Portrait of INNOCENCE in its purest form...

Rating: 9/10 (28 August 2003)

I have an 8 year old sister who is autistic. She is pure innocence.

MIGHT BE SPOILERS...
So is FORREST GUMP. Yes, he is present at history's most renowned events: the manifestation of young Elvis Presley, the integration of the University of Alabama, the War in Vietnam and all the controversy surrounding it, Watergate, and the shootings/assasinations of various famous politicians, among the many. But his presence at these events is purely coincidental.

Forrest Gump is born to a single woman, and although we never really find out WHY he is like he is, it's pretty evident that he was born with some degree of brain damage. He's not retarded, but he is very slow, very naive, and again, very innocent. Perhaps he is an alcohol syndrome baby. His natural father is gone and nobody knows where or why. Maybe he has a degree of autism from immunizations gone bad or something.
Point is, Forrest Gump is NOT STUPID. One person said this film celebrates stupidity and ignorance. I see neither stupidity nor ignorance in this character. What I see I've already listed above.
He loves his mama and looks to her for answers and wisdom. He believes in her. She has always been there for him and with him. He loves his friend Jenny, who has been sexually molested by her father and is obviously flighty and troubled. Forrest's love for her follows her all over the nation, from a strip club in Tennessee, to San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury hippie scene, to the cocaine-laden disco clubs of NYC in the late '70s.

As if to prove to people that purity is a good thing, even if it's because of brain damage, God showers good fortune on Forrest Gump in the form of a prosperous shrimp company. His friend Lt. Dan, having been crippled during the War, shares the wealth with him.
And finally, even though it's really too late and she had her own reasons, Forrest gets to marry his Jenny.
And at least he has Little Forrest to devote his pure life to.
One of my favorite movies!!!