Tom Hanks has long been considered one of the finest actors of all time. He has an incredibly varied list of works in his filmography, from dramatic masterpieces such as The Green Mile to light-hearted children’s comedies like the Toy Story franchise. He also delivered an Oscar-winning performance as Forrest Gump in the 1994 film of the same name.
We’ve collected several films which fans of Forrest Gump will like for a variety of different reasons.
Updated August 21st, 2020 by Zach Gass: To say Forrest Gump is an interesting piece of cinema is the understatement of the year. Seeing major events in American history through the perspective of a man with a below-average IQ offers a unique and almost mystifying way of looking at the world. The tale of Mr. Gump and his interaction with an ever-changing environment is both prominently profound and pleasantly simple at the same time. The main themes in this concept are paradigm and perspective, watching history unfold before one's eyes. Gump isn't the only one in the realm of film to accomplish that feat. In fact, many other marvelous movies have captured that exact same practice, some even better than the man himself.
Castaway
While Forrest might have experienced various events, places, and people important to world history, sometimes the biggest experiences one can have take place in complete and utter isolation. In Castaway, Tom Hanks's Chuck Noland washes up on a deserted island after his plane goes down in the middle of the ocean. His experiences both on the island and during his return to civilization send him on a mental, physical, and emotional odyssey. And how did Wilson not win an Oscar?
Mr. Holland's Opus
If the subject of history is on the table, Mr. Holland's Opus is one for the books. Although the character of the protagonist is affected by historical events seen in Forrest Gump, such as the Vietnam War and the assassination of John Lennon, the true bonding element is the music.
Music shapes and refines Glenn Holland from a put-upon music teacher into a more understanding human being by the time the credits roll.
Fried Green Tomatoes
The American South and all its cultural attributes play a huge part in Gump's journey through life. Whether that's in the small town of Greenbow Alabama or in the city of Savannah Georgia, it's a prominent backdrop in a great portion of the film. Fried Green Tomatoes uses both southern characters and culture to tell a series of stories of powerful and confident female leads. With enough heart and humor to go around, it's more than just the average chick flick.
Good Morning, Vietnam
The Vietnam War is one of the biggest obstacles Gump has to face in his saga, but if there's one movie that puts a new perspective on this troubling time in history, it's Good Morning, Vietnam.
Truth be told, the selling point for this film is the manic antics of Robin Williams, but that doesn't mean he makes light of the situation. The film is just as silly as it is incredibly serious. When it comes to features surrounding the war, this feature definitely takes a top spot on many lists.
The Butler
When it comes to perspectives on different eras of history, few capture so many different eras and so many famous faces quite as well as Lee Daniel's The Butler. Through the eyes of White House butler, Cecil Gaines, viewers are exposed to history-changing decades over the course of the film, as well as several presidents under whom he served. From Eisenhower to Regan, the film offers an interesting view of things going on inside and outside the White House.
The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button
The David Fincher classic The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button puts Brad Pitt in the driver’s seat of an incredibly romantic, fantastical journey. The general idea behind the film is that Benjamin Button ages backward. He was born as an old man and continues to reverse in age until he is 84 years old but has the form of a very young child.
It might not have the overt comedic overtones of Forrest Gump, but the idea of a personality not matching the age of the character connects the two films clearly.
The Truman Show
This Jim Carrey classic connects to Forrest Gump through two main factors. Firstly, the ‘slice of life’ approach. Most of The Truman Show simply shows Truman getting on with his life, dealing with its various challenges, which is a pretty familiar concept if you’ve seen Forrest Gump.
Secondly, The Truman Show also puts naivety front and center. Truman has no idea that people around the world are watching every moment of his life, while Gump doesn’t really know that people are both confused and enthralled by his every move.
Big
Not only does Big star Tom Hanks, but it also has many similar thematic ideas to Forrest Gump. The 1988 film sees a young Tom Hanks portraying Josh Baskin, a young boy who wishes to be ‘big’ and, to his surprise, it happens overnight.
However, in a way not unlike Forrest Gump, Josh retains his childlike outlook on life and personality traits. Big is just as funny as Forrest Gump, while Hanks’ performance was almost Academy Award-winning.
Run Lola Run
This German film has a very, very specific connection to Forrest Gump. Basically, Lola runs. A lot. Hence the title. The film might be a trippy, parallel-universe-centric film that is exclusively in the German language, but if someone's favorite part of Forrest Gump was his long run, then Run Lola Run is worth checking out.
The film follows Lola as she relives the same day three times, which dramatically sees her try and attain 100,000 Deutsche Mark in order to save the life of her boyfriend. This is a fantastic watch.
The Blind Side
There is a relatively brief time in Forrest Gump in which the titular character is a well-loved and quick American Football player, which creates a pretty specific connection withThe Blind Side. The Forrest Gump book details this period of the character's life in a bit more detail, but it is still an interesting part of the film.
For those who enjoyed this part of Forrest Gump, then check out this John Lee Hancock film. It stars Sandra Bullock and Quinton Aaron as they tour the (real-life) story of Michael Oher, who went from an impoverished childhood, through adoption, and into the front lines of American Football.
Of Mice And Men
Perhaps the film adaptation of the John Steinbeck classic is a little sadder and harder to get through than the relatively trivial, jovial life of Forrest Gump, but the depiction of a naïve but kind-hearted adult with an immature mind is still very similar.
The story follows Lenny and George as they chase the American Dream through the Great Depression, encountering various problems (mostly caused by Lenny’s unpredictable, accidental strength) along the way. You might also recognize George (who also directed and produced the 1992 film) as Lieutenant Dan from Forrest Gump.
Toy Story
On the surface, Toy Story basically has nothing to do with the story of Forrest Gump. There isn’t any real overlap in its themes; there are no living toys in Forrest’s world and no adults with immature minds in the Toy Story universe.
However, they’re both nice, easy-watch films. Beyond that, Toy Story houses one of Tom Hanks’ finest performances. Across almost thirty years, Hanks' Woody became an iconic duo when paired with Tim Allen’s Buzz Lightyear, with the former being front and center for all three sequels to the classic animated original.
Big Fish
This 2003 Tim Burton film stars Ewan McGregor as a young Edward Bloom, as the older version of himself (Albert Finney) tells his life story while on his deathbed.
The first obvious connection to Forrest Gump comes from Big Fish's storytelling. The way the old Edward Bloom recounts his earlier life is particularly similar to the way the middle-aged Gump tells passers-by of his adventures while waiting at the bus stop. Furthermore, just like Gump's tales, Bloom's stories are fantastical, unbelievable, and impressive.
Rain Man
It is never explicitly said whether Forrest Gump himself has any kind of diagnosable mental condition. His speech is impaired and he certainly doesn’t seem to have the ability to process or understand situations in the same way as most people his age.
Raymond Babbitt, however, is diagnosed as autistic. Rain Man follows his strict routine life as he deals with incredible memory abilities and also a lack of emotional expression. Raymond's issues may be different from Gump’s, but Rain Man's representation and unique story make it a must-watch for fans of Forrest Gump.
The Green Mile
The final entry may well be one of the greatest films of all time. Once again starring Tom Hanks, The Green Mile was released a few years after Forrest Gump.
While The Green Mile's story stands on its own with the inclusion of magic, violence, and a prison setting, the narrative has similarities to both Forrest Gump and Big Fish. The older version of Hanks’ character, Paul Edgecomb, tells the story of a kind, magical prison inmate to his companion Elaine. Beyond their similarities, The Green Mile undoubtedly holds one of Hanks’ finest acting performances.