The Twin Geeks 116: Forrest Gump

With the 93rd Annual Academy Awards ceremony in the rearview, with every winner and loser alike accounted for, we look back to one of the most prolific Oscar winners of the past thirty years. One that has permeated all spheres of our popular culture, for better or worse, and is greatly emblematic of the types of films the Academy historically prefers to recognize. Director Robert Zemeckis was at the height of his powers in 1994 when he made the box-office sensation Forrest Gump. The lovable title character played by Tom Hanks stumbled his way into the hearts of moviegoers throughout the world, much in the same way he stumbles through the most significant cultural touchstones of the 1960s throughout the film. Utilizing the latest in computer technologies, audiences were taken with the convincing integration of actors into historical footage used throughout the film, allowing the simple-mannered Gump to interact with the likes of John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon, and John Lennon to name a few. We reflect on how Zemeckis' most famous film fares in comparison with the most recent Oscar celebrations, and how the movie holds up some almost thirty years later. There is, however, no denying the cultural staying power Forrest Gump has managed to illicit in the three decades since its Oscar-sweeping debut. Time stamps: 0:00 93rd Academy Awards: Analysis; hot takes; and shaping the future of the Oscars 36:31 Mortal Kombat 43:43 American Experience: Into the Amazon (2018) 50:43 Forrest Gump