Dramatic Trip Though History
Despite hearing about Forrest Gump for years, I’d never actually seen the movie. What I knew about the movie didn’t sound like something I’d enjoy, but I’ve heard so much about it over the years, I was still curious about it. I finally broke down and watched it, and I didn’t enjoy it as much as so many people seem to.
The movie tells the story of Forrest Gump (Tom Hanks). His intelligence is just below the normal range. Despite that, his mother (Sally Fields) manages to get him into regular schools. When people discover how fast he can run, he gets a football scholarship to college. After that, he joins the army and heads to Vietnam.
But what sets him apart is the way his story keeps intersecting history. He meets several Presidents and is present for other big historical events. And his path keeps intersecting that of Jenny (Robin Wright), his childhood friend.
Tom Hanks was praised for his portrayal of Forrest, and it is well deserved. He makes us care for the man, makes him real, and makes him relatable. He plays Forrest’s mental issues without ever crossing the line. If you doubt that Tom Hanks is a great actor (and who does?), this movie will change your mind. The rest of the cast rises to the occasion, so all the performances are strong.
Even so, this movie is hard to watch. I kept cringing expecting Forrest to say or do something inappropriate. For the most part, those moments are rare and are actually pretty funny.
I certainly enjoyed seeing how Forrest interacted with history and even changed or influenced it a few times. You never quite know when something like that is going to pop up, and it is fun.
On the other hand, the story is more tragic than fun. It didn’t help that I was not in an upbeat mood when I watched this movie, but it is more depressing than inspirational.
And I hated Forrest’s relationship with Jenny. We were supposed to be rooting for them to finally get together, but I was actually rooting for them to stay apart. Yes, their relationship felt realistic, but that was part of the tragedy, as far as I was concerned. It certainly wasn’t a healthy relationship.
When the film came out in the 1990’s, computer effects were just beginning to be widely used. They used those to have Forrest interact with various historical figures and even recreate film footage. These effects are phenomenal even today.
While there were moments I enjoyed, I didn’t enjoy Forrest Gump overall. I realize this puts me in the minority. I’m glad I watched the movie because I’d been curious about it, but this isn’t a movie I’ll be revisiting any time soon.
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