Lessons In History--And Life

Rating: 9/10 (17 July 2007)

So, what the hell is wrong with having a simple outlook on life? I think the reason we have a lot of problems in life is because we're too smart for our own good, that we always try to complicate things. I think that's what this movie was saying. Forrest Gump took life on its own terms, and he didn't sweat the little things. He just kept on keepin' on, and that's what the movie is saying. "Don't sweat the small stuff." You don't have to have an IQ of 75 to just relax and take it easy. Gump may have been smarter than most of his "normal" contemporaries. Contrary to what Jeanie said to him, he knows better than most people what love is. His loyalty to her in spite of the way she crapped on him until she was almost dead is a testament to that. Until the end, she was a dingbat.
Forrest first lost his best friend Bubba in Viet Nam. Then, he lost his mother. Then, he lost his Jeanie. Through it all, he remained stoic. There is something very noble in that. Intellectually challenged or not, he was still a human being with feelings. He was smart enough to know what dead is, what right and wrong are. When it gets right down to it, that's all we really need to know. This is a great movie. My only complaint about it is this guy who wrote the screenplay obviously didn't know diddly squat about Bear Bryant. Bear was not a very demonstrative coach. He wouldn't have been jumping up and down on the sidelines screaming, "Run you sonofabitch, run!" Bear was always pretty stonefaced on the sidelines. Also, I can't help wondering how they made Gary Sinese look like he lost his legs. That was very impressive, whatever they did to do that. Also, intermixing Gump with now dead historic figures was very impressive, showing him shaking hands with JFK, LBJ, Richard Nixon, John Lennon. Still, number one is it is a good story. 9 out of 10.