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Direct film viewShowing master rank #131 on its own—not above the ranking.
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Master Rank balances Greatness, Engagement, and Ease. Sort by Greatness for the artistic-canon view.

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View Forrest Gump film page
Original poster artwork · Great Cinema Master List

Spoiler-free premise

Alabama man Forrest Gump moves through decades of American history while remaining devoted to his childhood friend Jenny Curran.

Read expanded premiseLonger, still spoiler-free

Forrest Gump recounts a life that carries him from an Alabama childhood into college football, military service, business, and encounters with public figures. Across those changes, his strongest attachment remains Jenny Curran, whose path repeatedly crosses and diverges from his own.

Why it belongs

Zemeckis blends intimate melodrama, broad comedy, and digital historical illusion around Tom Hanks's disarming, meticulously unbroken performance.

Read expanded why it belongsThe fuller editorial case

Seamless effects place Forrest inside archival history, while recurring running images, Alan Silvestri's theme, and Tom Hanks's unforced narration keep the episodic design coherent—the film's sentiment works through constancy rather than psychological explanation.

Institutional reference ranks

Sight & Sound—IMDb Top 25012AFI 10076
Reference metadata only · not part of the 40/40/20 score

Great Cinema Master List scores

Greatness8.5
Engagement9.5
Ease9.5

English · PG-13
Narrative Feature
Mood: Funny & Bittersweet