Last week I went to the Universal theme park in Orlando, Florida. Upon entering the park, I looked to my right and saw “Bubba Gump Shrimp Co.,” a restaurant named after the successful  shrimping company that Forrest Gump creates in the movie. The movie Forrest Gump has become an American classic , with phrases like “run, Forrest, run!” being part of American culture, and recognized and used by people who haven’t even seen the movie.

The overwhelming popularity and endurance of Forrest Gump can be largely attributed to the titular main character, a simple man who does extraordinary things. Gump is who each of us aspires to be: a selfless, honorable American who strives to do his best and care for those he loves. Though it’s unrealistic and heartwarmingly comedic that so much fortunate circumstance befalls a single person, not everything goes well in Gump’s life. Jenny rejects Gump’s love time after time, until finally she realizes she loves Gump not shortly before she passes from illness. Without this bit of misfortune, Gump wouldn’t be as likeable of a character. There’s nothing worth rooting for like a good person who surmounts obstacles to achieve success.

I had first seen Forrest Gump years ago and not again till last Friday, so I had forgotten precisely how good a movie it was! Truth be told, I only meant to accompany a friend for the first few minutes of the movie and then go Magdala’s opera event the next day, but I simply couldn’t leave!

Firstly, the visual effects were simply splendid, managing to insert Tom Hanks into historical footage of presidential encounters throughout history to conjuring immense throngs of antiwar protesters on the Washington Mall. Reading the Wikipedia page for the movie, I learned that the Oscar-winning visual effects team used a primitive (well I suppose it was advanced in the early 90’s) video editing software to edit historical footage, magnify explosions, and duplicate a crowd of extras across the Washington Mall.

Of course, the visuals only served to communicate the inspirational story line and enhance the marvelous acting. I know this review is rather gushy, but I rather liked the movie. I would recommend it to anyone really.

Last Friday, I had the opportunity of watching Forrest Gump for the first time. I came in with high exceptions — based on the rave reviews the film has received over the years — and the film easily exceeded these expectations. The most inspiring, and intriguing, aspects of the film all centered around the development of Forrest as a character. A well intentioned man with an IQ of just 75, Forrest Gump manages to be involved in nearly every major event from the 1950s through the 1980s. He survives a vast array of conflicts, be it heartbreak or tragedy, yet shows an uncharacteristic & simple resilience that is heartwarming. When his intelligence is challenged in various points of his life, he regurgitates a quote his mother once told him: “stupid is as stupid does.” When faced with the deaths of his mother and newlywed wife, Forrest remains in good spirits, as shown by his speeches to his wife. When Forrest learns that he has a son, he isn’t overwhelmed with anger for being kept in the dark, but rather rejoices in the thought that his son is beautiful. The essence of the film suggests that although Forrest doesn’t understand everything that goes on around him, he understands everything he needs to know. Everything else is simply extraneous. He experienced the emotions of a proud son, husband, father, and friend. His actions were lauded, and he had no shortage of accolades or wealth. Give the events & environment of today, it was refreshing to view Forrest’s story and his rejoice for the simple joys of life.

The film Forrest Gump contemplates the meaning of life; is there a purpose to our struggles, or do we just float along as things happen to us life a feather in the wind. I think that evidence from the film points to a combination of both theories of thought. Gump throughout his narration mentions the famous people who he had met, such as JFK and John Lennon, and how “somebody shot him for some reason”. Repeatedly, assassinations and assassination attempts are used not only to show the passage of time but also as a metaphor for the complex relationship of destiny and randomness in life. Assassinations are unique events as the assassin spends hours or days preparing what he or she will do, creating detailed plans, and essentially creating a destiny for the victim. However, at the same time these assassinations seem random and senseless, the murder of John Lennon has no logic behind it. The assassins are often paranoid or believe in grand conspiracy theories which lack any shred of reason. Assassinations are a paradox in which an event shares a well calculated identity with a random quality. In an odd, and perhaps macabre way, assassinations are prime examples of the film maker’s claim that our lives can be both entirely random, yet also planned out for destiny.

Last Friday, I attended Rose’s screening of the heavily praised but heartbreaking film Forrest Gump. Although I did like the titular character, I was more intrigued and interested in Gump’s love interest, Jenny. Jenny and Forrest served as foils to one another. While Forrest grew up with a great support system facilitated by his unconditionally loving and proud mother, Jenny’s childhood was burdened by a sexually abusive, malevolent father. Forrest grew up to be the classical version of a stand-up guy – he saw his mother very often and did not take part in sexual activity or drug use. Meanwhile, Jenny grew up to be a promiscuous, hallucinogenic drug-using, depressed, and, at times, suicidal character. Forrest becomes unbelievably successful, getting a football scholarship to the University of Alabama, being awarded the Medal of Honor for selfless service in the Vietnam War, becoming a Ping-Pong celebrity, and becoming very wealthy from shrimping and successful investments. In sharp contrast, Jenny suffers and eventually dies after contracting an unnamed virus, presumably HIV.

It’s hard to pinpoint exactly why Forrest and Jenny had such different lives, but it can be inferred that their childhoods made them who they were. Forrest’s support system allowed him to become confident enough to succeed, while Jenny’s depressing childhood may have lead her to a lifestyle in which she used drugs to forget such a horrible past, and in which she didn’t feel she deserved to be happy or successful. It’s unfortunate that Forrest Gump’s screenwriters took this plot direction. I think it would have been much more interesting to have Jenny rise above the tragedies that she suffered and the odds she was against. It would have been nice for the movie to not imply that our childhoods and upbringings determine how successful we are in life.

I’ve seen Forrest Gump before so I knew the general outline of the plot going into the movie. When first watching the movie it truly feels like a marathon. It takes off in the Fifties when Forrest is a child, and how his friendship with Jenny begins at a very young age. Then the movie precedes to follow his incredible life, bouncing between his fingerprints on the major events of the latter half of the Twentieth Century. From teaching Elvis his iconic dance to alerting the Watergate Hotel to the infamous scandal that was the beginning of the end for the Nixon administration. This movie drives home how the most extraordinary people can arise from the most disadvantageous of positions.

The movie makes many political statements, portraying many controversial times in American history. The Vietnam war is one of the main plot arcs in the movie, focusing on the horror the war, but also life after the war for injured veterans through the character development of Lieutenant Dan. Another detail I noticed is how the movie goes about portraying some of the more famous people from the Nineteenth Century. The perspective of the movie is from Forrest’s so we often see his simple judgements of the men and women he meets over the course of the film, many of whom were very controversial figures, from the three United States Presidents to the political activist Abby Hoffman. His descriptions often refer to what he’s been told about them and not what he thinks, with most of his input coming from his initial impression of them when he met them, or how many people liked or disliked them. The film also flashes forward most of times directly after he meets one of them to either describe their assassination, or their fall from power. This often brings down these figures from their typical larger than life descriptions that many would associate them with today. The film is very detailed and intricate with a lot of things a first-time viewer can miss, and one that should be re watched again.

Last Week when I watched the Forest Gump film, I remember how initially when I saw Forest Gump get bullied mercilessly by those boys throughout his college years, I felt so bad for him, but it also made me also reflect how I have never known students who were “different” in my schools that I’ve grown up in nor schools that I know of to be treated so harshly. I’ve only heard of special students treated this different in the news and in movies. Although Hollywood Movies tend to exaggerate situations, I think the importance is to really highlight how people are ignorant of many unfortunate occurrences of cruelty in some communities and to promote education on these matters. Although Hollywood movies are often criticized for not being authentic, there are certain ideas in movies that are exaggerated to bring attention to people who have never seen or been exposed to issues such as bullying of special needs children. Had Hollywood not emphasized and exaggerated these scenes, people wouldn’t pay attention to them and then there wouldn’t be as much awareness as there is on bullying as there is now. For example, in my high school, I always attended high school lectures on bullying even though it was not an issue in my school, however, the reason there was so much awareness was because of the media and Hollywood. This made me reflect on how more ignorant I would be of the world around had it not been for certain monumental Hollywood movies or reporters making news of various incidents. Although this seems like a very random thought, at times I feel that I take for granted things like watching movies and understanding that the purpose that they serve is beyond just entertainment but educational, and has actually helped mould part of my understanding of society today.  It’s interesting to think how the simple things and activities we do in life have had a role in shaping the people we become today.

On another note, a parallel between Jenny and Forest’s friendship that I found true and indicative of real life is how one friend who has supported a person in hard times will be there to pick the other friend when they are going through hard times, no matter how tough the circumstance. Whenever I’ve gone through tough times, my friends are always one to remember how I’ve helped them out and are always there for me. That being said, I’ve not always had those friendships. I’ve had friendships where people have only talked to me when it was convenient for them and watching this movie again, made me feel grateful for the friends that I have back at high school who I know will always have my back. I still am looking to create more of these types of friendships at the end of the day so that once I leave Cornell, memories with those people will be the ones that I remember, and not just memories involving studying for exams.

I watched the very classical movie: Forest  last Friday in Rose dining hall. Before coming to US, I watched this movie when I was very small at China with my parents. At that time, I simply regarded this movie as a very normal movie which encourages people to head up and do things they want, because what distinguished Gum from others is that he is much more simple, and does not consider too much whenever he makes a decision. He simply did whatever he would like to do.

However, this time when I watched this movie, I view it from another perspective. First, kind of ironically, Jenny is a very strong, persistent and pretty girl: She had pain childhood memories related to the way her father treated her; She wants to be a singer, and is not afraid to travel around the whole country and leaves her hometown. But she failed almost every time she tried to do the things she wants. On the contrary, Gum never considers what his life “should be like”. Instead, he went to college, and became football star, went to Vietnam War and survived without losing part of body like others. He went home, rejected by Jenny, and ran. Then he became a a running star again. He bought the stocks of “Fruit company”(which is actually Apple) and becomes rich. He leads a very good life in a traditional way.

So why Gum seems “Get everything” without a specific goal in life, while Jenny(Or Dan) does not get the life goal they set even if they pay actual efforts for it and persists on it. That is a question to think about.

“Forrest Gump” has some enjoyable moments. If nothing else, I enjoyed the soundtrack. However, I find the film’s portrayal of Jenny problematic, and this prevented me from enjoying the film.

Forrest Gump and Jenny have been friends since childhood. Forrest frequently professes his love for Jenny, but she treats him as only a friend for most of the film, dating several other men, some of them abusive. Forrest is frequently set up as Jenny’s “Knight in Shining Armor”. Eventually, Jenny moves in with Forrest for a period before leaving again. Later, it is revealed that she gave birth to Forrest’s child while way. She then returns home with Forrest, and a short time later she dies.

Thus, the primary emotional conflict of this film is that Forrest loves a woman and she doesn’t love him back, or at least refuses to be in a relationship with him. This doesn’t work for me as a narrative conflict. My admittedly unsympathetic response to Forrest was “deal with it”. People are not required to reciprocate romantic love. If Jenny doesn’t love you, find someone who does. I don’t like the idea of Jenny being painted as a villain, because she’s not. Maybe she’s a bad friend sometimes, but it seems to me that’s she’s doing the best she can in difficult circumstances.

The film reveals early on that Jenny’s father was abusive. She goes on to have abusive relationships with men. It seems to me that Jenny’s shutting Forrest out was not about being cruel to him, but was rather inspired by a desire to protect him. Jenny is processing a trauma – one that Forrest does not seem to fully grasp the impacts of – and any relationship between them is unlikely to work out. It seems to me as though, by refusing to be in a relationship with Forrest, Jenny is protecting them both from pain.

What really bugs me is that Jenny dies at the end of the movie. Having Jenny die enhances the “tragic” element of Forrest and Jenny’s romance, but it feels unfair to Jenny, who I feel deserved a happy ending – as did Forrest. For this reason, and because Jenny is unfairly portrayed as a villain, when she is really a victim of unfortunate circumstance, as is Forrest, I did not enjoy this movie.

The movie Forrest Gump has something for nearly everyone, especially those interested in the United State’s public affairs during the Vietnam War era. Forrest’s naive observations of his service in the Vietnam War, military hospitals, and political movements give interesting insight to how people lived life at that time. Forrest’s light commentary on the events provide the viewer with a brief understanding of cultural movements at the time. Although these movements are shrouded by a veil of naivety and positivity. But considering the many problems surrounding the Vietnam War, AIDS epidemic, and the violent protests against desegregation, undertones of happiness make the problems easier to stomach. I really enjoyed the movie for these points, and felt that Forrest’s naive few didn’t erase the severity of the problems, but instead makes the viewer more eager to learn.

My family’s had the DVD for Forrest Gump for years, but the only thing I knew prior to the viewing last Friday was the intro feather scene. Having finally watched it, I enjoyed it very much. The way that Forrest Gump was told as a series of scenes that chronicle parts of Forrest’s life was honestly more appealing than the standard beginning conflict-rising action-climax-falling action. As someone who tends to get very invested in characters, movie or otherwise, huge plot climaxes make me very apprehensive, decreasing my enjoyment of the movie. As such, I appreciated that Forrest Gump was more like the movie equivalent of a short story collection than a full on novel (even though the movie is based on a novel).

I did feel that Forrest’s luck was a little unrealistic. How could he find out his talents in running, gun dismantling, and ping pong so easily? How did the Jenny 1 survive the hurricane that destroyed every other shrimping boat? How did Lieutenant Dan know to invest in Apple? Admittedly, he’s also had some major bad luck, mostly his loved ones dying before him, but in terms of money, he gets lucky at every turn.

After watching Friday’s film Forrest Gump, I was left with multiple emotions, but of all of them, the feeling of melancholy stood out compared to the rest. In the whole film, Forrest is faced with constant challenges that he must overcome, but his fight to get the love of his life, Jenny, was the worst of them all. After Jenny finally tells Forrest she loves him, we are faced only moments later with a plot twist— “You died on a Saturday morning.”

These heart-wrenching words almost make the entire film seem like its goal was to break your heart. However, we are left with a light of hope in the end, something that seems to make what Forrest went through worth it: his son. His son is what really represents the little box of chocolates that life gives you.

After watching Forrest Gump again, for what was probably the third time, the film has really lost its allure. My dad is a big movie buff, and is always making sure I watch “the classics”, so I had seen Forrest Gump a few times with him before. It was never my favorite, but I did like it. While I still found certain parts of the film enjoyable, I found that I enjoyed it much less this time around. That was likely due to the fact that I really became aware of the unhealthy relationship between Forrest and Jenny after repeated viewings.

Overall, the movie is engaging, interesting, and dynamic. It’s easy to get invested in Forrest as a character, so all of his adventures and achievements make the movie enjoyable to watch. However, this can’t overshadow the pitfalls of the Forrest/Jenny relationship storyline. As you look closer at their interactions, it is clear how unhealthy and detrimental the relationship is to Forrest as they grow older. Jenny is a moderately unlikeable character to begin with, but the way she treats Forrest into adulthood really puts her over the edge. Ultimately, it ends up being kind of dangerous the way that the movie paints their relationship as a grand love story, when in fact it would be better described as emotionally abusive. Another smaller side note, the portrayal of the Black Panthers in the film is somewhat problematic. It presents them as caricatures of the party, and seems pretty reductionist/trivializing in its portrayal of their ideals and attitudes.

Overall, I didn’t enjoy the movie as I had in previous viewings. But I think this is why its important to think critically about the media we consume, even that which seems to be purely for entertainment value.

Run Forrest, Run! Is the same advice I give you to if you are thinking about watching this movie. I was so excited to watch this film last Friday, since everyone I asked told me it was the best movie they had ever seen.  I am here to tell you they are all wrong.

The movie is about Forrest, a guy who has found himself in extraordinary circumstances that have made him do wonderful things in his life. He has an amazing ability to run, making him a football star and meeting President JFK. He rescued his army peers in Vietnam earning him medals and recognition. I love how good-hearted Forrest is, he always took care of his friends like Bubba and Lieutenant Dan Taylor.  I feel that his kind decisions have led him to become successful but he was too wrapped up in Jenny, that he did not care for any his blessings. Jenny to me is why this movie is not worth watching. I feel like Forrest was such an admiral person, who never let anyone get in his way but Jenny. Her rejection was the only constant thing in the movie and it once her acceptance came, it was too late.

Last Friday, I had the chance to re-watch the classic Forrest Gump. I had seen it once as a preteen and I felt very moved by the love that Forrest always had for Jenny. This time around, I saw the movie quite differently. What once was one of my favorite movies of all time, has become not quite as good in my eyes. What made me really evaluate this film was the clear love Forrest had for Jenny, but Jenny never really reciprocated. Forrest is always there for her in tough situations and he never judges her and she seems to care for him as a friend. While Forrest seems more concern for Jenny’s well being, Jenny doesn’t see Forrest as more than a friend for most of the film. Towards the end, that Jenny reveals that she had Forrest’s child and a fatal sickness, the audience begins to feel sympathy for her. Don’t get me wrong, I felt sympathy as well but I feel like she neglected Forrest for most of her life. Towards the end, although I understand that she was sick and I sympathized, I do realize that she might have been taking advantage of Forrest. She knew that he was someone that would never stop loving her and would always help her no matter what. I do enjoy the film because it proves that if you put your mind to something, you can achieve it (when Forrest ran and all of his other achievements). I was glad to see this film once again, because I was able to get a different perspective on it.

The film Forrest Gump seems to get better every time that I’ve watched it. Granted, the first time I watched it was with my friends at home who, throughout the entire film, were attempting their impersonation of Forrest Gump’s Southern drawl saying Jenny’s name. This last time I watched was the first  I have watched the complete film again.

There is a reason why the movie received so many awards when it was released- it’s a great  movie. While I enjoyed the movie the first time, my memory of it was clouded by my friends’ voices. This time, I was able to actually appreciate the film in its entirety. I was able to catch some details that I hadn’t before, adding onto what makes the movie special.

The simplicity with which Forrest views the world around him is most likely the best part of the film. His nonchalant manner of walking around the world provide a new perspective on historic world/national events. I personally consider this aspect of the movie to be the standout factor and what makes the film particularly memorable. I believe that this is a large message of the film as well, that although there are large historical events that have occurred, it does not necessarily have to affect the quality of life of a person. Rather than having these events hold society/a person down, people can take the cue from Forrest Gump, who continues to pursue his goals and doesn’t let events in his life prevent him from having a fulfilling life. Although he had moments of grief and hardship, he let these experiences have a space in his memory for when he needed guidance. In the words of his mother, “Life is a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get”.

Although I had seen Forrest Gump before as a child, my experience viewing it then was very different from my viewing this time. I remember my main takeaway as a child was how sad and disadvantaging it must be to be “simple”, as Forrest was described. To me, intellect was the main trait to aspire to, and to be lacking in any way was a tragedy. I thought the movie was sad, because Forrest didn’t understand so much of the world around him.

Having viewed the movie now, my outlook on the movie was very different. I recognize it more for what is was meant to be- a simpler perspective on our complicated world. Forrest wasn’t very much concerned with the politics behind the Presidents he met, nor was he worried about the logistics behind his shrimping business. Forrest simply did things because he liked doing them. I feel like his outlook on enjoying life to the fullest is something that many of us could aspire to. Forrest has some existential anxiety about whether life is predestined or random, a question that plagues many intellectuals as well. Despite this, he focuses on enjoying his current life and making do with his lot in life.

Although I can’t imagine the world would work very well if everyone was like Forrest, I do agree with his mother’s statement that there’s nothing wrong with him being different from other people. Being smart is not the only valuable skill in life. Forrest’s kindness, bravery, and compassion are really commendable, and often the smartest people don’t have these qualities. The world is better for the people like him who show us that life doesn’t always have to be as complicated as we make it.

I had never before seen Forrest Gump, though I of course knew the iconic line “Run, Forrest, Run”. The reflection pool scene was definitely my favorite part! But I was also fascinated by the discussion of destiny that occurred throughout the entire movie, especially the question about whether or not we make our own destiny or if there is a destiny out there waiting for us no matter our actions. I believe that we all have a role in the world, but that our actions do define us, whether they are influenced by the destiny awaiting us or cause our destiny is an impossible question to ask. As long as we make peace with what happens in our lives, like Lieutenant Dan eventually does, then life can be lived to the fullest. Forrest Gump was definitely a great movie that I already want to watch again!

“Life is a box of chocolates; you never know what you’re gonna get”, says Forrest Gump recalling his mother’s advice. He’s talking about serendipity: bumping into someone who becomes a lifelong friend, winding up in situations that grant unforeseeable opportunities. It’s when everything seems to work out, but how is almost a mystery. Such is Forrest Gump’s life. The guy literally runs out of a physical disability, meets the love of his life in elementary school, plays championship football at Alabama, earns the Medal of Honor in Vietnam, meets multiple U.S. presidents, marathons across the country, starts a lucrative shrimp restaurant corporation, and makes all sorts of connections and friends. In pursuit of his mother’s advice, when Forrest faces a sample of chocolate from the box, he takes it without hesitation. Through bullets and bombs in Vietnam he rescues his lieutenant, his dear friend Bubba, and the rest of the men he can find. When Jenny meddles with the wrong crowd, Forrest protects her from getting hurt. When his mother becomes fatally ill, Forrest supports her and heeds her last words. He’s almost like a computer program – run it and Forrest will do everything he can for the people he loves, always putting himself last. While this characteristic of Forrest is admirable, it also reveals him at times to be naive. Until her final days, Jenny clearly doesn’t reciprocate Forrest’s feelings for her. But Forrest doesn’t get the message, so time and time again he picks her up when she falls and reenters her life. Jenny doesn’t appreciate Forrest’s commitment, duty, and care to her and to everyone else around him until the end of her life. At first glance Forrest may not appear to be very bright, but he is selfless to the bone. He takes advantage of the resources and opportunities at his disposal. He collects and harvests bits and pieces of wisdom from those close to him. He runs. And when it’s all over, that box of chocolates is just an empty box and the life of Forrest Gump a real treat.

Going into last night’s Flora Film Fridays, I felt as though I was in the minority of people – I had never seen Forrest Gump before. It turns out that most people at the event were in the same position as me. I have never been a huge film buff, and in the past it never seemed as though this movie was worth watching, despite people touting it as a classic. Fortunately, I was wrong, and I ended up enjoying the movie much more than I expected. There was something incredibly endearing and uplifting about watching Forrest make his own way through life, suffering terrible tragedies and yet never losing his childlike innocence. Whether he was being bullied in school, fighting in a brutal war, or running across the country, he was never cruel and never cowardly. He was always just kind. It was second nature for him to help people, and although throughout the movie different people were constantly calling Forrest stupid, it seemed more as though he merely had simple intentions in life: to care for his loved ones and to be happy.

Personally, I loved the contrast of Forrest’s childlike innocence and the incredibly tumultuous period of history he was living through. He experienced the Vietnam War, the Kennedy assassination (as well as several other assassination attempts on various presidents), the Cold War, and even personal tragedies – such as his mother’s death – without ever losing his spirit. The movie sometimes crossed the line of realism into the ridiculous, but it never lost its humorous and heartfelt tone. Accompanied by Alan Silvestri’s nostalgic and beautiful score, this movie is one that truly surprised me and will likely stay with me for some time into the future.

In eighth grade, I remember my class watching an extremely censored version of Forrest Gump in school. Despite that being some six years ago, I still expected the movie to be a bit of a drag since I had already seen it; I’m usually not one to rewatch or re-read anything. Though I still remembered a lot of the beats (there are some iconic scenes that have become so ingrained in our culture it would be difficult not to remember), there was still a lot that I had forgotten about. So much so that immediately after finishing the movie, I pulled up the wikipedia page on my phone and read through the synopsis one more time. One interesting fact I read on the wikipedia page was that the movie was actually based on a book. The novel, written by Winston Groom, was published in 1986—some eight years before the movie. Given the popularity of the film, I was surprised that Groom wasn’t on the level of popularity of J.K. Rowling or Suzanne Collins. I decided to search for some numbers to see if there was a reason for this.

Prior the movie’s release, the book had only sold 30,000 copies. While still a solid number, this is fairly small compared to the estimated 78 million who saw the movie in theatres in the U.S. Heck, even the wikipedia page for the novel is titled “Forrest Gump (novel)” while the film’s page is just “Forrest Gump,” despite the novel being the source material. This really rubbed me the wrong way. There seemed to be a serious disconnect between the novel and the film. This made me want to dig a little bit deeper into the story.

It turns out there was a bit of a controversy over royalties for the film. Groom was paid $350k upfront for rights to the book, and was contracted for 3% of the films net royalties—the important word here being net. Despite the film being an enormous success, Paramount Pictures used “hollywood accounting” (read: found a dubiously legal loophole) to falsely prove that the film didn’t make a profit. The film made $678 million in the box office on a budget of $55 million. Based on these numbers, Groom was cheated out of close to $20 million.

Despite the fact that those who directed/edited/acted in the film weren’t the ones who screwed this poor man out of his paycheck, I can’t help but let this knowledge negatively affect my perception of the movie. It feels… dirtier somehow, as if the politics of the film’s creation tarnished its wholesome message. There is somewhat of a happy ending to this story—Paramount gave Groom a 7-figure contract for the rights to the sequel (yes, there is a sequel to Forrest Gump). But even still, I can’t shake the feeling that he was cheated. This begs the question: do you think we should we let the circumstances of a piece of art’s creation influence our perception of it? Is it possible to keep these two things separate? Should we even try?

This is my third time watching Forest Gump, and I’m inspired by it everytime I watch it, but this time, I see more of its religious aspect and the message that it tries to send to the audience. The most famous sentence from this movie “Life is like a box of chocolate, you never know what you gonna get”.  If we think about this movie, almost everyone besides Forest Gump planned their future, Jenny wanted to be famous,  his soldier friend planned to have his boat and cook shrimps, his commander Taylor planned to die in the war. However, none of their lives go as they planned, they all came to the destiny that they may never think of, yet the movie tells us this is life. The unpredictability of life is one of the topics in the movie, it recounted some of the US presidents, famous people of that era, yet their lives are also not decided by them.

Forest Gump is the only one in the movie that doesn’t know about his plan his future his destiny, he has his beliefs and he just runs to where life leads him to. I was deeply touched by the legendary life of him and inspired by it when I first watched this movie, but as the third time watching it, I can’t help but started to question this theme. It has its own philosophy and based on the examples that this film tells, they indeed support this philosophy, but they’re so many cases that I can think of that people achieved nothing because they don’t have a long-run goal for their lives. Admittedly, life is versatile and changes all the time, and so does our goals and plans. If we just follow what await for us, then we will never be prepared enough when the chances that we really want come.

Overall, it’s really interesting to watch this film again and see difference perspective that i didn’t see before. I enjoyed this film a lot.

Yesterday was my first time watching Forrest Gump even though I had seen clips of it before. The film portrayed history, love, life, friendship, family, loyalty, and so much more in such a beautiful way. I think that Forrest’s relationships with other people (Jenny, his mother, Lieutenant Dan, Bubba, etc.) each showed a different side of him. It’s clear that he suffered through so much yet he always kept his head high and held on tight to his personal beliefs and values. He never once complained about the choices he made or the situations he was put in despite all the bullying, the loss of a best friend, and the constant disappearance of Jenny.  Moreover, he did not forget about his promises and he always kept the people around him in his mind – for instance, he went back to buy a shrimp boat like Bubba wanted and he also donated money to build a medical center. These characteristics are definitely ones that I admire and that I feel like I should strive for. Ultimately, I think this is what made Forrest’s life so meaningful and what makes Forrest such a likable character.

Growing up my family had a relatively small movie collection. We had a few classics on VHS including the original Star Wars trilogy, Singin’ in the Rain, the Wizard of Oz, and incidentally Forrest Gump. I got around to watching most of all the good movies we had but Forrest Gump got left out, and so Friday I had the pleasure of experiencing the narrative for the first time.

One question raised by the film is: would you rather live as Forrest Gump with a low IQ and his mental handicap, yet experience all that he was able to, or would you rather live an uncertain life but be able to fully appreciate and understand all that’s happening around you (let’s say you’re guaranteed a high IQ and perhaps then a great amount of life wisdom)? The response from the film seems to be that at the very least there isn’t a big distinction here, or perhaps Gump’s life is lived more fully despite his mental shortcomings. One of the most spectacular elements is that Gump seems to have a tremendous amount of wisdom for someone of his IQ, and it seems all too believable. Nonetheless, I don’t think the film drives this point too hard – there’s still plenty of ambiguity around it. I mean I think it’s clear the film isn’t pushing for a completely laid back/apathetic lifestyle, but in a way it sort of is. Regardless, there’s plenty of thematic richness to unpack. And it just so happens to be tied up in a masterfully narrated biopic. Tom Hanks performance is undoubtedly among the best of any movie ever – certainly comparable to that of Robert De Niro’s Rain Man, Russell Crowe’s John Nash, Eddie Redmayne’s Stephen Hawking, and Marlon Brando’s Godfather. Even the special effects are unique and impressive. Here are some questions to think about

1. What did Forrest say about Vietnam in DC? Why was it silenced?
2. Why did Jenny leave Forrest and not tell him about their child until after she was diagnosed with a disease?
3. What was in the note left by Little Forrest to his mother’s grave?
4. Will Little Forrest ever be able to live up to his father’s legacy/have a life like his father’s?

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.

Friday evening’s Flora Film was “Forrest Gump”, the classic Tom Hanks movie which chronicles Forest’s adventures through notable, historical 20th century events including presidential assassinations, civil rights campaigns and war. Considering the last time I saw this movie, almost five years ago, I have a different appreciation for the movie now.

On one level, the seemingly seamless transition between events with accompanying music is quite impressive. Yet as the semester picks up with successes and road bumps, the overarching themes from the movie provide salient reminders of the importance of having a mindset for persevering. For example, Forest explains his mother’s statement “stupid is what stupid does”; he also explains her saying that “you have to put the past behind you before you can move on”; lastly, he is seen in a recurrent state of running. Taking all of these statements and symbols together, the overarching theme from the movie seems to be that human disposition and behavior in the face of adversity or predicaments defines one’s character. Thus, Forests incessant ability to charge forward in the face of adversity proves to be a much more valuable character trait compared to the slight learning impairment and physical disability he inherited from birth.