Pretty much this. Lots of erasure happening in Forrest Gump. It was an eyebrow raise then, it's absolute cringe now. But the film still has a ton of good moments, a career-defining performance from Hanks, and a great soundtrack and score.
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Wait... Since when do people hate Forrest Gump?
- Thread starter FernandoRocker
- Start date
Pretty much this. Lots of erasure happening in Forrest Gump. It was an eyebrow raise then, it's absolute cringe now. But the film still has a ton of good moments, a career-defining performance from Hanks, and a great soundtrack and score.
Dude, get over yourself. If you didn't see it and have no opinion, why are you even in this thread?
I agree. Both of those movies are better than Forrest Gump, for me. That year had some bangers tho.
It changes the context of what you are saying. You're saying he's a standard white idiot who falls upwards. When you factor in that he is mentally disabled, it doesn't become falling upward because he is no longer an average white male, he's part of those on the lower end of society (especially in the time period the film is set). Unless you want to argue that being mentally impaired is equal to being an 'idiot,' but the film never does this and I assume we don't want to go down that road.
Ah, I get what you're saying now. That's a good take. I personally never thought of him as mentally handicapped, tho. I guess when you frame it like that, I get it.
It's a good film. To me it's like some American fairy tale and I don't understand the criticisms.
Also, if you got money to spend, Bubba Gump Shrimp is quite nice for a date.
Also, if you got money to spend, Bubba Gump Shrimp is quite nice for a date.
That's the reason his mom fucks the principal, so he won't send Forrest to a 'special' school for those who are mentally disabled, which would have been a standard thing in that time period when a students IQ was shown to be below the line of mental retardation.
Yeah, there are some inconsistencies. Sometimes him failing upward was shoehorned in for comic effect, like that scene. I mean, he graduates college. You could argue that he was able to do so because he could run so fast but someone that is mentally handicapped would still not be able to pull that feat off, imo.
People hate it beat Pulp Fiction and Shawshank at the Oscars made people salty 25 years ago and they never let go.
But it's no longer falling upward, it's overcoming the odds against you since you're supposed to be unable to do those things. He's handicapped through the whole movie, not just at some points.
I saw this movie for the first time when I was 7. I've seen it many times since, but haven't seen it in about 8 years or so. I probably still like it because of nostalgia, just being able to turn my brain off and laugh at some of the circumstances. I certainly never looked too deeply into the actual themes of the movie.
I was too young to understand why he made an odd noise when he touched Jenny's breast. I laughed like hell at the noise but didn't know how the roommates sweater was ruined.
I still quote this movie to this day. One of my favourites is when he finds out Lt Dan invested his money into a "fruit company" and he didn't have to worry about money anymore. "Well that's good! One less thing!"
I was too young to understand why he made an odd noise when he touched Jenny's breast. I laughed like hell at the noise but didn't know how the roommates sweater was ruined.
I still quote this movie to this day. One of my favourites is when he finds out Lt Dan invested his money into a "fruit company" and he didn't have to worry about money anymore. "Well that's good! One less thing!"
Yeah it's pretty unrealistic for star athletes to be given a degree while putting in less work than a student who isn't an athlete. Seems far fetched that courseloads would be modified or any special treatment of any kind would be given to them. /s
How? Forrest ends up rich and happy in the end with a smart sun. The "liberal" characters suffer painful ignominious deaths.
I think your narrative is different than mine, is all. And crafting your own narrative is totally fine. It's a movie, not some important topic in real life. We can both get different things out of it. I'll just leave it at I disagree. Fair?
That's pretty disingenuous. My post was a reply to someone saying Forrest Gump is mentally handicapped. Yeah, it is pretty far fetched that someone who is mentally handicapped would graduate college. I can't imagine that happening. Could you seriously see that happening?
That's the joke. He constantly succeeds because America only care whether or not you're good at rote tasks and following orders.
So, you agree that it is an indictment of American culture. It sounds like. You disagree with me that Forrest Gump is mentally handicapped? I think? Different interpretations are totally cool with me. It's just a movie. A good one, imo.
Forrest Gump is a god damn gem. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Next people are going to say A League of Their Own was a bad movie too. Or Joe vs. The Volcano. Fight me. They're classics.
Forrest Gump is a god damn gem. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Next people are going to say A League of Their Own was a bad movie too. Or Joe vs. The Volcano. Fight me. They're classics.
Lunchbox gets it.
Lunchbox gets it.
how can you over act in a movie that's written and meant to be over the top cheesy
I'm not reallt 'crafting my own narrative,' this is what the film establishes. At the beginning it's shown that Forrest is mentally disabled, that's not really disputable unless you can find something in the film to paint this information as unreliable.
I guess if you want to say that a mentally handicapped white man who is still relatively high functioning is the same as an average white man and would have the same kind of treatment and benefits in the 60s, 70s and 80s, what you're saying works . I can't say I would agree with that or that the film is setting that standard, though
I agree, but I guess the fact that she's a free spirit hippies makes people think that. I dunno
I never got these negative views on Jenny or hate, Jenny's story is meant to mirror Forrest's, she's not a "villain" or anything like that or is her story some cynical punishment due to being a liberal hippy scum going against conservative ideals. I really doubt Eric Roth had that in mind when he wrote the screenplay.
She's a tragic figure whose sexually abusive childhood with no support system set her on the path she lead and the weird place it puts her and Forrest, her telling Forrest he doesn't know what love is when in "reality" it's Jenny who doesn't because of the events she suffered through as a child damaged and warped her outlook and when she finally figures that out it's too late and through out the movie feels she's unworthy (or maybe uncomfortable with) of Forrest's love which is why she runs away, I mean they also made it a point to have Jenny in front of her father's old house and for her to break down there just to hammer home the point of the effects of what happened to her as a child was the start of it all. It's still shitty though that she only reaches out years later after seeing Forrest on TV and after finding out she's sick though she admits she was messed up and I always got the feeling that after she left Forrest that last time she finally got herself some help. *Shrug* Maybe she did write him before but he never got the letter(s) because he was busy running across the country. Honestly, had Forrest an average IQ the story with Jenny probably would've still been largely the same minus the idea of taking advantage of him. Hell, it might've been a lot closer to the book in some ways with Forrest being a cynical asshole.
Ignoring that IQ tests are bullshit, having a below average IQ doesn't automatically mean you're mentally handicap.
She's a tragic figure whose sexually abusive childhood with no support system set her on the path she lead and the weird place it puts her and Forrest, her telling Forrest he doesn't know what love is when in "reality" it's Jenny who doesn't because of the events she suffered through as a child damaged and warped her outlook and when she finally figures that out it's too late and through out the movie feels she's unworthy (or maybe uncomfortable with) of Forrest's love which is why she runs away, I mean they also made it a point to have Jenny in front of her father's old house and for her to break down there just to hammer home the point of the effects of what happened to her as a child was the start of it all. It's still shitty though that she only reaches out years later after seeing Forrest on TV and after finding out she's sick though she admits she was messed up and I always got the feeling that after she left Forrest that last time she finally got herself some help. *Shrug* Maybe she did write him before but he never got the letter(s) because he was busy running across the country. Honestly, had Forrest an average IQ the story with Jenny probably would've still been largely the same minus the idea of taking advantage of him. Hell, it might've been a lot closer to the book in some ways with Forrest being a cynical asshole.
Ignoring that IQ tests are bullshit, having a below average IQ doesn't automatically mean you're mentally handicap.
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That's a good way to describe it. Still I'd say people in general really like the movie.
She was a hippie for like 5min. Otherwise she went from one abusing situation to another.
Her character is about how life can go in two complete different directions. Also all the success Forrest had in his life was mentioned but it was never the central point for him but the red line in his life story was always his relationship with Jenny.
I loved the film as a kid and was really surprised to see it wasn't universally loved as an adult.
I still think it's a brilliant movie though I can appreciate that its political message bristles against some. I lean pretty far left but it doesn't hamper my enjoyment, strangely.
I still think it's a brilliant movie though I can appreciate that its political message bristles against some. I lean pretty far left but it doesn't hamper my enjoyment, strangely.
To be honest Pulp Fiction isn't really Best Picture Oscar material, it's too funky for it and it already had won the Golden Palm at Cannes which is more prestigious.
Forrest Gump on the other hand just have this universal appeal custom made for the Oscars.
Saw both in theaters back then, still love both but some stuff in Forrest Gump didn't age too well, especially the quotes.
Quotes in Pulp Fiction are still unmatched to this day, it's Tarantino's definitive movie.
It suffers the same problem as Interstellar. The storytelling format just doesn't fit a film. Films like Forrest Gump would be best told in a tv series format. When you have to jam a whole man's life in 2 hours, it just feels rushed. Nothing consistent, and nothing surrounding Forrest Gump is able to grow and it just feels like a bunch of short films jammed into a movie.
A movie should be in and out. One specific storyline that rails through one concise story, atmosphere and time frame.
I'm not saying it's a terrible film, it's just why film buffs shun it.
I know this sounds lame, but film is like poetry and TV is the novel. Forrest Gump is definitely a very very long novel trying to fit inside poem.
A movie should be in and out. One specific storyline that rails through one concise story, atmosphere and time frame.
I'm not saying it's a terrible film, it's just why film buffs shun it.
I know this sounds lame, but film is like poetry and TV is the novel. Forrest Gump is definitely a very very long novel trying to fit inside poem.
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Seriously. The movie has so many "clip-worthy" segments that are endlessly rewatchable.
I hadn't seen it for many years and thought "maybe I remember it too fondly" and then enjoyed the rewatch even MORE.
I take it most people who dislike it are contrarians who dislike things that other people like.
I imagine lots of people on Resetera do.
She's gorgeous though. And she later on became president of the US.