Forrest Gump, American Movie (1994)

We live in a society where most of the people we meet will always form an opinion on  someone by his or her appearance. That a first impression can be wrong doesn’t seem to matter. It is a simple case of how you can’t always judge a book by it’s cover. Unfortunately that isn’t how the world works. All too often we form an impression of someone simply by the way he or she looks. It is a real shame, because sometimes when you truly invest time in getting to know someone, it may turn out to be a person that in the end will become a very good friend or even more. Even though you might never have imagined even in your wildest dreams to become friends with him or her. The classic movie Forrest Gump shows how a first impression can be seriously wrong indeed.

Forrest Gump tells the story of how a simple and at first glance pretty retarded man, turns out to be someone who has done quite extraordinary things. When Forrest is still a young boy, his mother tries to to get him into a normal school even though his I.Q. is below the school’s acceptance requirements. Regarderd by his schoolmates as a retard, his only friend is a girl named Jenny. Always protective of him, she tells him often to run away from anyone who tries to do him harm. And as it turns out, this is a thing that he excels at. As the years pass by, his talent for running eventually gets him into the school football team where he begins to slowly be accepted by everyone (even though most of them still regard him as the local idiot). But then the war in Vietnam starts, and Forrest like so many other men at the time, is caught up in that war. He loses touch with the girl he loves, but it is also the start of a fantastic journey. A journey that shows that even simple men can do great things… Forrest never gives up on his girl however, but Jenny has her own problems in life. Some bonds though are so powerful, that they are never meant to be broken. But before they get reunited, they will both have to go through many hardships…

You know how they say that some movies are timeless? This is one of those films. Everything in this movie is just simply put, perfect. I had the great pleasure to see this movie in the theatres again today, and what a treat this was. I had not seen the film in years and had almost forgotten how fantastic this film truly is. Tom Hanks, who got an Oscar for his role, is absolutely amazing. The character he portrays is instantly likeable, and I dare you not to feel any sympathy for Forrest. But it is not only the acting that is great. From the very first scene in this movie, you get this sense that you are about to see one of those films that will stick with you forever.

At it’s heart is a story of how you can pretty much achieve anything, if only you put your mind to it. No matter how tough life gets, how you eventually deal with it, is something you yourself are in control of the most. It also shows to never give up on someone you love, even though at times that person might be going through things that make it hard to stay in love with them. I can go on about all the other things that make this movie so great, the music, the cinematography, but I guess I have pretty much made my point. Anyone who has even a remote interest in film, should see this movie once in his or her life. After all, life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you are gonna get.

I give Forrest Gump a 10 out of 10 score.