We had heard in several quarters that Tamil film director Gautam Menon’s upcoming movie Vaaranam Aayiram (Surya) is inspired by the Tom Hanks movie Forrest Gump.
So we got the Forrest Gump DVD from Netflix and watched it last night.
If (a big if) Forrest Gump is indeed the source for Vaaranam Ayiram, it’d be a herculean task for both Gautam Menon and Surya to match the appeal of the Hollywood movie.
Forrest Gump is an awesome movie, the kind that comes but rarely even in Hollywood.
Directed by Robert Zemeckis, Forrest Gump deserved all of the 13 Oscar nominations and the six Oscars it ultimately won.
What makes Forrest Gump a stunningly beautiful movie is that it’s an extraordinarily well rendered microcosm of American life itself – love, war, peace, drugs, a handicapped child, race, tragedy, comedy, death, college football, politics, social commentary, moments of happiness and sadness are finely woven together into a 142-minute moving tapestry that provides sheer joy for viewers.
If we close our eyes, we can see Forrest Gump (played by Tom Hanks) sitting on that bench at the bus stop narrating his life story to a changing set of people. Oh, what a lovely way to tell a story.
Tom Hanks in and as Forrest Gump is the stuff of legend.
Just as we still rave over old classics like Casablanca, On the Waterfront and Citizen Kane, movie fans in the decades to come will speak in glowing terms of Forrest Gump.
Playing the role of a handicapped person with an IQ of just 75 (bordering on idiocy), Tom Hanks throws in an exceptional performance whether as a young man in the small town of Greenbow (Alabama), the soldier fighting in Vietnam, the angry man beating other men (twice) for treating his best friend Jenny (Robin Wright) badly, the college football player, the all American ping-pong player, shrimp boat operator, the runner across America or when he learns that young Forrest is his son.
Believe us, there was a not a single frame or scene in which Tom Hank appears that we did not find him dazzling.
Whether it’s the slow cadence of his speech, the peerless expressions on his face as he rides the roller-coaster of life or the way he runs like a Hanuman with his tail on fire, Tom Hanks is a revelation as an actor.
How distressing that we have to use the same word ‘actor’ to describe both Tom Hanks and our desi buffoons like Ajith, Abhishek Bachchan and Vijay. Is there no justice in the world at all? Surely, the lexicographers need to spell out a new word to describe the simian antics of our Bollywood and Kollywood stars on the screen because it ain’t acting. No sir, it sure ain’t acting.
Forrest Gump’s story follows the course of its eponymous hero from childhood till middle age leaving behind an indelible memory of Hanks’ sui generis performance and a screenplay that’s brilliant in execution.
Tis true that Tom Hanks is the centerpiece of Forrest Gump but Forrest Gump is also so much more than just Tom Hanks.
Sally Field as Forrest’s mother Mrs. Gump, Gary Sinise as Forrest’s army boss Lieutenant Dan Taylor, Robin Wright Penn as the love of Forrest’s life Jenny Curran, and Mykelti Williamson as Forrest’s black army buddy Benjamin Buford “Bubba” Blue shine and how so.
Nice Moments
In a movie full of nice moments, how do you pick the nice moments?
As Forrest leaves the grave of Jenny who is buried under their favorite tree (toward the end of the movie), he says poignantly: If there’s anything you need, I won’t be far away.
There are other great lines/moments too in Forrest Gump.
* Like when a skimpily-dressed Jenny asks Forrest if he’s ever been with a girl, he answers innocently: I sit next to them in the home economics class.
* When Lieutenant Dan violently rails against Forrest for saving his life in a fierce battle in Vietnam that cost him his legs: I had my destiny.
* When Lieutenant Dan asks Forrest whether he’s found Jesus yet, he replies: I didn’t know I was supposed to be looking for him, sir.
* When Forrest asks his mother what vacation means (remember, his father is on vacation), his mama replies: Vacation is when you go somewhere and you don’t ever come back.
Great actors like Tom Hanks are the real Ultimate Stars not jabbering monkeys like Ajith (actually in one of the scenes in Forrest Gump Hanks describes himself jabbering on like a monkey in a tree).
For those of you who love the moving images on the screen in a dark room as much as we do, it’s hard to recommend a finer movie than Forrest Gump.
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Yes, I have seen this movie about 5/6 years ago, I think. It was a wonderful movie. Have you seen “The Terminal”? It’s also a very nice movie and this guy TOM HANKS is just a marvellous actor.
How about “Saving Private Ryan”? For Tom Hanks acting is a passion and he excels in it. The difference with the Indian bozos is that EGO comes at the fore front of acting. After one or two Box office movies, they assume that they’ve reached the highest point in acting.
Last monday I happened to stumble upon a few garbage video stuff on YOUTUBE. It was about Simbhu and Aishwarya (Rajni’s) daughter. I listened to the telephone conversation (if it’s true) it’s simply disgusting. I have sympathy for her, and I’m really got angry with this bugger Simbhu. He is simply displaying his male chauvinism and his gossip mongering ability.
If it’s true, he a [abusive term] you know what I mean right. His father, goes around in TV programmes giving publicity about his son’s greatness in acting ” Simbhu, endra maha nadigan” and “Oru uyarndha sigarathai adanji…” you all those craps these buggers vomit in public. This is the type of guys we have in Indian cinema. I don’t say the Hollywood actors are all saint par se. What I say is that for the Kolly guys anything and everything is important but acting. This is what they call “acting”.
Even my wife immediately said that he’s a garbage of a human being (If the clip is true).
Enna polamba wecchchitangayyaaaah!!! (They’ve made me go nuts!)
SearchIndia.com Responds:
We are not impressed with Simbhu either. But compared to Aegan, Simbhu’s Vallavan was a little better.
We’ve seen Saving Private Ryan but not Terminal. Will add it to our Netflix queue.
the review was awesome. I would suggest have “The green mile” of tom hanks next on queue. It’s equally marvellous as forrest gump.by the way i’ve requested you in some previous comment to have tamil-rajini film “johnny” enqueued…not got a copy yet??????
SearchIndia.com Responds:
You write: I would suggest have “The green mile” of tom hanks next on queue. It’s equally marvellous as forrest gump.
Done.
You write: By the way i’ve requested you in some previous comment to have tamil-rajini film “johnny” enqueued…not got a copy yet??????
As we said earlier, we are based in the U.S. and it’s not easy to get access to old Tamil movies.
Rest assured we are not ignoring your request. We will definitely get Johnny one of these days and review it.
Thanks to thuppariyum Shuaib, I listened to the Simbu phone call.. he mentions “Priya” and Mrs. Saravanan.. doesn’t look like Aishwarya and Latha.. All it proves is that Simbhu is the scummiest of scumbags. And the girl isn’t a saint either.
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/1937390/killer_movie_1_1/
check this out. tell me what you think.your probably going to thrash it. But it should be better then the whole drona fiasco.
SearchIndia.com Responds:
Not bad. Lighting (toward the end…on the balcony) and sound are issues.
What camera did you use?
BTW, Orson Welles made Citizen Kane when he was 26.
I also thought why he should call the girl as Priya. Sure, the girl isn’t a saint I know. But, to make it a publicity to defame the girl in order to destroy her life is not a decent thing to do.
It’s like throwing acid on her face (like in Bangladesh).
SearchIndia.com Responds:
Acid throwing is not restricted to Bangladesh.
Acid attacks are not uncommon in Tamil Nadu.
The most prominent acid-attack victim is former Tamil Nadu cadre IAS officer Chandralekha.
Never under-estimate the brutality of some Tamils.
Hey, SI, like I wrote in one of my earlier comments, Forrest Gump must’ve been one of the greatest movies ever seen. Thanks for adding the few nice moments, they were wonderful. I would also like to mention here, it would have been a lot better if you had not mentioned our illustrious AB and others in the same space, and ohh yeah, I completely agree with you that a person like Tom Hanks and our guys are mentioned in the same breath.
Hey, I saw Tom Hanks’ You’ve got mail yesterday, also starring Meg Ryan. The difference is so starkly visible, I was amazed it was the same man in both movies! Hats off to him, he deserves every single accolade he’s ever received, and more. Thanks for the review.
SearchIndia.com Responds:
We hope to see Shriya Saran’s English movie – The Other End of the Line – soon
tom hanks is legendary…have you seen philedelphia? (not sure of the spelling) he got his first oscar for that one…and the second (consecutive!!) one for forrest gump….his most recent movie i have seen is ‘cast away’…have you seen it? he is marooned on an island in the film…. i sometimes see shades of tom hanks in aamir khan…..
SearchIndia.com Responds:
Will watch Philadelphia in one or two hours. Netflix has it in their instant play list.
Aamir Khan is OK but still no patch on Hanks.
One of my favorite songs from the movie.. I get goosebumps listening to it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9L9_8vwx2w8
Congrats on the World Series win, all Phillies fans!
I was curious about the review on this. My favorite movies of all time 1-2-3-4-5 are Jaws, Forrest Gump, Lawrence of Arabia, Gladiator and The Godfather Part II. Each has a great story supported by incredible acting.
Gary Sinise as Lt. Dan is awesome. Such an underappreciated performance at the time.
I do have to say that I have always been disappointed with Robin Wright Penn’s performance. As good as the movie is, it would have been better with someone else playing Jenny. One scene that I think she fails miserably in is the scene when she returns with Forrest to her childhood home. When she falls to the ground after throwing all the stones, I almost start laughing every time because I think she is just awful, particularly with her little grunting in between each throw. She gives Aishwarya Rai and Priyanka Chopra a run for her money in that scene. There are other parts I think she does bad in, but that one sticks out.
If you’re gonna watch The Green Mile, you must watch The Shawshank Redemption first. It’s got Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman. They are both based on Stephen King stories and both directed by the same guy, Frank Darabont. Shawshank came out about four or five years earlier and I think is slightly better, although both are fantastic. Castaway, as someone mentioned, is also another movie with a superb Hanks performance.
SearchIndia.com Responds:
1. I do have to say that I have always been disappointed with Robin Wright Penn’s performance. As good as the movie is, it would have been better with someone else playing Jenny. One scene that I think she fails miserably in is the scene when she returns with Forrest to her childhood home. When she falls to the ground after throwing all the stones, I almost start laughing every time because I think she is just awful, particularly with her little grunting in between each throw.
Yes and No.
Yes, Robin Wright was not impressive in the scene when she looks at her old home and is reminded of the abuse (unsaid at the time but referred to earlier and so it lurks in the background) she suffered at the hands of her father.
No, Robin Wright was not that bad either. She appears very bad only because Tom Hanks, Gary Sinise et al were so much superior. The demolition or bulldozing of the house at the end was a nice touch.
2. You write: She gives Aishwarya Rai and Priyanka Chopra a run for her money in that scene.
We strongly, vehemently, passionately, forcefully, zealously [include every other synonym in the world] disagree.
No force – whether animate or inanimate – in any galaxy can ever come close to matching the sheer incompetence of these two Bollywood horror shows.
3. We’ve seen Shawshank Redemption several times. Tim Robbins & Morgan Freeman were superb.
aamir khan is certainly not as good as tom hanks, but he is far better than you suggest…..have you seen lagaan, dil chahta hai,sarfarosh,dil hai ki maanta nahi, joh jeeta wahi sikander, rangeela…..so many of them….i loved him in these films….please watch them and see if they change your opinion on him…..
SearchIndia.com Responds:
We’ve seen many of Aamir Khan’s movies. He’s one of the more tolerable Bollywood actors (look we used the word actors not stars). Most of the others are lazy slobs.
aditya_k – What about Mangal Pandey? I thought that was one of if not his best, better than his role in Lagaan.
ghajini trailer on youtube!!!! looks good…..
SearchIndia.com Responds:
Looks interesting. Let’s see how the full movie & songs turn out.
the gora…..aamir’s role as mangal pandey was very good but the film itself was over the top,in your face patriotic….
did you see the tamil version of ghajini? how was it?
SearchIndia.com Responds:
By Tamil movie standards, Ghajini was decent.
When somebody talks about the Ghajini Movie, the first thing that flashes in my mind is the murder scene of Kalpana (Asin) by a blow with a GI pipe by the villain.
The scene was nicely shot (screen play was good) that has impacted almost all the people who watched it.
“Tears from my eyes keep on falling….(UB40)”…
SearchIndia.com Responds:
You write: When somebody talks about the Ghajini Movie, the first thing that flashes in my mind is the murder scene of Kalpana (Asin) by a blow with a GI pipe by the villain.
You are right…although a bit crude that scene had impact.
Yeah, the moment I watched Forrest Gump, I thought Hrithik copied Hanks in Koi Mil Gaya, I might be wrong here, but it was just a feeling. Ohh yeah, and I certainly can say Aamir tries to take after Hanks. BTW, have you seen Pretty Woman? Do you have its review? I thought Julia Roberts was fantastic, just larger than life in that movie, one of the best love stories I’ve seen. Do write a review, if it has not been written already!
SearchIndia.com Responds:
1. You write: BTW, have you seen Pretty Woman?
Only a million times because of some people in close proximity to us….it’s forever on TNT or USA channels here. If we see or hear about that movie again, you’ll have to refer to us in the past tense.
2. Idhar Chala Udhar Chala from Koi Mil Gaya is one of our favorite songs. Watching/listening to it as we type this.
With an angelic smile on her face, the prettiest shortest pink frock on her body and the nicest flowers in her hair, the sight of the ethereally beautiful Preity Zinta in the wheelbarrow is a memory that’ll last a lifetime.
3. Aamir, Hrithik,,,,Tom Hanks leaves all Bollywood bachchas in the dust.
Ah TNT and USA, also responsible for making The Matrix infinitely annoying.
Forest Gump is a once in a lifetime movie. Enjoyed it thoroughly sometime back.
In the Dasavatharam review thread i had asked for a possible review of the movie The exorcism of Emily Rose, did you get to watch it?
SearchIndia.com Responds:
You write: Forest Gump is a once in a lifetime movie.
Never has a truer word been said.
You write above: The exorcism of Emily Rose
Coming within the next seven days-10 days. But most likely, sooner.
I watched Notting Hill yesterday; if I thought Pretty Woman was romantic, this definitely beats it! Julia Roberts was fantastic, and as for Hugh Grant…Sigh… I’m in love! 😉
SearchIndia.com Responds:
We might watch Notting Hill later today. Netflix has it in their instant play section.
So? Did you watch it yet?
SearchIndia.com Responds:
You write above: So? Did you watch it yet?
Yes, we just finished the movie 9:35AM EST (we held off processing other comments till we did).
Overall, decent movie (Notting Hill) but not outstanding.
Still consider Pretty Woman – #1. the Mel Gibson-Julia Roberts movie (can’t remember the name…but Mel is a paranoid cabbie) would be #2; this one i.e. Notting Hill #3.
Hugh Grant was very good. Rhys Ifans (Spike, the room-mate) was superb. Julia Roberts was OK. In some scenes, she looks angelically beautiful (for example in the bookstore toward the end)
First 30 minutes or so was nice and then it started dragging a bit.
Some nice humorous moments. Liked the British accent, the humor and all.
Favorite scene – Horses & Hounds interview at the beginning. Too funny for words.
Other good scenes – When Julia Roberts comes to the bookstore at the end and Hugh Grant says no to her (My relatively inexperienced heart would not recover if I were cast away again as I’d expect to be); then, the two in bed at Hugh’s flat.
Some cliched lines – I live in Notting Hill; You live in Beverly Hills.
Remember the line? – I’ve opened the Pandora’s box and there’s trouble inside. Isn’t that true of life in general?
BTW – Good luck with Hugh Grant…as Hugh Grant says in the Horses & Hounds interview…the guy kisses the girl in the dream. But we know what happens in that scene, don’t we?
Conspiracy Theory.. Mel/Julia movie.
Asha, About Hugh Grant,..
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugh_Grant#Public_scandals
he is a bad guy.. choose me!
SearchIndia.com Responds:
Conspiracy Theory.. Mel/Julia movie, yes. Thanks.
We rented the movie from Blockbuster back in the video cassette days a million years back.
In the pre-Netflix days, Blockbuster was quite a big force in entertainment in America. The lines would be long, three or four guys manning the counters…Shows that as technology evolves if you are not ready to cannibalize your business, somebody else will.
Look at their share prices at 10:45AM EST today:
Blockbuster – $1.04
Netflix – $21.39
BTW, Hugh Grant’s ex-girlfriend Elizabeth Hurley is married to a desi guy Arun Nayar.
Not sure why blockbuster online didn’t catch up well .. their in-store rental policy is quite attractive, especially when we have a desperate urge to watch some particular movie immediately.. but the netflix-on-demand or whatever it is called, will completely take over that urge too, I guess..
I was contemplating on buying a 150$ Samsung bluray player.. but Samsung has released a newer model which has ties with netflix.. but the price is exorbitant. So will wait till the price dips to more manageable (for me) levels.
SearchIndia.com Responds:
We are skeptical that Blu-ray technology will ever take off like VHS did in the 1980s.
You might want to read the new post Black Friday & Discount Crazy Americans in which we predict that Blu-ray players will be an hot item this year.
Yeah, Spike was real good, I loved the scene when he goes to the bathroom, sees Julia in the tub, runs out, and comes back in and says, “Just checking!” The scene where he’s dancing with Hugh’s sis, holding her in the air, was sweet, too. Julia was really beautiful, and well, Hugh Grant looks boyish in Notting Hill; but Richard Gere is a man in Pretty Woman. Pretty Woman was much more mature than Notting Hill, and well, I’m a sucker for movies with romance and a liberal dash of humor.
At Trey: Thank you so much for the info, you saved me from heartbreak! I’ve decided to break up with the little bugger 😀
SearchIndia.com Responds:
When Hugh Grant tells him not to go out, Spike does the opposite. The way, he struts and clowns around in his briefs before the photographers was quite funny too. A natural actor.
A lot of attention went to the screenplay and dialogs. Some scenes were too hilarious.
We streamed Notting Hill directly to the TV via the Roku box. Excellent quality.
One of the advantages of the broadband-based Netflix Instant Play is that you don’t even have to go outside to rent a DVD or order one via mail. Nearly 15,000 movies/TV shows are available through the Netflix Instant Play.
I’ll watch Conspiracy Theory soon. We dont have netflix here, so I go to the nearest DVD rental store and get them at exorbitant rates, and the quality is also not good, jus imagine, I was watching Runaway Bride, and the disc got stuck at the point where Julia comes into church for the wedding, and Richard Gere is standing at the altar. I wanted to wring the shop owner’s neck. :-/
PS: Jus wondering, do you have an account at orkut? Facebook? Or, Linkedin?
SearchIndia.com Responds:
You write above: do you have an account at orkut? Facebook? Or, Linkedin?
What are they…?
Just kidding, no.
But why?
Yeah,sure 😛
Why else do you think?! I wanted to add you. Btw, I hav a friend of mine, whose style of writing is very similar to yours. The use of the word dodo (though he uses it quite affectionately on me, and not how you described Ms. Palin, heh), the colorful adjectives you use for the blokes who piss you off, are quite, quite, similar. And no, I’m not insinuating anything here, before you get the wrong idea. This is in no way connected to “The Quest” for your identity, was just stating a fact, honest. 🙂
PS: Think again, maybe it slipped from your mind, maybe, just might be, you have an account at the sites mentioned… 😛
SearchIndia.com Responds:
No, we are not your old Facebook, Orkut or MySpace friend masquerading as a desi blogger in the U.S.
We are really your new friend.
We are going to watch I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry now.
The name “Jessica Biel” gives me an instant boner. She is the hottest Jessica (Alba, Simpson, Lange and last but not the least Tandy) of them all.
I am guilty of watching almost all of the Adam Sandler movies. I find him more charming than Hugh Grant.
Speaking of Biel, not sure if you watched http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0443543/
fine movie..
SearchIndfia.com Responds:
Jessica Biel is hotttt.
Find us a divorce lawyer, quick. 😉
well, i ve expected this kind of review from you for this movie… but as i said earlier.. tom hanks delivered a much better performance in philadelphia than in this movie… its directed by jonathan demme the director of the classic “the silence of the lambs”….recently i ve seen one foreign language movie “13 tzameti”, georgian i think,, take a break from shitty movies to watch this…
c u
SearchIndia.com Responds:
We watched Philadelphia – very good.
Wll watch 13 Tzameti (directed by Gela Babluani) in 3 or 4 days..available on Netflix Instant Play. Sundance 2006 Award Winner.
shawshank redemption is the great of all movies…
but as a hero tom hanks is far better than tim robbins…
for those who still didnt watch it and please go for it and i dont want u to miss the great screenplay…
SearchIndia.com Responds:
Shawshank Redemption is a gorgeous movie. We watched it many times.
Tim Robbins was bloody good. Morgan Freeman did a nice job too and the dialogs were great.
Here’s a memorable quote from the movie…this one is narrated by Andy’s friend Red (Morgan Freeman) after Andy’s escape:
Andy Dufresne – who crawled through a river of shit and came out clean on the other side….Sometimes it makes me sad, though, Andy being gone. I have to remind myself that some birds aren’t meant to be caged. Their feathers are just too bright and when they fly away, the part of you that knows it was a sin to lock them up does rejoice, but still, the place you live in is that much more drab and empty that they’re gone. I guess I just miss my friend..
Well, I dont think you’ve read The Bridges of the Madison County yet? Hmmmm?
SearchIndia.com Responds:
Thursday is Confession Day here. In that spirit, we confess that we have yet to read The Bridges of the Madison County.
We’ll get to it. 🙂
How did I miss this Chocolate Box for so many years? 🙁
Superb. I liked Rain Man,but this one is even more beautiful.It was great fun to watch Dustin Hoffman in Rain Man,but in this film, Tom Hanks just reduces you to tears with his innocence,what an actor he is!
SearchIndia.com Responds:
You write: Tom Hanks just reduces you to tears with his innocence,what an actor he is!
But Nagarjuna is better.
So much bitter. 🙁
Forrest Gump is one of our all-time favorites. Right there with On the Waterfront, Casablanca,
Yamudiki Moguduet al.Forrest Gump………..One of my most favourite films…….Tom Hanks is just extraordinary that most of the time we forget that we are watching him acting on screen. Instead, he behaves, he lives on screen as the lovable Forrest Gump. Even the dialogues in the movie deserves special mention and the way Mr. Hanks delivers it makes it even better. Right from the very first dialogue “Hello, my name’s Forrest, Forrest Gump” to the very last dialogue, the dialogues are just unbelievably good.
Hey another Hindi movie just came to my mind- Swades. I watched the movie in theatre & loved it. The music by A.R Rahman, direction by Ashutosh Gowariker, and performances by SRK, Gayatri Joshi, and others were superb. I couldn’t find a review of this movie on SI. So I presumed that you haven’t seen this movie. I think you guys are gonna like it…….http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swades
SearchIndia.com Responds:
You write: Swades….I couldn’t find a review of this movie on SI. So I presumed that you haven’t seen this movie
Don’t presume.
We’ve seen Swades but did not care to review it.
In several comments, we wrote that Gayatri Joshi’s marriage and her subsequent withdrawal from Bollywood was a loss for moviegoers.
In November 2009, in response to a comment we wrote: What a shame that matrimony kidnapped her forever from our midst..
Search for Swades in comments, you’ll find multiple references.
Forrest Gump or Pulp Fiction? – Which one would you rate higher? (you can choose only one).
SearchIndia.com Responds:
Forrest Gump (it took me all of a nanosecond to decide).
Run Forrest, Run!
I thought you would pick that. 🙂 I would pick Pulp Fiction, as you may have guessed.
SearchIndia.com Responds:
On both RT & IMDB 250, Pulp Fiction ranks much higher than Forrest Gump.
I suspect that’s because younger people are more active on these forums than old fogies.
Watch ‘Who Framed Roger Rabbit’, another good film directed by Robert Zemeckis.
SearchIndia.com Responds::
Next week!