#9 Forrest Gump

FILMS FOR THOUGHT

By: Alex Holzum

    For my next film review, I will begin with a quote: "My momma always said, 'Life was like a box of chocolates. You never  know what you're gonna get.'"  That's right, this post will be about Forrest Gump.

    The outlining plot of this film is that Forrest Gump (played by Tom Hanks) is sitting on a bench waiting for a bus to come.  While he waits, he is telling his life's story to whoever happens to be sitting next to him.  His story begins as a child growing up in Alabama.  When the movie first begins, we learn that Forrest is raised by a single mother (played by Sally Field, pictured at right), whom he absolutely adores.  We also learn that he is academically challenged and will need leg braces in order to walk.  Despite all of these setbacks early on, we get to see all of the tremendous success that he experiences in his life.

    Forrest's life events are seen in relation to historical events in history.  Some examples of this include when Forrest serves in the Vietnam war, meets President Kennedy, buys share in Apple, and many, many more. We also get to see the pop culture aspect of this time in history through the life of Forrest's oldest friend, Jenny.  We also meet Bubba and Lieutenant Dan who become two of Forrest's best friends and large influences in his life.

    This movie is wildly entertaining because Forrest is just so easy to love because his intentions are always pure and he does not realize the tremendous influence that he has had on people and history.  It is really interesting to see which elements of history the creators of this movie decide to attach to Forrest's life. 

 

This movie is timeless and truly a must-see.