Barnes & Noble

A paean to the enduring values of faith, humility, and common decency, 1994's Forrest Gump remains a shining beacon that overlooks the sea of coarse, cynical, and violent movies currently proffered by Hollywood filmmakers. Tom Hanks won a much-deserved Academy Award for his portrayal of the eponymous protagonist, a dull-witted member of the baby-boom generation who overcomes adversity, survives war, enjoys success, and transforms the lives of all who come into contact with him. Robin Wright is unaccountably touching as the girl he loves; Gary Sinise offers a sharply limned portrayal as Forrest’s scornful army buddy; and Sally Field is memorable as his devoted, long-suffering mother. Director Robert Zemeckis won an Oscar for his inspired directing, which partially blunts the satirical edge of Winston Groom’s novel but creates an alternative reality that’s much more soothing to audiences. Digital technology -- innovative for 1994, when the movie was produced -- places Forrest at the scene of decisive historical and cultural events recorded on film over several decades, which lends a comforting air of inevitability to his personal odyssey. Uplifting, warm, and sweet without being saccharine, Forrest Gump celebrates the human spirit with a sureness few contemporary films have ever achieved. The two-disc DVD Special Edition offers a whopping two hours of supplemental features, including a behind-the-scenes documentary on the film’s production; separate featurettes demonstrating the creation of makeup, sound, and visual effects; and photo galleries, screen tests, and theatrical trailers. Additionally, Zemeckis, producers Steve Starkey and Wendy Finerman, and production designer Rick Carter provide commentaries to accompany the film itself. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide

"Stupid is as stupid does," says Forrest Gump (played by Tom Hanks in an Oscar-winning performance) as he discusses his relative level of intelligence with a stranger while waiting for a bus. Despite his sub-normal IQ, Gump leads a truly charmed life, with a ringside seat for many of the most memorable events of the second half of the 20th century. Entirely without trying, Forrest teaches Elvis Presley to dance, becomes a football star, meets John F. Kennedy, serves with honor in Vietnam, meets Lyndon Johnson, speaks at an anti-war rally at the Washington Monument, hangs out with the Yippies, defeats the Chinese national team in table tennis, meets Richard Nixon, discovers the break-in at the Watergate, opens a profitable shrimping business, becomes an original investor in Apple Computers, and decides to run back and forth across the country for several years. Meanwhile, as the remarkable parade of his life goes by, Forrest never forgets Jenny (Robin Wright Penn), the girl he loved as a boy, who makes her own journey through the turbulence of the 1960s and 1970s that is far more troubled than the path Forrest happens upon. Featured alongside Tom Hanks are Sally Field as Forrest's mother; Gary Sinise as his commanding officer in Vietnam; Mykelti Williamson as his ill-fated Army buddy who is familiar with every recipe that involves shrimp; and the special effects artists whose digital magic place Forrest amidst a remarkable array of historical events and people. Mark Deming

Washington Post

Forrest Gump is as poignant as it is romantic, for it is not only a love story but a war story featuring fine supporting performances from Gary Sinise, as a bitter amputee who becomes Forrest's first mate on the shrimp boat, and Mykelti Williamson, as the hero's equally guileless war buddy whom Forrest rescues during an ambush by the Viet Cong. Rita Kempley

Chicago Sun-Times

What a magical movie. Roger Ebert

Product Details

• UPC: 097361564449
• Source: PARAMOUNT
• Region Code: 1
• Presentation: Wide Screen
• Sound: Dolby Digital
• Language: English
• Time: 4:11:00
• Sales Rank: 2,342

This DVD is also available as part of a box set:

• Best Picture Academy Award Winners Collection

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