Life is like a box of chocolates…

Forrest Gump is a perfect film. From the dialogue to the characters, it is phenomenal. I have been in love with this film since a young age, and it is to this day one of the reasons I am a History major in college.

Forrest Gump covers about every significant social or political event from the 1960s and 1970s, two of my favorite eras to study. From the Vietnam War to the civil rights movement, the film explores American history through the eyes of a disadvantaged man named Forrest Gump.

This film follows Forrest Gump from grade school to about 40. Forrest Gump is disadvantaged in many ways. Although it is never explicitly stated that he is on the autism spectrum, he suffers from a low IQ and has braces for his legs because of his “crooked spine”. He, of course, sheds these leg braces in the famous scene in which his crush, Jenny, screams, “run Forrest run!”. 

Forrest Gump accomplishes many things from, earning a scholarship to the University of Alabama and becoming a star on the football team to becoming a war hero in the Vietnam War, all the way to becoming an international ping pong champion. If you can think of it, Forrest Gump has done it. 

One of the things I love about this movie is how it shows how a man with so many disabilities can accomplish so much. It is one of the themes of this movie that can get lost in its dense plot; however, when noticed, it is moving. 

A large portion of this movie is a love story between Forrest and a girl he met in grade school named Jenny. Jenny lives a rough childhood with an abusive father. Jenny has several abusive relationships growing up and Forrest defends her in many of these until she finally bursts and asks him to mind his own business. This is until Jenny enters rehab and visits Forrest. Forrest confesses his love for Jenny and the two make love. In the middle of the night, Jenny leaves. To cope with Jenny leaving, Forrest decides to run a cross-country marathon for three years across America for “no particular reasoning”.

At the end of the film, Forrest receives a letter from Jenny asking to meet her. He discovers that Jenny and he have a child named “Forrest Gump Jr.” Jenny is sick with AIDS and asks for Forrest to raise their son when she dies. 

I adore this film so much that I remember in elementary school when I was sick, I watched this film a total of 3 times in a row. I got so good at knowing Forrest Gump that when we went to Bubba Gump Shrimp Co, in NYC, I took part in the trivia game where I won a free entree which was pretty neat considering I was ten competing against middle-aged white men who lived through the events they were quizzing us. 

If you enjoy a thick plot with lovable characters, you will love Forrest Gump!