What is the point of Forrest Gump?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ve always hated that movie. I think I was the only one who didn’t like it when it came out.

Oh, believe me, you were not the only one. I got up and left halfway through. Just a really stupid movie.

Boomer here-I have never liked that movie and never understood it's popularity.

Not the only one. I like Tom Hanks but I just get this movie.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That one fairly ordinary person can impact many events & people.

I think it is this plus his unwaivering kindness/goodness and how far common sense gets you.

Remember at boot camp when the drill sergeant asks him why he's there or what he's supposed to do or something. And he responds, whatever you tell me to do drill sergeant. And the drill sergeant says it's the best answer he ever heard and Forest must be a goddamn genius? And he was so good at putting the weapon together, because he could listen to instructions and do exactly what he was told. I think in life we don't talk enough about how whining is not the answer. He was the supposedly stupid person, who was able to focus and show respect and never worried about his own ego.

Don't worry, be a dummy who unquestioningly follows orders and life will be good. No wonder it portrayed educated hippies as such assholes.

[Anonymous]

It is a horrible movie.
Guy has intellectual disabilities. Gets taken advantage of over and over. Goes to war. See his friends die and disabled. Meets a girl who leaves, gets pregnant with his kid and keep the kid from him for several years then roll up on his doorstep when she is dying of AIDS. Somewhere in there, he decides to run across the US for some unknown reason.
The whole things is just ridiculous...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’ve always hated that movie. I think I was the only one who didn’t like it when it came out.

You are not the only one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It is a horrible movie.
Guy has intellectual disabilities. Gets taken advantage of over and over. Goes to war. See his friends die and disabled. Meets a girl who leaves, gets pregnant with his kid and keep the kid from him for several years then roll up on his doorstep when she is dying of AIDS. Somewhere in there, he decides to run across the US for some unknown reason.
The whole things is just ridiculous...

It’s art.

I think some people are too literal or cynical, and they miss the message.

“Run across the US for some unknown reason” = Running away from his life and his problems

Does it work? Nope. Others join him (because lots of people run from their problems in search of answers). But at some point, he realizes he’s done; it’s pointless. He returns home to his small life and finds peace.

[Anonymous]

https://screenrant.com/forrest-gump-lessons-learned/amp/

Lessons learned from Forrest.

[Anonymous]

I think it's a clever and enjoyable movie but I don't expect everyone to think it's such an amazing film.

[Anonymous]

I agree with most of the criticisms here and still found it to be a very pleasant movie to watch.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are three characters: one who had a shi#y childhood and is scarred for life, one who had shi# handed to him, had a breakdown, and recovered, and one who was clueless through life and fell into fortune. Not sure what the message was, but it was entertaining.

That’s a very cynical take—especially RE: Forrest.

He wasn’t clueless.

He was loyal and kind. His fierce loyalty and kindness yielded great things.

^^^^^
That’s the point, people.

How old are you people, and do you think you are more cynical than positive?

He was lucky and that’s what yielded great things, not his kindness and loyalty. Horrible movie that embodies “subpar white man failing upwards.”

[Anonymous]

I was annoyed with it, with its popularity eclipsing other, better films that year. It’s really just a 20th century version of the old literary tradition of the “wise fool” through which simple, innocent “fools” are used to reveal truths or wisdom. In their simplicity they see things more clearly or act more purely than those with a more complex perspective on life. Forrest Gump was this literary trope on steroids and the joke of inserting him in pretty much all major events of late 20th century American history was overdone. But it was cute and seemed clever and connected with a lot of people who like to think that simplicity, kindness, and sheer optimism can get you through life swimmingly, when, really, for Forrest it was mostly sheer luck and white man privilege.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wise_fool

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are three characters: one who had a shi#y childhood and is scarred for life, one who had shi# handed to him, had a breakdown, and recovered, and one who was clueless through life and fell into fortune. Not sure what the message was, but it was entertaining.

That’s a very cynical take—especially RE: Forrest.

He wasn’t clueless.

He was loyal and kind. His fierce loyalty and kindness yielded great things.

^^^^^
That’s the point, people.

How old are you people, and do you think you are more cynical than positive?

He was lucky and that’s what yielded great things, not his kindness and loyalty. Horrible movie that embodies “subpar white man failing upwards.”

LOL

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was annoyed with it, with its popularity eclipsing other, better films that year. It’s really just a 20th century version of the old literary tradition of the “wise fool” through which simple, innocent “fools” are used to reveal truths or wisdom. In their simplicity they see things more clearly or act more purely than those with a more complex perspective on life. Forrest Gump was this literary trope on steroids and the joke of inserting him in pretty much all major events of late 20th century American history was overdone. But it was cute and seemed clever and connected with a lot of people who like to think that simplicity, kindness, and sheer optimism can get you through life swimmingly, when, really, for Forrest it was mostly sheer luck and white man privilege.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wise_fool

Cuba Gooding Jr. could have played the role and everyone still would have loved it and he would have walked away with an award.

There’s no such thing as white man privilege in Forrest Gump aside from his ancestral southern home.

[Anonymous]

Isn't it a modern day Candide? Candide was written in 1759 by Voltaire.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Isn't it a modern day Candide? Candide was written in 1759 by Voltaire.

It has elements of that: the simple fool, full of optimism while going through the horrors of the world. But Candide is satire, a rebuke of blind optimism. And that seems to be what’s missing from Forrest Gump. It’s a modern take on an old literary tradition but without the bite. Candide turned into feel-good Hollywood pablum.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Isn't it a modern day Candide? Candide was written in 1759 by Voltaire.

It has elements of that: the simple fool, full of optimism while going through the horrors of the world. But Candide is satire, a rebuke of blind optimism. And that seems to be what’s missing from Forrest Gump. It’s a modern take on an old literary tradition but without the bite. Candide turned into feel-good Hollywood pablum.

Yup. Without the satire, it kind of turns Candide on its head. Like Candide goes out into the wider world only to find that Dr. Pangloss was absolutely correct.