A Forrest of complete Gump

Rating: 4/10 (22 January 2018)

Everyone loves this movie... except me.
Somehow I find the contrast between the unsophisticated, often rather juvenile, style of humour, which is juxtaposed with issues like physical handicap, child molestation, mutilation from war, death from war and cancer, jarring and uncomfortable.
For me I would consider the type of broad acting in this film was fine if it were a pure comedy, such as "Ground Hog Day", but in this context, where serious issues are supposedly being addressed, it lacks the necessary degree of subtlety (or respect).
Tom Hanks performance is wonderful, but still essentially cartoonish, like Gomer Pyle. I don't at any time buy into his portrayal as a credible mentally challenged person. (As, for example, I was able to do with Dustin Hoffman in Rain-man)
I guess the Director's concept was for us to view the events from what is intended to be Forrest's limited perspective, but for me it doesn't work.
It's told as a fairy-tale, but personally I'm just not comfortable with many of these topics being dealt with in such a shallow fashion. Hitchcock knew how to mix humour with suspense, but it's not an easy trick to pull off, this film tries to mix tragedy with comedy and I find it an unpleasant mixture.
In the world where little girls are sexually molested by their fathers and young men have their legs amputated after being caught by an exploding shells, crippled kids don't become All American running backs (although they may become gold medal blade runners at the Paralympics!) and intellectually handicapped people don't become Shrimp magnates.
Don't get me wrong, I've nothing against a good fairy-tale, but I suspect this movie aspires to be allegorical and profound as well, which it is not.
The movie packs in so many traumatic situations that it fails to do any of them justice, and then casually throws historical ones in on top
The assassination of the Kennedys and John Lennon, along with attempts on George Wallis and Gerald Ford are mentioned, although Forrest is not present for any of them and doesn't strike me as a person who has any political awareness or would take notice of current events.
(However Martin Luthor King and Malcolm X are spared inclusion.)
The frequent use of familiar pop music from the period is another cheap trick to engage the emotions of the audience without doing the work. Much of the music has little or no connection to the story and even less to the character of Forrest, who has no interest, understanding, or emotional connection with the pop culture of the day.
Forrest is strangely detached from the World around him, and probably that's the intention?
But in that case what relevance or insight can his character have to the events through which he wanders?
I'm sure this story is intended to be very deep and meaningful, but really, Forrest Gump could as easily have been set in the 1920s, 30s or 40s for all the relevance or insight he brings to 50s, 60s, 70s culture.
The part of the movie where Forrest runs across country invites comparison to Peter Sellars character in "Being There", a holy fool, but FG lacks the depth of that movie, and in any case only has five minutes to spare on this topic before moving on again.
There is some tenuous and weak humour involving "Sh*t Happens" and smiley face tee shirts, but no actual words of ambiguous wisdom that might account for his following.
The film continues to throw issues and situations at us, like so many custard pies, hoping some will stick, but most end up being only half baked. (How do you like them mixed metaphors!)
The Apple shares bit is pure product placement, Forrest was already as rich as they want to make him via the Shrimp company.
And why would anyone offer the multimillion dollar owner of a Shrimp company a job mowing lawns?
Then we get not one, but two, tragic deaths by disease to weep about, first Mom from the big "C" and then "me own me sporting Jenny" from a cause never made clear.
Jenny only brings Forrest back into her life because she is dying, not because she loves him enough to want to share her life and their child with him. How is that inspirational?
Good things come to those who wait? The meek shall inherit the earth?
The secret to true happiness is low expectations?
Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what your gonna get (chocolate maybe?)
Chocolate Happens.