Schmaltz is the word.

Rating: 2/10 (14 July 2006)

A fairy tale expression of recent American history. This has Tom Hanks playing a simpleton as the embodiment post-war America and the fact it won Oscars tells us more about American pop-culture than any erudite books might wish to say.
Tom Hanks plays Gump, a rather "slow" boy who grows into a "slow" man and yet manages to involve himself in major events in American history: racial integration, Vietnam, Watergate and so on, and yet always manages to remain unwittingly on the side of Liberalism.
In other words, this rather saccharine and somewhat nauseous film is trying tell us that what is good about America is the simple homespun values of innocence and goodness whilst presumably anyone with an IQ of above average is not to fully trusted. A naive message in the least which to anyone with an IQ over 100 or anyone living in Europe seems the cause of so many problems rather than the solution.
If you are looking for a black and white view of the world, an idealistic and simple and sop for conscience view of the world, then this might help.
For those with an IQ over 100 I would suggest you go elsewhere.