25th Anniversary of Forrest Gump
Forrest Running via NY Times
The movie Forrest Gump pursues the life and times of the man the film is named after. Gump faces numerous obstacles for an amazing duration, yet he never gives any of them a chance to meddle with his success. From wearing supports on his legs, to having a 75 IQ and in any event, being shot, Gump is determined to pursue his fantasies.
Forrest Gump, 25 years later, has emerged as an “ode to modern American history.” Gump, is still an entertaining and occasionally moving film, especially when you watch it through wiser eyes. It is viewed as one of America’s modern day classics. The movie represents everything that America is supposed to be. Forrest Gump portrays the American Dream and all the qualities that make it up, like success and determination. Forrest's ability to keep running gets him out of many situations shows how people believe that in America people can succeed if they just keep working hard.
When Forrest Gump first released on July 6, 1994, it received astounding reviews for Hanks’ performance and Roger Zemeckis’ directing. The movie was a huge success in the box office; raking in over $667 million dollars. The film went on to win the Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor for Hanks, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Visual Effects, and Best Film Editing. It also won many other awards such as: Golden Globes, People’s Choice Awards, and Young Artist Awards. Roger Ebert, a prominent movie critic at the time, wrote, “The performance is a breathtaking balancing act between comedy and sadness, in a story rich in big laughs and quiet truths...What a magical movie.” More recently, in 2011, the Library of Congress selected the film for preservation in the United States National Film Registry as being, “culturally and historically significant.”
Forrest running across the country via Getty images
Forrest Gump takes the viewer through American history from the somewhat innocent 1950’s to the social upheaval and unrest of the 1960’s and 1970’s. It portrays these decades in a “pop-culture” sort of way. It touches on the emerging popularity of Elvis Presley, the Vietnam War and its aftermath, all the way to the early 80’s when the AIDS epidemic was just being detected. Forrest experiences all these historical milestones in his passive and simple ways.
Personally, when I first saw Forrest Gump I didn’t really think much of it. My initial reaction was just another old movie about a soldier in Vietnam. However, recently I watched the movie and saw the real, underlying themes and meaning of the film. Some things that I learned are that to have good friends, you have to be a good friend. Bubba and Forrest are a perfect example of this. Do what you love, no matter what it might be. Lastly, “Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get.”