"Life is like a box of chocolates: you never know what you're gonna get." This quote from "Forrest Gump" became a household phrase when the movie came out five years ago. Based on a book by the same name which I understand has a much harsher protagonist, this movie is a historical documentary, comedy, drama, action, and romance all rolled into one. And it has proved many times over to be more than the sum of these impressive parts.
Tom Hanks ambitiously took on the project despite the doubts of producers and directors. To everyone's astonishment, when given a choice of being paid a lump sum or a royalty for his work in the film, he opted for the royalty. The gamble paid off. The movie won several Oscars and was a box office hit.
Right from the gentle "Feather Theme," played softly with piano predominating as the audience follows the flight of a feather, I was hooked. The feather lands atop the suitcase of Forrest Gump (Hanks), who is sitting on a park bench waiting for a bus. (Since seeing this movie, I call every park bench a "Forrest Gump bench," and I even received one as a gift from my parents on my seventeenth birthday.) As a series of different people sit down to wait next to him, Forrest offers each a chocolate and relates the tale of his life thus far.
As a child, he lived alone with his mama (Sally Field) in Alabama, who ran a bed and breakfast. Because of his bad back, he wore leg braces when he was very young in hopes that they would straighten out his back. The slow and clumsy pace set by his restricting legwear matched his slow and deliberate way of thinking. For some reason, he just seemed to be lacking in intelligence. It took all of his mama's urging to get him into a normal school because his I.Q. was too low.
As he grew up, his only friend was Jenny, a neighbor of his who was the only one to let him sit by her on the bus the first day of kindergarten. Bullies teased him relentlessly, and one day when he was about eight, he ran so hard to get away from them that his braces broke off. From then on he was a regular ol' Speedy Gonzales.
Throughout his life, the gentle Forrest had many brushes with fame. He met Elvis, John Lennon, and Presidents Kennedy and Johnson, to name a few. From star football player to Purple Heart recipient in the Vietnam War, from ping-pong champion to shrimp boat captain, from cross-country runner to stadium landscaper, there was little that Forrest didn't do. Learning important lessons at every step along the way from his wise mama, who "always had a way of putting things so I could understand them," this simple man showed that heart can overrule intellect any day.
He learned about death the hard way as his best friend Bubba died in his arms in Vietnam and he later lost his beloved mama to cancer. But through it all, his faith in the goodness of the human race and, most of all, his love for Jenny (Robin Wright), kept him going. Jenny did not walk the straight and narrow path which Forrest trod. She posed nude for a raunchy magazine, cavorted with hippies, practiced free love, sampled many drugs, and almost committed suicide. But Forrest stood by her through it all. Sometimes years passed between meetings, but Jenny was always the first thing in his mind and heart.
His story told, Forrest is politely informed that he needn't take the bus to arrive at his destination; it is just a couple of blocks away. The stunning conclusion to the film cannot be given away, but suffice it to say that there may well be time for another misty-eyed moment in the last twenty minutes. Also, a note of interest: Watch for a very young Haley Joel Osment ("The Sixth Sense"), appearing for just a few moments. "Forrest Gump" ends as it began, with the delicate "Feather Theme" playing in the background as the camera follows the feather which Forrest has kept out of sight.
The music in this movie is incredible. It's like hearing the sixties. There must be fifty different songs played, from "Hound Dog" to "Blowin' in the Wind" to "Turn, Turn, Turn." And many historical events are covered, from the Vietnam War to the Watergate Scandal. Few movies have made me laugh so hard, and few have made my eyes so inclined to tear up.
In my opinion, this movie is nothing short of a masterpiece. Brilliant cinematography, great acting, and a wonderful story that ties together two decades are some of the reasons that this movie soared. But the real appeal is in the title character, brilliantly portrayed by Tom Hanks.
As we watch Forrest, we remember to slow down and enjoy the finer things in life. We appreciate the importance of faith and love. We learn that "squares" are often really wonderful people. Most importantly, Forrest speaks for the many in society who have so much to offer but are shunned because they are not especially smart or coordinated. The people who sit on the sidelines, the wallflowers at the school dances, the kids who always get picked last for sports.
Sometimes, the greatest wisdom and kindness is found in those with the weakest minds and bodies. So reach out to those who are "different;" don't reject them. Watch this movie about this amazing man who may be found in someone in your very own neighborhood, and dare to see the world through the eyes of Forrest Gump.
Life is like a box of chocolates... Like the movie itself, this line from Forrest Gump became an instant classic and an inspiration to millions of peo...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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