FORREST GUMP
A film review by David S. Cowen
Copyright 1994 David S. Cowen
I went into FORREST GUMP with high hopes--I had both faith in Robert Zemeckis, whose other films I've enjoyed, and in the story. I was all ready for a heart-warming tale about a man who, while slow in thought, managed to see some truths in life that other people didn't. Already this year I was treated to two such films with similar plots: THE HUDSUCKER PROXY, with Tim Robbins' comic turn as a "wise fool," and WHAT'S EATING GILBERT GRAPE, where Leonardo DiCaprio's Arnie steals the movie. While I went into the movie with much anticipation, after the movie, I didn't quite as inspired as the other people who have reviewed or mentioned the movie here on r.a.m. But boy, did I feel like RUNNING IN MY NIKES to get an ice cold DR PEPPER, which I'd take home and use on my new APPLE COMPUTER.
All three of these products seem rather conspicuous in the film, but none of them have a direct bearing on the plot. For example, when Forrest goes to "meet the President" for the first time, he talks about his awe at seeing all of that food laid out for the guests. That's part of the plot--Forrest *would* be more awed by food if he was hungry than meeting the President. Suddenly, though, we see the 7-UP and DR PEPPER bottles ... and Forrest mentions "But I was more thirsty than hungry--and I drank *15* DR PEPPERS." Shot of Forrest guzzling another DR PEPPER. Feeling thirsty, people? We continue to see Dr. Pepper all through the film.
Then, we have the whole theme about him running across the country. While his shrimping excursion was one of the more enjoyable, inspirational parts of the film, we suddenly have him going home and not having anything to do, so he runs across the country. Huh? Does that sub-plot make any sense? Only if you think of it in terms of NIKE, who was able to have Forrest show off his well-worn Nikes and wear a NIKE T-shirt during the entire sub-plot.
But the most beguiling thread is the Apple Computer plug. The film is very specific as to times and dates--at the beginning of the film we see a bus go by advertising "The 1981 Mercury Capri." After Forrest becomes a mega-zillionaire because of Apple stock investment, Jenny comes home. They watch the Bicentennial on TV (another subtle time placement, and one that makes sense given that young Forrest looks about 5-ish in 1981). But wait, Apple Corporation was *started* in *April* of 1976 ... and public stock wasn't available until 1978. If Apple didn't pay to have their logo in that movie, than why wouldn't Zemeckis & Co. have used IBM, whose stock was booming from 1976 into the 80's?
Plugs in films don't bother me if they're well integrated with the plot, or make sense given a certain character or environment (if I see a Coca-Cola poster in, say, a set of a convenience store, that's natural). But in FORREST GUMP, these promotions seemed to have a lot of control on the script of the film. I don't go to a movie to see advertisements subtly linked to a film, I go to see plot, and characters, and emotion, and action. Obvious plugs are just distracting, and pull me out of the kind of emotional webs that a movie can create.
There's more I could point out that just didn't make sense in FORREST GUMP. I didn't know that dying of cancer or AIDS made you so happy--Forrest's mother, on her deathbed, seems perfectly healthy and downright ebullient. And Tom Hanks, well, he seemed to just be hamming it up. DiCaprio's performance in Gilbert Grape was awe-inspiringly realistic, Robbins' performance in Hudsucker was laugh- out-loud funny. Both are inspiring. Gump's character is none of those, and I don't think either Zemeckis or Hanks knew whether to play Gump for laughs or for drama.
"Life is like a box of chocolates--you never know what you'll get." I know what you'll get. You'll get chocolates. And if you're really intelligent, you know what the little squiggles on top of the chocolates mean.
Rating: FORREST GUMP was neither heart-warming or entertaining, and seemed more designed to sell than to affect. Go rent Gilbert Grape when it comes out on video. 2 out of 10.
esch@mixcom.com 2609cowend@vms.csd.mu.edu
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