Tom Hanks Defends ‘Forrest Gump’ For Controversial Best Picture Oscar

Unlike life, you almost always know what you’re going to get with a Best Picture Oscar winner: a crowd-pleasing film with a gooey, message-filled center.

Sure, there have been variances over the years, but for every “Parasite” there’s a “Green Book”, “Crash”, “Driving Miss Daisy” or yes, “Forrest Gump”, to balance the balance.

Tom Hanks, however, considers his 1994 drama an outlier, though moviegoers would argue that “Pulp Fiction” or “Shawshank Redemption” were more deserving of Best Picture wins.

Speaking to The New York Times in a broad profile published last week, the actor defended the film against critics who see it as nothing more than a “totem of boomer nostalgia.”

“The problem with ‘Forrest Gump’ is that it made a billion dollars. If we had just made a hit movie, Bob and I would have been geniuses,” he told the point. sale, referencing director Robert Zemeckis.

“But because we made a wildly successful movie, we were evil geniuses,” Hanks continued. “Is this a bad problem to have?” No, but there are books about the greatest movies of all time, and ‘Forrest Gump’ doesn’t appear because, oh, it’s this sleazy nostalgia fest.”

Hanks went on to note that he regularly sees articles that argue Quentin Tarantino’s “Pulp Fiction” should have triumphed in the category, conceding the film is a “masterpiece without a doubt.”

But he said “Forrest Gump” should also get its due.

“Look, I don’t know, but there’s an undeniably heartbreaking moment of humanity in ‘Forrest Gump’ when Gary Sinise — he plays Lt. Dan — and his Asian wife walk into our house the day Forrest and Jenny get together. are getting married,” Hanks said, adding that the “magical legs” scene conveys “everything they’ve been through and feel gratitude for every ounce of pain and tragedy they’ve survived.”

“It’s something intangible [expletive] right there,” he continued. “It’s not just about running with Duane Eddy’s ‘Rebel Rouser’.”

“Forrest Gump” essentially swept the 67th Academy Awards, winning six Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Visual Effects, Best Film Editing, Best Director for Zemeckis, and Best Actor for Hanks. .

Along with “Pulp Fiction” and “Shawshank Redemption,” the film beat the “Four Weddings and a Funeral” and “Quiz Show” nominees for Best Picture.

Tarantino’s gory, gory extravaganza, meanwhile, was considered an experimental underdog by comparison, ultimately only winning one award at the Best Direct-to-Screen Screenplay ceremony.

Hanks is set to reunite with Zemeckis, who also worked with the actor on “Cast Away,” in Disney’s upcoming live-action version of “Pinocchio.”

But first, he’s aiming for Oscar glory again in the upcoming “Elvis” biopic, due out later this summer. For the role of the singer’s manager, Colonel Tom Parker, Hanks donned heavy prosthetics and cosmetics, making him almost unrecognizable.