by Leah Stone
It is Forrest Gump’s 20th anniversary this week and so I am going to delve into this classic. Forrest Gump, a 1994 American Comedy-Drama, is, simply put, a bundle of life lessons in one film. The film follows Tom Hanks as Forrest (for which he won the Oscar for best Actor) and his extraordinary life. The film starts with adult Forrest sitting at a bus and from there tells the story of his life, with a few visits back to that bus stop.
It is Forrest Gump’s 20th anniversary this week and so I am going to delve into this classic. Forrest Gump, a 1994 American Comedy-Drama, is, simply put, a bundle of life lessons in one film. The film follows Tom Hanks as Forrest (for which he won the Oscar for best Actor) and his extraordinary life. The film starts with adult Forrest sitting at a bus and from there tells the story of his life, with a few visits back to that bus stop.
Forrest Gump is a very well known film, and it comes with several very important life lessons that children need to learn. They are the life lessons that I learnt when I watched this film at a young age.
The first is that you never know you can do something if you don’t try. Forrest is born with a very bent spine and so has to wear leg braces as a child. However this doesn’t damage his expectations and his hopes. He is constantly bullied at school, with regular chants of “Run Forrest Run” chasing him home. However one day, whilst he is running away from bullies, he breaks free from his braces and later goes on to become a successful athlete.
Second, be kind. Forrest developed a friendship with Bubba whilst in Vietnam and they both became very close, respecting each other despite Bubba being black (when the film was set there were very obvious colour divisions.) When Bubba dies Forrest lives out his friend’s dream of being a shrimp boat captain, and then gives the money to Bubba’s family. This is a great example of how key and important a good, strong friendship is.
The first is that you never know you can do something if you don’t try. Forrest is born with a very bent spine and so has to wear leg braces as a child. However this doesn’t damage his expectations and his hopes. He is constantly bullied at school, with regular chants of “Run Forrest Run” chasing him home. However one day, whilst he is running away from bullies, he breaks free from his braces and later goes on to become a successful athlete.
Second, be kind. Forrest developed a friendship with Bubba whilst in Vietnam and they both became very close, respecting each other despite Bubba being black (when the film was set there were very obvious colour divisions.) When Bubba dies Forrest lives out his friend’s dream of being a shrimp boat captain, and then gives the money to Bubba’s family. This is a great example of how key and important a good, strong friendship is.
Another noticeable thing is Forrest’s positivity. Throughout his life, many bad things happen to him that would hit many people hard. The girl he loves leaves him behind, one of his closest friends dies, Lieutenant Dan loses his legs and Forrest sticks by him and helps him through it despite Dan being infuriating at times (again showing the importance of friendship) and he also loses his mother and then the love of his life later in the film. Yet despite all of these bad things happening to him, Forrest still carries on, pushes through the pain and ends the film on a happy note with his son. It is important to not let the pain and the troubles to overcome you. As the cliché saying goes, there is always light at the end of the tunnel. Even Lieutenant Dan discovers this, when, upon accompanying Forrest Shrimping and investing in the new company Apple (which, as we know later becomes a massive success) he defeats the depression that he felt upon losing his legs and becomes very successful.
Forrest Gump is for one an amazing film with a great plot, awesome acting and won many awards. But more importantly it is extremely inspiring. Upon watching it it’s more than likely you will feel extremely invigorated and raring to achieve something with your life. It is a must see for anyone, but it is vital for children to watch it and to learn the most important of life lessons.
Forrest Gump is for one an amazing film with a great plot, awesome acting and won many awards. But more importantly it is extremely inspiring. Upon watching it it’s more than likely you will feel extremely invigorated and raring to achieve something with your life. It is a must see for anyone, but it is vital for children to watch it and to learn the most important of life lessons.
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