Forrest Gump - an epic of human proportions

Rating: Null/10 (22 February 2002)

Every review I've ever read of this great flick has always said "well-meant but flawed." That's bull! How flawed can a movie be when it takes a man through college football, Vietnam, ping pong, shrimping, and running several times across America? Everybody from Elvis to Abbie Hoffman to Nixon to Kennedy to John Lennon to Dick Cavett to Lyndon Johnson make surprising and pleasant appearances. While the film may be slightly exaggerated to keep this guy moving, the two hours of film "Forrest Gump" uses are spent giving us the best summation of pop culture and textbook history we're probably ever going to see. And through it all, Forrest continually turns to his best friend Jenny, who sees Forrest as a good friend who doesn't know any better, which is why she tries so hard to maintain her innocence around her IQ-troubled friend. While Forrest may never fully realize the 30-something years of history he encounters, he does recognize friends and family as the real center of the world, which is played out beautifully in the last scene, which hands the baton to a new generation of kids who may be more socially aware than their parents. "Forrest Gump" is a must-have for anyone who enjoys people and movies.