Tom Hanks’ Best Picture Winner Is a Free Streaming Hit

Robert Zemeckis’ 1994 film starring Tom Hanks, Forrest Gump, has become a streaming hit more than 30 years after its original release in theaters. The 1995 Academy Award winner for Best Picture is available on Tubi‘s catalog and, at the time of writing, the film sits in the number one spot on the streamer’s top 10 list of most-watched films. Other titles on the list include the Stephen King adaptation Dreamcatcher, two Final Destination movies (3 and 5), and the Best Picture winner of the following year after Forrest Gump, Mel Gibson’s Braveheart.

Forrest Gump stars Tom Hanks as a young man who has always been accused of being “slow.” However, Forrest has found happiness in other aspects of his life. His accomplishments included saving lives in Vietnam, becoming a ping-pong champion, meeting presidents, and becoming a wealthy businessman. However, nothing is as important to Forrest as making his childhood sweetheart happy. Per the Rotten Tomatoes synopsis of the film.

Slow-witted Forrest Gump (Tom Hanks) has never thought of himself as disadvantaged, and, thanks to his supportive mother (Sally Field), he leads anything but a restricted life. Whether dominating on the gridiron as a college football star, fighting in Vietnam or captaining a shrimp boat, Forrest inspires people with his childlike optimism. But one person Forrest cares about most may be the most difficult to save — his childhood love, the sweet but troubled Jenny (Robin Wright).

Tom Hanks Confesses He Felt Insecure About Forrest Gump

Academy Award winner Tom Hanks remembers an important talk he had with director Robert Zemeckis about Forrest Gump’s reception.

Why ‘Forrest Gump’ Remains One of the Most Controversial Best Picture Winners

forrest and jenny sit on the ground in forrest gump — Paramount Pictures

Upon release, Forrest Gump was an instant worldwide success. Audiences were ecstatic about Zemeckis and Hanks’ ultimate delivery of a heartwarming comedy drama that seemed to speak to all generations. It had a great box office performance, grossing over $678 million from a $55 million production budget. It was one of 1994’s highest-grossing films, falling second to Disney’s animated juggernaut The Lion King.

The critical reception was also great, and eventually it earned a Certified Fresh label on Rotten Tomatoes. The critics’ score today sits at 75%, while the audience score boasts a higher rating of 95%. It is Hanks’ third highest-rated film on the audience score, falling below A Man Called Otto and Saving Private Ryan. For director Robert Zemeckis, it is the highest-rated on the audience score, and it’s currently tied with Back to the Future, which also boasts a 95% score.

Naturally, a film of this caliber swept the Oscars. Forrest Gump landed 13 nominations, and took home six Academy Awards that night. Four of them were in major categories: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Actor (Tom Hanks won the Oscar two years in a row, as the year before he had won for his role in Philadelphia). Curiously, the film has gone through re-evaluation, and it’s one of the few Best Picture winners that modern viewers believe didn’t deserve the victory.

It was the year of Pulp Fiction and The Shawshank Redemption, two movies that have aged well. Some viewers claim the Stephen King adaptation was the best movie that year, but it’s hard to argue against the most popular choice between the nominees. Forrest Gump may not be a perfect movie, but it’s too controversial to say that it didn’t deserve the Best Picture Academy Award. It has become an important piece of pop culture, and this newly found love on streaming may be proof.

Source: Flix Patrol