"I just felt like running".

Rating: 10/10 (12 June 2011)

For anyone who grew up in the turbulent Sixties, "Forrest Gump" delivers a clever blend of nostalgia mixed with a uniquely creative view of history as experienced by a presumed to be simpleton. While Tom Hanks' character recalls his life with a slow tangy drawl, he variously entertains and educates a host of passengers waiting for the next bus to their intended destination. Some ignore him, some show interest, one even scorns Gump's tale of getting rich in the shrimping business, only to depart before Forrest has a chance to pull out his copy of Fortune Magazine. Life can be like that for those unwilling to listen and learn, casting doubt instead of exploring the truth and keeping an open mind.
I got a kick out of Forrest's string of brushes with greatness - the way he taught Elvis how to shake his hips, his unquestioning response to LBJ's inquiry about his war injury, and the way his war time experience inspired John Lennon to write 'Imagine'. There was also that ingenious sequence in which he meets President Nixon, then inadvertently tips off the Watergate scandal. However the most understated and easiest reference to miss was the clever homage paid to the 1969 film "Midnight Cowboy", when Forrest wheels Lieutenant Dan (Gary Sinise) across busy city traffic, and is narrowly missed by a taxi cab. Lt. Dan's response was "Hey, I'm walkin' here", just the way Ratso Rizzo did in that earlier film. All that with the 'Everybody Talking at Me' movie theme seamlessly woven in as so many songs of that era were utilized with other aspects of the story.
For Forrest Gump, life is not a pretentious path to wealth or fame, but a never ending quest to learn and be a productive human being. Not to mention finding one's own true love. For Forrest, life long friend Jenny (Robin Wright) represents an unfulfilled ideal, one he accepts into his heart while still a young schoolboy and nurturing that relationship platonically throughout his adulthood. For her part, Jenny represents a youthful quest for experiencing life to the fullest, only to make a series of wrong choices that lead her to the brink of suicide. It's fitting that Jenny eventually realizes what Forrest knew all along, that they were made for each other even if outward appearances seemed to dictate otherwise.
I've seen this film only a couple times in the past, thinking it was good, but only considering it for it's entertainment value. I guess one of the benefits of getting older is the insight one gains with experiencing life a day at a time and steady as she goes. My viewing of the picture today gave me a greater appreciation for the subtleties offered in the film, and leads me to believe the world would be a better place if there were a little more of Forrest Gump in all of us.