Robert Zemeckis likes special effects. In "Who framed Roger Rabbit" (1988) he combines real actors with animation. In "Forrest Gump" he combines real actors with archive material.

"Forrest gump" gives an overview of American history in the period 1950 - 1985. It does so by following the life of the simpleton Forrest Gump (Tom Hanks), who miraculously is present by al the major events of this period and meets with a couple of presidents.

The combination of a simpleton and world history is also the essence of "Being there" (1979, Hal Ashby). All the same, "Being there" is very different from "Forrest gump". In "being there" the simpleton influences world history, in "Forrest gump" he merely reflects it.