role but faults the sentimentality, episodic structure, and overall lack of depth or ideas as a new low in American filmmaking. [Read](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/film-gump-simple-but-ineffective-1441779.html) - **The New Yorker**, Anthony Lane (30/100, inferred): The film is insistently heartwarming to the point of chilling the marrow, with no moral doubt or unease, pushing the myth that one can know and do better by being dumb. The seamless visual effects inserting Gump into historical footage are praised as snappy, though sound dubbing and dramatic purpose receive criticism. [Read](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1994/07/25/the-spy-who-loved-me) - **Time Out**, TCh (30/100, inferred): The film is a reactionary work that contrasts Gump's charmed life with Jenny's counterculture missteps, ultimately promoting ignorance as bliss beneath its feel-good surface. Hanks's performance is noted but the overall tone is mawkish and conservative. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/forrest-gump) - **The Ringer** (60/100, inferred): Forrest Gump swept the Oscars as an ambitious American picaresque visualizing 20th-century upheavals through an innocent's eyes, achieving critical and commercial dominance. It defeated Pulp Fiction at the Oscars but the latter has aged better in cultural impact. [Read](https://www.theringer.com/2019/07/25/movies/pulp-fiction-forrest-gump-quentin-robert-zemeckis-oscars) - **Collider**, Matt Goldberg (40/100, inferred): The film is a surprisingly cold-hearted and nihilistic movie that renders important historical events into kitsch through Forrest's simplistic lens. Zemeckis's direction and Hanks's performance provide crowd-pleasing sheen and charm despite the problematic approach. [Read](https://collider.com/forrest-gump-problems/) - **Den of Geek**, David Crow (40/100, inferred): The film is a quintessential Baby Boomer artifact whose rose-tinted view of American history feels increasingly threadbare and grating on rewatch. It singles out the trivialization of racial tensions and the simplistic portrayal of counterculture versus mainstream values for criticism. [Read](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/has-forrest-gump-aged-well/) - **Eye for Film**, Angus Wolfe Murray (40/100, inferred): The critic describes Forrest Gump as a sentimental fable that covers American history through the eyes of a simple-minded everyman but questions its simplistic, overly wholesome approach to mental disability and emotional manipulation. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/forrest-gump-film-review-by-angus-wolfe-murray) ## Details - **Director:** Robert Zemeckis - **Director:** Robert Zemeckis - **Screenplay:** Eric Roth - **Novel:** Winston Groom - **Cinematography:** Don Burgess - **Editor:** Arthur Schmidt - **Music:** Alan Silvestri - **Production design:** Rick Carter - **Costume design:** Joanna Johnston - **Producer:** Wendy Finerman, Steve Tisch, Steve Starkey - **Cast:** Tom Hanks as Forrest Gump; Robin Wright as Jenny Curran; Gary Sinise as Lieutenant Dan Taylor; Sally Field as Mrs. Gump; Mykelti Williamson as Bubba Blue; Michael Conner Humphreys as Young Forrest Gump; Hanna R. Hall as Young Jenny Curran; Haley Joel Osment as Forrest Junior - **Runtime:** 2h 22m - **Certificate (IFCO):** 15 - **Release (Ireland):** 7 October 1994 - **Genres:** Comedy, Drama, Romance - **Also in:** [Best Picture winners](https://film.one/collections/oscar-best-picture.md) (Winner, 1994); [BAFTA Best Film winners](https://film.one/collections/bafta-best-film.md) (Nominee, 1994); [Golden Globe Best Drama winners](https://film.one/collections/golden-globe-drama.md) (Winner, 1994) - **Budget:** $55 million - **Box office:** $677 million - **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mj9IA9tTfio ## Where to watch in Ireland - Amazon Prime Video: streaming, uhd - Paramount+: streaming, hd - Netflix: streaming - Amazon Prime Video: rent €2.99, uhd - Amazon Prime Video: buy €2.99, uhd *Checked 2026-09-13.* Also available in: AR, AT, AU, AZ, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, EC, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, HR, HU, IE, IN, IT, JP, KR, LT, MX, MY, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PE, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, TR, UA, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## Awards - Academy Awards 1995: Best Cinematography (nominated); Best Makeup and Hairstyling (nominated); Best Original Score (nominated); Best Production Design (nominated); Best Sound (nominated); Best Sound Editing (nominated); Best Supporting Actor (nominated); Best Actor (won); Best Director (won); Best Film Editing (won); Best Picture (won); Best Visual Effects (won); Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay (won) - Amanda Award for Best Foreign Feature Film 1995: Amanda Award for Best Foreign Feature Film (won) ## If you liked this - *Being There* (1979), Fi1m 84: Another innocent confounds America, with sharper satire and considerably less reassurance. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/being-there.md) - *The Straight Story* (1999), Fi1m 88: A patient journey through America, with kindness allowed to speak quietly. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-straight-story.md) - *Good Bye, Lenin!* (2003), Fi1m 78: Family affection and manipulated history meet in a less comfortable national fable. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/good-bye-lenin.md) - *After Life* (1998), Fi1m 85: Ordinary lives become stories worth preserving, with room left for doubt. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/after-life.md) - *Big Fish* (2003), Fi1m 78: Another sprawling life story, more interested in why people embellish their memories. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/big-fish.md) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/forrest-gump