Absolute Gold!. Review on Forrest Gump Movie

How can someone take the story of a small town fluff head walking through life with a box of chocolates into absolute gold! Tom hanks did. He made Forrest Gump into one of cinema’s most loved characters and earned himself his second consecutive Oscar for the remarkable performance. As the director claims, life will never be the same once you have seen it through the eyes of Forrest Gump.

On the outside, it is just a humorous story of an imbecile set on the backdrop of the second half of the last century. Forrests’ innocuous and yet ludicrous actions bring him fame, fortune and glory. He operates within the confines of his limited intelligence and lives his life by simple codes. He loves a woman unconditionally and his friends with undying loyalty. He is involved in or connected to almost every significant historic or cultural event during his life time. He narrates his entire life to strangers while waiting in a bus stop. He finally unites with the son he had with his estranged lover and his best friend Jenny, only to find her dying with an incurable virus. His life goes on as the movie ends.

Forrest Gump is in reality a cocktail of artistic expression portraying beauty, subtlety, exaggeration, sarcasm, extremism and emotion. It is more of a philosophy than a satire if you observe a little closer. A soup for the soul served with compassion, hope and an intoxicating innocence. In a world wrought with greed, corruption, lust, crimes, war, incest, exploitation and guile, Forrest delivers a way of preserving the self amidst these perversions. He brings out the richness of the human spirit in himself and others just by being true to what he knows and feels.

He touches the lives of those who pass his way and changes them forever. His commitment to the promise he made to his friend “Bubba” (another brilliant characterization and performance), his love for his mother, his respect for his squadron captain Lt. Dan and his fierce devotion for Jenny are just a few highlights of what he contains in his heart. Truly, he gives new meaning to the term “my girl”. Bubba who is on the same plane as Forrest bonds with him instantaneously while it takes a little longer with Lt. Dan and a lot longer for Jenny, Who in spite of caring for him the most, has to go a full circle before she can fully understand him. These contrasts further highlight his character.

The background score and the choice of songs couldn’t be better. Great numbers like “Sweet Home Alabama”, “Blowing in the Wind”, “Break on through”, “Mrs. Robinson” and many others garnish the memories and moments as Forrest fondly recollects each of them. The dialogues blend with the virginity of the characters and stay in tune with the underlying sense of humor. Every line is like a delicious chocolate, each better than the former. To quote a few:

Forrest: “I am not a smart man but I know what love is”

Forrest: “Is he smart or is he like…”

Few lines that almost got me teary eyed. No other artistic, intellectual or musical creation by man has ever evoked such a response from me.

The exaggerations in the movie are elemental to the presentation and it doesn’t undermine the spirit of what it represents. “Good Will Hunting” presents a similar view of the same spirit from a different angle. You don’t have to be a super genius or a total airhead to accept and live life with optimism, chastity and integrity, you just need a heart. If you can embrace what Forrest Gump portrays, you probably won’t become a national hero or a millionaire but chances are you will be at peace with yourself.

And that’s all I have to say about that.