Tom Hanks’ Best Film Is Leaving Netflix, Enjoy It While You Can
Tom Hanks' Forrest Gump is leaving Netflix on April 1.
There’s only a limited amount of time remaining to crack open that box of chocolates on Netflix as Forrest Gump is preparing to race off the platform on April 1, according to What’s On Netflix. And no, this isn’t an April Fool’s joke, as the Tom Hanks-led quotable ‘90s film will be bidding the streamer adieu with no word on where it may pop up next. While subscribers can still catch Hanks hits like Road to Perdition on Netflix or change their channel to HBO Max for Catch Me if You Can, it’s unknown when the epic story of one man’s life will make it back onto online streaming.
Released in 1994 and loosely based on Winston Groom’s novel of the same name, Forrest Gump centers around the titular character played by Tom Hanks. While those surrounding him may see him at a mental disadvantage, that doesn’t bother Forrest one bit as the young man goes on to lead nothing short of a legendary life, from starring on his college football team and bravely serving in the Vietnam War to helming a shrimp boat, and running across the country – all while meeting some of the biggest names in the books and leaving his mark on history. But to properly draw an end to his story, Forrest hopes to reconnect and help his lifelong friend Jenny (Robin Wright).
With a star-studded cast, along with Tom Hanks and Robin Wright, the film also starred Gary Sinise, Mykelti Williamson, and Sally Field. Back to the Future franchise director Robert Zemeckis brought Forrest’s larger-than-life tale to the big screen with a script penned by critically acclaimed writer Eric Roth (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Dune). Quickly becoming a household name, the film’s legacy still has a hold on pop culture almost three decades later.
It was no shock that the film blew its budget way out of the water, managing to wrangle in a whopping $678.2 million at the global box office up against its production cost of $55 million, which would, in turn, make it Zemeckis’ highest grossing film to date. While audiences rushed to their local theaters or waited patiently for the title to hit the shelves of Blockbuster, critics sang the praise of the film’s vision and the dream-like life of its main character. But, now almost 30 years down the line, Tom Hanks’ quotable lines are facing more of a side-eye with the film currently sitting on Rotten Tomatoes with a 71% critics rating because, looking back on it, the film is a little bit problematic.
Nonetheless, those in 1994 didn’t give a hoot about making fun of a man’s disabilities and building a complex storyline around it. Nabbing 13 nominations at that year’s Academy Award ceremonies, Forrest Gump took home five of the golden men, including Best Picture and Best Actor for Tom Hanks. This would be Hanks’ second major win after being honored with the same award just one year prior for his work in Philadelphia.
By the time Forrest Gump came sprinting into Hanks’ life, he was already a celebrated actor, not only for Philadelphia but for a slew of other titles, including The ‘Burbs, Splash, and Sleepless in Seattle. Never slowing down, the actor has only continued to be one of the most beloved names in Hollywood, seemingly as sweet and genuine as his character, Mr. Rogers, in A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood. While he may have caught some flack over the last year for his role in the fever dream that was Disney’s Pinocchio as well as Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis, Tom Hanks will soon be making up for it all in Wes Anderson’s highly anticipated rom-com drama Asteroid City.
Be sure to catch Forrest Gump while you can.
