How Much Did You Like the Movie Forrest Gump?

well, there is reality and then there is Forest Gump : )

For me the film is so well put together that the ridicule of him being involved in historical events and achievements doesnt bother me that much...

Giant alien robots are pretty ridiculous, too, but I kinda went with it when I saw Transformers. It's not supposed to be realistic, it's supposed to be inventive and clever and amusing to see how he manages to fit in behind the scenes.

Well, after awhile he did have plenty of money. And before that, he had a college scholarship because of his speed. And the army obviously took care of him for years. I don't think anything else beforehand was the kind of thing you'd need money for.

Well, we had a draft, which means a lot of people who wouldn't normally fight, had to. I'm sure there were some mentally handicapped people there, of varying degrees. Regardless, Gump was pretty high-functioning, so it's far from inconceivable.

But really, what it comes down to is whether or not you're willing to accept the movie's (or any movie's) core conceit and judge it based on how well it achieves it, and how clever and entertaining it is in the process.

Here's a flash for you, baller--the military doesn't care if you're smart or not, only if you're able-bodied. There was a guy, Eugene, in my platoon during basic training who made Forrest Gump look like a Rhodes Scholar. To say he was mentally deficient would be to assume he had a brain at all, but there was no outward sign of it. Only thing he was good for was to paint him red and use him for a stop sign. Or else teach him to load and fire a rifle, which they did. The turkey almost shot us one day at the rifle range when the lieutenant in charge--not much brighter than Eugene--rushed through the clearing procedure and sent us running forward to mark our targets. Meanwhile Eugene's rifle had jammed, but he got it working again and started firing off the rest of the clip with all of us about halfway down the range. Man, you shulda seen us duck and cover!

I have only seen Forrest Gump once and there were some things that I enjoyed about the film and others I thought was just a bit out there. The music of the film really helped keep the who;e thing together in my opinion.

I really enjoyed it. not my all time favourite, but I've seen it for few times and it's been a pleasure.

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My girlfriend and I were watching it on TBS tonight. Good flick for sure. I wouldn't call it great or anything though.

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To people who are criticizing how many events he is involved in, we are supposed to be seeing these events through his eyes. Many people have such a harsh view on things we forget the simple aspects and the little things. Like when the African-Americans are being allowed to go to the University of Alabama, Forrest doesn't realize why it is so controversial even after one of his peers tells him in a derogatory fashion. When the black girl drops her notebook, pencil, whatever it was, he picks it up. Forrest knows that when someone drops something it's polite to pick it up. He doesn't think about her race, the situation, or what people would think; he just goes with the most basic thoughts possible.

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Forrest Gump (1994, Robert Zemeckis)



Of course this film is a modern classic. Is has a star, stellar pacing, instantly quotable. I regard Forrest Gump as an entertaining romp through the 60's greatest hits, but of course I wasn't alive back then so I'm sure the film failed to resonate with me on a nostalgic level as it has done with many others. I don't really need to bother with the story. Yes, it's the ultimate "tard-card" Oscar bait picture. I don't think the story is as political as some might make it out to be. Naturally no one human, especially a mentally challenged human would accomplish what Forrest did given his circumstances. I don't read the film as an after school special claiming that if a retard can do this, imagine what a normal person can do! Rather I see the plot device of having the main character as retarded serve to explemplify his innocence and naiveity to the harsh world around him whether it be the Civil Rights movement, AIDS, of the Vietnam War.
Yes the film works, but I would say it's shallow and slightly gimmicky. The film follows the same structure as an infinitely better film, Little Big Man. Whereas that film has heart and a point, Forrest Gump's message gets muffled and by taking the viewer through the 60's greatest hits, the viewer tends to forget how little story there really is. The best parts of the film are clearly the scenes in Vietnam and those involving Lieutenant Dan (Gary Sinese). It seems to me that the TV show "The Wonder Years" did the same thing with the nostalgic voice over narration vibe, but to much better effect and "The Wonder Years" had characters I cared for. So does Forrest Gump, ala the title character, Lt. Dan, and to a lesser degree Jenny. The rest were basically props.

Grade: B-

I hate when people refer to his character as, 'retarded.' He isn't his i.q. is below normal. no where in the movie is his character diagnosed with anything that could politically correctly translate to being retarded.

From http://www.answers.com/topic/mental-retardation

"A diagnosis of mental retardation is made if an individual has an intellectual functioning level well below average and significant limitations in two or more adaptive skill areas. Intellectual functioning level is defined by standardized tests that measure the ability to reason in terms of mental age (intelligence quotient or IQ). Mental retardation is defined as IQ score below 70-75."


In the movie Forrest Gump is said to have an IQ of 75. This scene happens early in the film when his mother is trying to get him enrolled in public school.

So Forrest is retarded.

You'll just think I'm picking on you again, but Forrest's I.Q. is not "below 70-75". Anybody with an I.Q. above 75 understands that "below 70-75" is below 75. Sorry, but Forrest's I.Q. is above that. It's a full-on 75. I'm editing all that juicy crap I just typed about peace, love and understanding because I don't care as much as you apparently do.

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"I'll think you're just picking on me again." What do you call it then? Correcting my math skills? 75 does not equal X<75? Is this constructive criticism or is this sarcastic undermining, rude criticism? You know the difference.

Anywho, I guess you're correct sir, 75 is certainly not 74 is it?

Can I referr to Forrest Gump as retarded plus one IQ point, since we're speaking by the card here?