# Why is "Forrest Gump" so popular?



## conscius (Apr 20, 2010)

I saw Forrest Gump almost ten years ago for the first time and I thought that was a passable movie and if I had to rate it, I'd give it 6/10, meaning it was worth watching and decent entertainment value. I thought it was clever the way they put Hanks in all those historical events and that alone had entertainment value, but overall the story was improbable and shallow. 

Almost like watching a dog travel the world, just getting lucky enough to make it and on the way saving some people and making some happy. You know it's highly improbable but if the dog is cute enough, you watch it and maybe it makes you feel good. It's like putting Homer Simpsons in a serious historical film. If that's to work on any level, you must care for and buy the character, and I simply did not because Forrest to me was always "Hanks playing dumb." In the movie Philadelphia I forgot I was watching Hanks--I thought I was watching a gay lawyer with AIDS. Not here. For me an unknown or less well-known actor would have worked better.

Anyhow, but one of my good friends had said the movie is her favorite of all time (as did couple other people I know), Tom Hanks got an academy award for the film, and the film is like in the top 10 or whatever on IMDB, its Amazon page has the most high rated and enthusiastic of any movies I've ever looked up...and in short, many seem to claim it's one of the greatest if not THE greatest film ever made!

What am I missing? Is this a matter of opinion? And do those people still feel that way about the movie, see it as one of the best ever made?


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## Chest (Apr 14, 2014)

I don't like this movie either, but unfortunately I can't tell for sure cause I gave up in the middle, it was getting too boring


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## FearAndTrembling (Jun 5, 2013)

Because it shows a buffoon stumbling his way into many iconic moments of American history. It is a good story all around. Very solid movie. Well above average.

Some things off the top of my head:

Lieutenant Dan: awesome character. The whole Vietnam part was great. And again, Gump bungled his way into helping this guy redeem himself.

Gump running: The guy being able to run fast, and nothing else. I like that shit for some reason. It is good, and somewhat intelligent quirkiness.


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## CaptSwan (Mar 31, 2013)

Like @FearAndTrembling said, it's about a "mentally challenged" who got lucky in life. I guess people like it for the lovable character and the stupid catch phrases; I personally find it annoying.


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## MNiS (Jan 30, 2010)

What do you have against Tom Hanks?

Anyway, it's an uplifting story about a functional idiot who never wanted anything more than the simple life, who would go on to do more than most people could ever hope to accomplish; while his childhood girlfriend who was a genius with huge aspirations basically got used and abused before she died of AIDS. The kid that they had together before she died was smart though, as if that's supposed to mean something positive of which I'm assuming it is.

In essence, it's a movie that portrays the South in a positive light instead of simply being historically part of the slave trade as were most movies depicting the South and Southerners before Forrest Gump.


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## FearAndTrembling (Jun 5, 2013)

MNiS said:


> What do you have against Tom Hanks?
> 
> Anyway, it's an uplifting story about a functional idiot who goes on to do more than most people could ever hope to accomplish while his childhood girlfriend who is a genius with huge aspirations basically got used and abused before she died of AIDS. The kid that they had together before she died is smart though, as if that's supposed to mean something positive of which I'm assuming it is.
> 
> In essence, it's a movie that portrays the South in a positive light instead of simply being historically part of the slave trade as were most movies depicting the South and Southerners.


Yes, it showed the world from a different perspective. From a "dumber", but much more innocent one. The thing is, Gump could not only not grasp the world intellectually, or was a misfit because of that, but couldn't understand it ethically either. So he's in all these serious situations, and just shows how a "blank slate" would act in them. Who hadn't been poisoned or whatever. But a person with a blank slate would never find himself in those situations, that is what makes it so interesting. 

A scene that really distills this, is the school segregation scene. The black girl drops her book, and Gump just picks it up. It was seen as a huge political statement. lol. But it wasn't. Because Gump isn't like everybody else. It takes no effort for Gump to what he did. That is all he sees in everything. So, while Gump's action had no political meaning, it had an even greater philosophical message about humanity. He has no baggage. A person just dropped something, and he picked it up. That is all he saw. People have no point of reference for something like that. So, Gump is the ultimate contrasting character, the ultimate Tin Man, to contrast himself with humanity.


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## MNiS (Jan 30, 2010)

FearAndTrembling said:


> Yes, it showed the world from a different perspective. From a "dumber", but much more innocent one. The thing is, Gump could not only not grasp the world intellectually, or was a misfit because of that, but couldn't understand it ethically either. So he's in all these serious situations, and just shows how a "blank slate" would act in them. Who hadn't been poisoned or whatever. But a person with a blank slate would never find himself in those situations, that is what makes it so interesting.
> 
> A scene that really distills this, is the school segregation scene. The black girl drops her book, and Gump just picks it up. It was seen as a huge political statement. lol. But it wasn't. Because Gump isn't like everybody else. It takes no effort for Gump to what he did. That is all he sees in everything. He has no baggage. A person just dropped something, and he picked it up. That is all he saw. People have no point of reference for something like that. So, Gump is the ultimate contrasting character, the ultimate Tin Man, to contrast himself with humanity.


Culturally speaking there are three regional zones in the US that are uniquely different: The North, South, West and Texas.


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## Razare (Apr 21, 2009)

conscius said:


> What am I missing? Is this a matter of opinion? And do those people still feel that way about the movie, see it as one of the best ever made?


It was a 90's movie that had to be watched in the 90's.

I tried watching it years later, and the whole thing just seemed absurd and silly. Some of the scenes almost seemed a comedy or parody.

Yet when it first came out, that's not how the culture initially received the movie, for the most part. Yes, some cliche's sprung up immediately like, "life is like a box of chocolates", and "run forest, run". Yet these cliches were more due to the popularity of the movie than the movie itself being seen as silly.

It was sort of like the Titanic cliches that arose for that movie's popularity.

For whatever reason, the things that made Forest Gump a great movie, were cultural things that only existed in the 90's.

Once the culture changed, it ceased being a great movie because it no longer could resonate as it once did with its audience.


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## Bipedal P 314 (Dec 10, 2011)

MNiS said:


> Culturally speaking there are three regional zones in the US that are uniquely different: The North, South, West and Texas.


The Pacific Northwest, West Coast, New England, South-West, South, Midwest, Texas, and Hawaii. If you really pay attention there's a lot more nuance than that.


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## MNiS (Jan 30, 2010)

BiPedalP314 said:


> The Pacific Northwest, West Coast, New England, South-West, South, Midwest, Texas, and Hawaii. If you really pay attention there's a lot more nuance than that.


Over distinctioned quackery.


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## Bipedal P 314 (Dec 10, 2011)

MNiS said:


> Over distinctioned quackery.


Spoken like somebody who doesn't pay attention and hasn't traveled enough.


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## MNiS (Jan 30, 2010)

BiPedalP314 said:


> Spoken like somebody who doesn't pay attention and hasn't traveled enough.


I don't need to pay attention to quacks. :wink:


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## Bipedal P 314 (Dec 10, 2011)

MNiS said:


> I don't need to pay attention to quacks. :wink:


How do you figure out that somebody's a quack if you're not paying attention?


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## noz (Dec 7, 2009)

It's not a movie about history or culture or any of that stuff, the greatness of Gump is in the _humility_ of his character. He may be low IQ and naive, but that's what makes him inspiring. He never develops any huge ego when anyone else in his shoes would become an egomaniac from achievements, and _always_ maintains his honesty, humbleness and most importantly kindness after everything he accomplishes. I think it's a great movie in the same way Shawshank is great: it's a story about a person of superb moral character that people should strive towards.

He might be borderline retarded, but we can all learn something from Gump, and that's what makes him great. Wisdom is not the same thing as intelligence.


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## Shahada (Apr 26, 2010)

It's like a Baby Boomer pornography highlight reel basically.


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## Terrible Tamada (Jun 30, 2014)

Razare said:


> For whatever reason, the things that made Forest Gump a great movie, were cultural things that only existed in the 90's.
> 
> Once the culture changed, it ceased being a great movie because it no longer could resonate as it once did with its audience.


That's not true though. There are plenty of people who still love this movie today. That's also a pretty narrow minded way to look at art. Things don't just get discarded because a modern audience cannot fully grasp a movie the way the intended audience did.

I think noz hit the nail on the head. It resonates because Gump is such a humble character. I'd also like to note, it has a soundtrack that appeals to pretty much anyone. It hits all the notes it needed to for people to feel nostalgic for a bygone era that never truly existed.


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## intp_gurl (Mar 8, 2014)

MNiS said:


> Over distinctioned quackery.


 I think you both have it wrong. There's just Texas and the rest of the US. Texas is first. 
(Disclaimer: I don't live in Texas, never have.)


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## MNiS (Jan 30, 2010)

intp_gurl said:


> I think you both have it wrong. There's just Texas and the rest of the US. Texas is first.
> (Disclaimer: I don't live in Texas, never have.)


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Alamo

If nations began forming based on culture, the state of Texas would be its own nation.


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## Razare (Apr 21, 2009)

Terrible Tamada said:


> That's not true though. There are plenty of people who still love this movie today.


People stuck in the 90's maybe ? Hmm...

I loved the movie when it came out but the magic is gone.


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## L'Enfant Terrible (Jun 8, 2014)

conscius said:


> I saw Forrest Gump almost ten years ago for the first time and I thought that was a passable movie and if I had to rate it, I'd give it 6/10, meaning it was worth watching and decent entertainment value. I thought it was clever the way they put Hanks in all those historical events and that alone had entertainment value, but overall the story was improbable and shallow.
> 
> Almost like watching a dog travel the world, just getting lucky enough to make it and on the way saving some people and making some happy. You know it's highly improbable but if the dog is cute enough, you watch it and maybe it makes you feel good. It's like putting Homer Simpsons in a serious historical film. If that's to work on any level, you must care for and buy the character, and I simply did not because Forrest to me was always "Hanks playing dumb." In the movie Philadelphia I forgot I was watching Hanks--I thought I was watching a gay lawyer with AIDS. Not here. For me an unknown or less well-known actor would have worked better.
> 
> ...


as with anything else,you see meaning where you want to see it. I really liked the movie and to me forest seems like a much more humane,smart guy than dare I say.. 90% of the idiots I know. It's about overcoming hardships and not letting a label decide what path you should go on. If this isn't inspirational idk what is.


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## noz (Dec 7, 2009)

The Force said:


> as with anything else,you see meaning where you want to see it. I really liked the movie and to me forest seems like a much more humane,smart guy than dare I say.. 90% of the idiots I know. *It's about overcoming hardships and not letting a label decide what path you should go on.* If this isn't inspirational idk what is.


That's the other part about him that's inspirational. We put so much value on pen and paper intelligence that if we don't have that, we see ourselves as useless. Gump doesn't get hung up on that (maybe because, ironically, he's too stupid to realize how much social emphasis is placed on so-called intelligence?).

Stupid is as stupid does, indeed. I say you're stupid if and only if you believe you should be _resigned to stupidity_. Gump doesn't do that, he doesn't let the adversity created by his low IQ dictate how he lives his life, and that makes him very smart.

Does that make the Gump character mythical? Possibly, but I don't care, it's a very thoughtful movie when you get into it. I'm glad people are still watching it these days (haven't seen it in years.)


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## L'Enfant Terrible (Jun 8, 2014)

noz said:


> That's the other part about him that's inspirational. We put so much value on pen and paper intelligence that if we don't have that, we see ourselves as useless. Gump doesn't get hung up on that (maybe because, ironically, he's too stupid to realize how much social emphasis is placed on so-called intelligence?).
> 
> Stupid is as stupid does, indeed. I say you're stupid if and only if you believe you should be _resigned to stupidity_. Gump doesn't do that, he doesn't let the adversity created by his low IQ dictate how he lives his life, and that makes him very smart.
> 
> Does that make the Gump character mythical? Possibly, but I don't care, it's a very thoughtful movie when you get into it. I'm glad people are still watching it these days (haven't seen it in years.)


Gump was aware of his own limits, remember when he asks about his son "is he like me". That makes him smarter than most people. The person who knows his own limits knows how to extend those said limits.

There are people with normal IQs out here whose only priority is drinking beer,watching football and burping on the sofa. And that's sad. Because we can be so much more than we are. And what's truly remarkable about Forest is that he doesn't let anything stop him - we _does_ stuff, he's not afraid of ridicule, he is , in a way, a savant.


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## conscius (Apr 20, 2010)

The Force said:


> as with anything else,you see meaning where you want to see it. I really liked the movie and to me forest seems like a much more humane,smart guy than dare I say.. 90% of the idiots I know. It's about overcoming hardships and not letting a label decide what path you should go on. If this isn't inspirational idk what is.


Like I said, I think I was not buying Tom as Forrest, and that also the story was improbable as was the character. I think of course that the story is what a lot of people would like to believe because it's inspirational and comforting. And I'm open to being inspired, by real life (documentaries) or a movie that really makes me believe in possibilities. But Forrest Gump and I did not have that connection.

I was just looking up to see where the story came from and apparently it was based on a novel by the same name but a few things were changed. In the novel Forrest was an "idiot savant", also he had a crazier sex life, used profanities, was rough around the edges, and according to the author, could be played by a guy like John Goodman.
Forrest Gump (novel) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (look under "Film Adaptation").

I think I would have believe that story a little easier (though Forrest apparently gets into even more and crazier adventures in the book, probably even closer to fantasy than the movie). Regardless, maybe this story was too sweet for me, like a comforting fantasy that pretends to be reality, but it didn't do a good job of convincing this viewer.


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## L'Enfant Terrible (Jun 8, 2014)

conscius said:


> Like I said, I think I was not buying Tom as Forrest, and that also the story was improbable as was the character. I think of course that the story is what a lot of people would like to believe because it's inspirational and comforting. And I'm open to being inspired, by real life (documentaries) or a movie that really makes me believe in possibilities. But Forrest Gump and I did not have that connection.
> 
> I was just looking up to see where the story came from and apparently it was based on a novel by the same name but a few things were changed. In the novel Forrest was an "idiot savant", also he had a crazier sex life, used profanities, was rough around the edges, and according to the author, could be played by a guy like John Goodman.
> Forrest Gump (novel) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (look under "Film Adaptation").
> ...


it's not supposed to be convince you of anything, it's not myth busters. think of it as a fairy tale for adults, with educational purposes. to me it was obvious that forest suffered from the savant syndrome although it wasn't clearly shown on screen (shame on wikipedia for using the outdated term idiot savant). anyway,to each its own, you didn't like the movie - big deal.


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## conscius (Apr 20, 2010)

The Force said:


> it's not supposed to be convince you of anything, it's not myth busters. think of it as a fairy tale for adults, with educational purposes. to me it was obvious that forest suffered from the savant syndrome although it wasn't clearly shown on screen (shame on wikipedia for using the outdated term idiot savant). anyway,to each its own, you didn't like the movie - big deal.


Sorry about that, I guess "savant syndrome" is a more dignified term.

Yeah I'm not here to argue that the movie should not be liked, it's not like I'm forced to watch it over and over again, or I have to study it for one of my courses. I just wanted to hear from other people and why they love the movie so much. Part of the reason I think is that I consider myself the average man. Or at least as someone who is in touch with what the average man likes. I may not enjoy all the popular movies as much others enjoy them, but I do enjoy most of them. So this was one of the aberrations. Regardless, thanks for your input.


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## starscream430 (Jan 14, 2014)

While I do enjoy the music and love the historical references thrown throughout the film (Forrest Gump caused Nixon to get impeached :kitteh, what I find personally fascinating is the character of Forrest Gump. While he might be mentally impaired, he nevertheless has a sense of child-like wonder when it comes to life. Most of the people he associates with are cynical and downtrodden due to the crappy journey known as life, but Forrest's naïve, but meaningful attitude in regards to such hardship served to inspire these cynical folks into picking up their lives again. It's quite endearing to watch Forrest Gump for the title character since he's like an innocent puppy - he may not be the brightest one in the class, but he is sure the happiest, most determined one of them all.


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## shameless (Apr 21, 2014)

I see it two ways

I do see it your way. They did capitalize on many landmark historical events. And that part is a bit cliche. I get it.

That said when it was made it was definitely a more original newer approach to editing/production. The movie is cliche your right. But that said its good because it resonates with so many people because of its quality editing & cinematography. They really did a good job producing this movie for its time it was a more original approach. The way they were able to play thru the sequence of events into collages greatly effected so much production. Its so frequent now I think its hard to see. But at the time it was a newer approach. 

The music, line of events, acting. Its not so much that one was soooo exceptional but the combination made it have that effect that resonates with so many people. 

Now of days nostalgia is capitalized on so much with the same stylized effect as on forrest gump, but its style at the time was captivating.


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## Astral (Dec 8, 2014)

I like it because it's a somewhat inspiring movie. 
He did all that shit. Makes me feel like I can do anything.
In reality I can do anything I want and become anything I want.


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## Davidkal (Jul 19, 2017)

Such a boring movie..Just tried to watch it


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## Belzy (Aug 12, 2013)

I have never seen it,

Oh, apparently he's the voice of Sheriff Woody in Toy Story.

I like Toy Story.


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