Not worthy

Rating: 5/10 (20 October 2000)

I am surprised that `Forrest Gump' made it on the 1997 AFI list of the 100 best American films. My only explanation is that had the virtue of being a recent film. It is memorable, no doubt, but it doesn't fit together.
When I first saw the film, I didn't understand the Black Panthers or even the specifics of the Vietnam War. Ultimately I was lost at some places. Now I understand the history, and my stomach turns at the thought of squeezing forty years of history into a two and a half hour film; it didn't work. Digressing, I am shocked by how disgustingly idiotic the character is portrayed, under the guise of a 75 IQ. I'm no expert, but I don't see someone with that IQ dropping his pants or letting himself be hit by rocks. Frankly, the rural areas of the South where young Gump grew up didn't yield rocket scientists. This is because common sense was taught instead of the abstract reasoning of the Weschler IQ scorer. Just because a person cannot recite ten numbers backwards doesn't mean that they will drop their pants on TV.
I'm lingering on this because it annoys me due to my elementary knowledge of these facts which were overlooked in the plot of the film. In the 1979 film `Being There', Peter Sellers plays Chance, a gardener with a mind similar to Forrest Gump; even a little simpler. However, his character never left the house where he was born and learned everything from television.
Next up on the docket, Vietnam. Vietnam was not funny, nor is its interpretation through the eyes of Private Gump. I don't like heavy-handed Vietnam films like `Platoon' or `Apocalypse Now', and this film is more accurate, visually; so I hear. As for the aftermath, Lieutenant Dan's post-war trauma so closely models that of Jon Voight's character in `Coming Home' that I would sue for copyright infringement.
The acting has ups and downs. Gary Senise is excellent as Lieutenant Dan. Robin Wright's dime-a-dozen performance makes me want to throw up. Sally Field is good in her few scenes. Star Tom Hanks is overrated and, frankly, not deserving of that golden statuette. As for the film's Best Picture Oscar, I can only conclude that the judges knew they would be lynched by angry mothers, old people, and arch-conservatives if they selected the ultra-controversial, though much better, film `Pulp Fiction'.
`Forrest Gump' has highlights however. The bus stop bench as a forum was a fresh idea. The Bubba-Gump Shrimp section is hilarious. And the too-little-too-late drama at the end of the film sticks with you.
Make your own decision, I'm playing it safe with a 5/10.