I’ll admit that I wasn’t expecting all that much from Forrest Gump after having been disappointed with North by Northwest and, to a lesser extent, The King’s Speech last semester. However, I’m glad that I chose to attend today’s film because Forrest Gump definitely deserves to be called a masterpiece. I’m struck by how complete a picture it manages to present of Forrest’s life in just a couple hours. The Vietnam storyline and the follow-up with Lieutenant Dan and Bubba’s plans could easily have been its own movie, as could the story of Forrest and Jenny, but I don’t feel at all like either was shortchanged. With some added background and characters, even the football arc could become a film on its own. My only complaints about the film are really quite minor. I cringed a little bit at the repeated “run, Forrest, run” line, but I do think running is an important motif in the story. Similarly, I was a little annoyed with Jenny’s portrayal as being so hopeless on her own, but I wouldn’t go so far as to call it unrealistic (just biased in showing the worst moments of her life).

I thought it was interesting how Forrest, supposedly inferior to others because of his IQ, was generally happier than “normal” people like Jenny and Lieutenant Dan (until he brought happiness into their lives). That, among other things, fit well with the famous “life is like a box of chocolates” idea, and I appreciated the message of acceptance/tolerance that was baked in there. It did feel, though, like Forrest went beyond what people would expect of a “stupid” person in his philosophical monologue to Jenny’s grave. Maybe that’s my own unconscious prejudice speaking; I don’t claim to know exactly how IQ relates to the ability to philosophize. However, if Forrest’s monologue means that he isn’t actually “stupid” then the movie changes from being a symbolic struggle against prejudice towards “stupid” people and becomes a little bit like Forrest’s individual struggle against his mislabeling as “stupid,” which then suggests that there really are “stupid” people and really weakens the message of the movie. Or maybe I’m just overthinking this. Forrest’s monologue is certainly a powerful one that brings together Lieutenant Dan’s and Forrest’s mom’s ideas about destiny, and taking it at face value (that Forrest is “stupid”) might instead mean that being “stupid” really doesn’t mean anything because even “stupid” people are just as capable of doing everything as “normal” people are.

Forrest Gump now beats out Pather Panchali as my favorite film I’ve seen at Rose House, and I hope everyone else enjoyed it as much as I did.