Video/DVD Review: Forrest Gump
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What Parents Should Know
Parents need to know that though this Oscar winner's strong
language, violence, and sexual situations make it questionable
for young kids, its ultimately positive messages and
entertaining take on three decades of American history make it
a good choice for family viewing if you have mature teens.
Parents may want to preview the movie for its realistic
treatment of serious issues like child abuse, the civil rights
movement, drugs, and war.
Families can talk about American history and how it's seen
through Forrest's eyes. What are his impressions of the Vietnam
War, of a young Elvis, or of the hippie movement?
Life is like a box of chocolates…you never know what you're gonna get. This famous catchphrase also describes FORREST GUMP -- it serves up an abundance of surprising treats, sometimes sweet and sometimes bitter. The movie's two and a half hours run the gamut from humor and charm to tragedy and poignancy. Although epic in length and symbolic in treatment, the movie never loses sight of the intimate love story at its center. The relationship between the childlike Forrest (Tom Hanks) and the disillusioned Jenny (Robin Wright Penn) can be seen as an allegory for America's loss of innocence from the 1950s to the 1980s, reflected by pop culture and socio-political events. Rock and roll, the civil rights movement, Vietnam, Watergate, and more are touched on, sometimes seriously and sometimes satirically.
Though its strong language, violence, and sexual situations make it questionable for children, the movie can introduce young viewers to prominent moments in the 20th century. Through the use of Oscar-winning visual effects, Forrest interacts with U.S. presidents, teaches Elvis Presley how to do his famous "pelvis dance," and inspires John Lennon to write the song "Imagine."
The encounters sometimes border on the absurd, but they're anchored by Hanks' extraordinary performance. He makes the slow-witted Forrest a sympathetic and believable character instead of a stereotyped simpleton. Superb acting by the entire cast, especially Wright Penn as Jenny and Gary Sinise as Forrest's army lieutenant, add substance to this sentimental tearjerker.
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