Forrest Gump

                 It’s funny how I can not watch a movie for a long time and then suddenly I am watching it twice in two days.  Forrest Gump has been airing on AMC lately, and as I have not seen it in awhile, I decided to watch.  I first saw the film when it was released in theatres years ago.  While I don’t remember if I understood all the cultural and historical references, I do know I liked the film.  For years I had a VHS copy, which has now been replaced with the DVD, and I still own the soundtrack.  Forrest Gump is a great film and there is little wonder why it won so many awards. 

                Forrest Gump (Tom Hanks) has not had the life most people would probably expect.  Needing braces on his legs and having below average intelligence, Forrest is pretty much written off as a child.  He gets stared at when he is in town and does not seem to have any friends.  Fortunately, Forrest has an incredible mother (Sally Field) who loves him dearly and never lets Forrest feel bad about himself.  She also makes sure he has as normal a life of possible.  Instead of sending Forrest to a special school, Mrs. Gump convinces a principal to let Forrest attend the regular school.  This is how Forrest meets Jenny (Robin Wright).

                On the first day of school, none of the kids will let Forrest (this age played by Michael Conner Humphreys) sit with them on the bus.  Not sure where to go, Forrest stands in the aisle until Jenny (this age played by Hanna R. Hall) invites him to sit down.  They become fast friends and are always together until it is time for college.  Here they go different ways with Forrest earning a football scholarship with his running ability (which he discovered because of Jenny) and Jenny going to an all-girls school.  Abused as a child, Jenny’s life was never stable, but college is where her life begins to go truly off course.  As Forrest plays football and joins the military, Jenny gets kicked out of school.  She then starts on a really hard road of drugs and abusive relationships that takes her years to get off of.

                With Forrest and Jenny moving in such opposite directions, it is hard for Forrest to keep in touch with her.  Forrest tries, even when he is in Vietnam, but often years go by before they are able to connect with each other.  Jenny is always on his mind as Forrest moves forward with his life.

                After saving men during an ambush in Vietnam, and getting wounded himself, Forrest plays ping pong for the military.  Once discharged, he buys a shrimping boat as he promised his military friend Bubba (Mykelti Williamson) he would do.  Things do not go well at first, but after a hurricane Forrest suddenly becomes the only successful shrimper around.  Even with his success, Forrest stays as captain of his boat until he hears his mother is sick.  When he hears this news, Forrest dives into the water and heads home.     

                Forrest makes it home in time to see his mother before she dies.  She parts with a final lesson for her son and it is clear how much they love each other.  No matter what happened, his mother was always there for him, and now he must figure out how to go it alone.

                Instead of going back to his shrimping boat, Forrest leaves it and his business in the hands of Second Lieutenant Dan Taylor (Gary Sinise).  Lt. Dan was Forrest’s platoon leader in Vietnam and one of the men Forrest saved during the ambush.  Forrest knows Lt. Dan will take good care of his business.  In his grief, Forrest decides to spend his days mowing lawns and thinking about Jenny.  Then one day Jenny appears.                                      

                This is not where the story ends, but it is where I’m going to stop.  I’ve told a lot of the story already, but I don’t want to reveal too much.  There are more important events to come that I don't want to ruin for you.          

                I will say, however, that throughout this entire movie I feel a mix of happiness and sadness.  I love how Forrest is not impressed by anyone.  He meets Elvis, John Lennon, and three different presidents, but to Forrest they are not any different than those he meets on the street.  Also, he does not care about anybody’s race, ethnicity, or background.  To him, people are just people.  The only time he has a problem with a person is when they try to hurt someone he cares for.  Other than that, Forrest treats everyone with respect.

                The sadness comes with Forrest’s endless love for Jenny, despite her inability to return it.  Forrest has loved Jenny since they were children and he cannot understand why she does not love him back.  He is really hurt by this, and if he did not have his mother by his side, I don’t know what he would do.  That is probably what makes the final scene with Mrs. Gump especially sad.  Forrest is losing the only stable and unconditional love he has ever known.

                Even though this is a serious film, there are funny parts.  This usually happens during the historical and cultural events.  There are many events that are made to look as though Forrest played a part in them or at least was an inspiration.  One of my favorites is when a young Forrest teaches Elvis a dance move that later becomes Elvis’ signature.  Then there is John Lennon creating the song “Imagine” while on a television interview with Forrest.  Also we see Forrest become part of Watergate because he reports seeing flashlights in a building and believes a fuse has gone out.  While these things are humorous to begin with, what makes them even more so is how unaffected Forrest is by everything.  To him things are matter of fact and he worries more about the specifics of the people involved, such as John F. Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy being brothers, than about the events and their impact as a whole.  Again, it is the people that matter, nothing else.     

                I know Forrest Gump has been made fun of a lot through the years. There are many lines that have been mocked and twisted in order to get a laugh. It feels to me that with all these jokes floating around, the importance and message of this film has often been pushed aside. The film tells us that everyone has differences. It is what we do with these differences that matter. Forrest didn’t use them to discriminate. He accepted and loved people for whom they were. That, not the jokes, is what should be remembered.