Born in the small Alabama town of Greenbo, and raised by his single mother, Forrest Gump is a below-average kid with a small I.Q.. But, his mother still wants him to get a good education just like everyone else. Forrest's life is, as his mother liked to say, "like a box of chocolates; you never know what you're gonna get."
Forrest's life becomes a showcase he lives through the decades and directly and indirectly affects events of the era from telling JFK he has to pee to getting shot in Vietnam and becoming a ping-pong champion to running for the hell of it.
Tom Hanks is amzing as Forrest. Hot off the heels of his Oscar win for Philadelphia, Tom won another for his incredible performance as the simplistic but loving Forrest. It isn't Tom Hanks we are watching, it's Forrest Gump. Good actors make you forget who they are; Tom does that here, too.
Forrest Gump is an exceptional movie. Is was very well written and some of the visual effects are superb! It is a great movie in that it has all the right elements. Is has comedy, war, sadness, drama, you name it, all mixed together in equal ammounts. It makes for a great flick that is not just for women, but can be enjoyed by men, as well.
Plot: 
Forrest Gump is a movie seen through the eyes of a below average person, who takes life as it is given to him. The story is told with style, class, and is heartwarming to the bitter end.
The other bright spot for Forrest Gump is that it is historically accurate. As Forrest goes through the decades, we find that he is caught up in everything from race-riots to Water-gate, which make the story even more entertaining.
Visual effects:
From putting Forrest Gump into old clips of Kennedy and LBJ, and removing Gary Sinise's legs, the visuals are outstanding.
Sound:
The sound is just as good as the visuals, and is even accompanied by a great soundtrack filled with classic American songs from the likes of Elvis, Simon and Garfunkle, and others.
Character Development:
This is character development at its best. Everyone changes; everyone goes through many emotions, through good times and bad times.
Atmosphere: 
People can relate to Forrest Gump because many pople have been through these events. Everyone knows where they were in July, 1969, or when they heard that Nixon would "resign the presidency, effective at noon tomorrow."
Because of this, is very easy to get into Forrest Gump.
Realism:
Everything that happens in Forrest Gump happened in real life, but as it pertained to Forrest, like creating the "$#!T happens" slogan, or the "happy face" logo.
Warren’s Rating:
Movies it beat out for Best Picture:
Four Weddings and a Funeral, (1994); Pulp Fiction, (1994);
Quiz Show, (1994); The Shawshank Redemption, (1994)
9.14/10Is the movie worth your time to watch?
20-04-03
Age at win: 37
Nominated for: Best Actor in a Leading Role, Forrest Gump, Forrest Gump
Nomination: 3/5 (acting), 3/5 (total); Win: Second
Tom Hanks portrayal of Forrest Gump is a good as you can get to perfect performance. It had everythng; emotion, heart, passion, you name it.
Tom Hanks is one of the best actors of our day. And it shows, as he won second consecutive Oscar (the first for Philadelphia a year earlier), only the second man to do so since Spencer Tracy in 1937-38.
What makes it such a great performance is that he brings the character to life. Tom hanks makes belive that he really is Forrest Gump. the way he acts with his costars, the chemistry is nothing short of brilliant. It is a truely great performance.
And that's all I have to say about that.
