Do you know the disappointment when a cherished book is not properly filmed? If only half of the book is shown, and the message of the book suddenly takes on a new face? Sometimes this can lead to an improvement of the content. That was not the case with Forrest Gump.
If you have just seen the film without knowing the context of the book, the film may be good on the surface. Most people will probably just love Forrest because they see how he always must fight his way through his life and never gives up - Tom Hanks played his part very well.
The story with Bubba and especially with Jenny Curran also dominates the film. Therefore, the film is called a tragic comedy and is described by many as heartbreaking and later as heartwarming. But you could also simply describe the film as a cheesy Hollywood production even it has some good scenes in it. It is a film that you watch in the evening to rest, but not to really learn anything sustainable from it.
And believe me, it is better when you do not take it as a life guide. The film not only elevates the relationship to jenny, but also transfigures the image of the Vietnam war. The film idealizes a war that ended up killing several million people. Most of these killed people can be found in the civilian population of Vietnam – the US troops were a major contributor to the deaths.
In the film they only show the rosy sides of war. The scenes in Vietnam literally glowed and the atmosphere was either humorous or cheesy but never as ironic or satirical as the scenes in the book. Accordingly, the film was never really serious about the war. Because you could sometimes laugh at the scenes, the war has lost its weight. Only that you did not have the bitter aftertaste on your tongue here.
The war was simply not viewed controversially or realistically as it was the case in “Born on the 4th of July”. This film showed the brutality of the US soldiers, meanwhile they appeared in Forrest Gump as wolves in sheep's clothing. Besides, the hippies were not given such a ridiculous role in this film - they cited the My Lai massacre as one of the reasons the war should end. They gave reasons why the US should refrain from killing. And the ultimate reason for the end of the war was that many US soldiers also suffered from it. For example, the main protagonist suffered from accidentally shooting a comrade. And many others suffered from PTSD.
But I can at least admit that the film Forrest Gump also shows these aspects through lieutenant Dan. Nevertheless, in the end, he experiences his great luck as well and he can walk again. For me, the film says that you can do anything and that you will be rewarded if you stick to the rules. If you stand up for your fatherland, you will be rewarded in the end.
Of course, someone can argue at this point that jenny died and he is now alone again. Surely, this is sad. Nevertheless, he is healthy, he has made a lot of money and most of all he has a son to look after. The Forrest Gump in the book is also rich, he is also largely healthy - but his great love has not been waiting for him, he will not be able to live with his son. And above all, he is not completely happy about the way his life is went, about what he is working now. Nonetheless he can say that he just kept going and tried to do the right thing.
Forrest always tried to do that in the book. I wish there had been a lot more of those stories in the movie. They are hilarious, ironic, and rather make us realize how stupid and unfair we are sometimes than to focus on Forrest naivety. The book is a real masterpiece. I cant say that about the movie.