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Forrest Gump is a terrible, misogynistic, and racist film.

posted 4 years ago by TMC-4 (19421)
59 replies | jump to latest

https://www.reddit.com/r/movies/comments/efbxe1/forrest_gump_is_a_terrible_misogynistic_and/

The entire movie presents a naive, parochial, saccharine vomit-inducing view of the 1960's. I don't even understand the crux or message of the movie at all. Is it that you don't need to be "sophisticated" to succeed in life? Or perhaps that conformity and not questioning authority or the status quo is the path to prosperity and fulfillment? That all leftists are domestic abusers, militant freaks, or drug addicts? I have no clue.

The racist aspect manifests in the fact that not one black character is portrayed in a positive light. All of them are mocking caricatures. Bubba is arguably more severely mentally retarded than Forrest, and serves no purpose but to make Forrest look more intelligent and to give him purpose (of course he's immediately killed off). There's also the caricatured depiction of the Black Panther Party, parroting slanderous myths perpetuated by the FBI to tarnish their image and paint them as a criminal, militant organization. Bubba's mother is a Mammy stereotype. It portrays Forrest inspiring Elvis's dance moves, which in reality were inspired by black artists. In the film, Forrests busts the watergate scandal when in reality, a black man, Frank Wills, did.

Jenny is a caricature of an abused woman. The filmmakers indulge in the myth that sexually abused women and girls are sexually promiscuous, and she is also portrayed as being manipulative. Forrest's mother has sex with the principal so that Forrest can attend a normal school.

so yeah, in short, fuck this film.

[–] pioneergrrrl (2390) 4 years ago

I hope you're aware that Mark Felt was deep throat

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/how-mark-felt-became-deep-throat/2012/06/04/gJQAlpARIV_story.html

[–] TheArgentinian (6457) 4 years ago

He's talking about the security guard that interrupted the break-in.

[–] pioneergrrrl (2390) 4 years ago

As for his mother having sex with the principal so he is able to attend school during the 1950's, she did what she had to do in order to give her son an access to public education.

Laws requiring equal access to public schools for people with disabilities didn't exist until the 1970's--and she did not have money/connections to send him to a private school (like very wealthy families did when they found out their children did have disabilities back then).

So she worked with what she had. The law was written against her and Forrest during that time. She had to work with what she had if he was going to receive an education.

People think what his mom did is 'terrible' one because the history of the disability movement is not known (actually the film IS telling it by showing what lengths parents...etc went to) and two because people with disabilities now do not have to do those things in order to obtain public education.

[–] sut6432 (2834) 4 years ago

so yeah, in short, fuck this film.

Actually, it’s “so yeah, in short, fuck the person who wrote this garbage.”

People are so unbelievably stupid anymore. It’s starting to get to me how people can actually interpret things with this moronic viewpoint. The internet has done some wonderful things, but “bringing us all together” isn’t one of them. Haha.

Forrest Gump is an incredible film. I could watch it every day for the rest of my life and enjoy it just the same.

[–] pioneergrrrl (2390) 4 years ago

it didn't really explain what happened to her sisters. They vanished and I think the film should have explained what happened to them, where they went with their lives. But the film overall is good.

[–] Wint3rFir3 (6931) 4 years ago

I don't necessarily think this is a wrong opinion, but it comes out of nowhere and doesn't take context into account. This movie came out in 1994, the year of Jim Carrey. Silly movies abounded.

[–] pioneergrrrl (2390) 4 years ago

The film is difficult to follow along unless you know general American history and then developments re disability issues in America

Schools being able to lock children with disabilities outin the 1950's,
disabled vets with ptsd and having alcoholism from experiences of war,
people with disabilities going into business for themselves bc they cannot get hired elsewhere
Drug use to cope with childhood sexual etc abuse and then the rehabilitation
dying from a medical condition

It does not sound saccharine

[–] Wint3rFir3 (6931) 4 years ago

I respectfully disagree that it's not at least partly saccharine. First off, it's a 90s movie. There's not many that don't veer on the side of sentimental. Second, it doesn't deal with any of the issues you mentioned realistically. Forrest doesn't face the harsh struggles many disabled people do. Sure, they are touched on, but they're not delved into too deeply.

That doesn't necessarily make it a bad movie, although I would say I don't think it's aged well. But I wouldn't call it vomit-inducing because this movie is twenty six years old and needs to be contextualized by that fact.

[–] pioneergrrrl (2390) 4 years ago

And you have to consider there's only so many minutes even in the time span of a film to cover everything/as much as possible They packed as much as they could into one screenplay.

[–] pioneergrrrl (2390) 3 years ago

Just because we're supposed to see this from his point of view doesn't mean it's 'not saccharine'

Forrest does get mad when Jenny is abused. he was supposed to be 'stupid' but he does understand how to treat people. And what treating people is like.

it does show that despite having served their country in Vietnam---LT Dan was now living in poverty and not the 'good life. People with disabilities are more likely to live in poverty than the general public

Because of his disability he cannot get hired by others in the pre 504/ADA era he is instead living in a flophouse hotel, getting drunk (high?) and hiring prostitutes. This is the era when society does NOT have to made reasonable accommodations for either him or forrest because of disabilities.

The prostitutes are only there because they are paid---and also have ableist attitudes towards the two men. Forest is made fun of because he does not want to engage in activity.

Contrast that with Susan at the end of the movie yes who is Asian. She is not paid and she loves Dan for who he really is. She accepts he is a person with a disability.

One reason the scene has not aged well is that we do expect drastically more people with disabilities to work in more capacities today. We would not expect somebody to be holed up in a flophouse drinking only because they are in a wheelchair. Civil rights laws altered both society and our ideas of who is 'productive'

Yes I have multiple neurological disabilities myself and I thought this was very realistic for being set in the early 1970's. it did not offend me in the least.

[–] Wint3rFir3 (6931) 3 years ago

Sorry, I'm not sure exactly what point you're making, so let me restate mine.

Although it deals with a lot of serious issues, they're still brushed over or presented in a somewhat sentimental way - so I'm saying it is saccharine to some degree. I'm also saying that that doesn't make the issues any less serious or make this a bad film, since most 90s films were somewhat cheesy or sentimental and it's typical of the era. I can understand if the movie resonates with you or if you personally find it relatable, but there's a lot in this movie that is unrealistic and silly to some degree -for example, the guy who makes a fortune out of t-shirts because Forrest wipes his face on a shirt is kind of ridiculous.

Like you stated, there's only so much that can be presented in a movie's span of time, and they did their best in the context of the era and the with what they had. So I don't necessarily disagree with your statements. I'm just not sure how they related to what I said exactly.

[–] pioneergrrrl (2390) 3 years ago

They seem 'saccharine' because it's supposed to be American history as experienced through the eyes of an ID/DD man.

Actually no, several of the conditions he experiences aren't 'sentimental at all

*his mom having to perform sexual favors on the school official in order to get him into the allegedly 'public school'
*Him and LT Dan living in near poverty and not being hired by others--having problems getting around even though they are 'vets' who served their country.
Him and LT Dan having to finally go into business for themselves bc nobody else will hire them....speaks to what of other PWDs end up doing when people without disabilities do not give the time of day.

[–] Wint3rFir3 (6931) 3 years ago

I don't consider his conditions sentimental; I'm not sure that statement even makes sense. I also don't think the movie is saccharine because the world is portrayed through Forrest's perspective, I think that the director is conveying everything through a sentimental lens despite the severity of the issues presented in the movie. Probably because of nostalgia for the era in which the film takes place more than anything.

As you said, all those serious things occur in the movie, and more. But they're mostly not given the weight they deserve - they are brushed over or shown in a very shallow way (which is okay, this was trying to be a fun movie for the most part). And the fact that everything kind of all works out well in the end is, in my mind, not very realistic. Loads of things in this movie are not realistic, aside from Forrest's conditions. That's okay, as it doesn't make it a bad movie, but this is why I view this movie as saccharine.

[–] pioneergrrrl (2390) 3 years ago

.....and there hasn't been (for instance) movies re the fight to give students access to public schooling to give it adequate time

These scenes in this movie ARE supposed to show, forrest (and real life versions of him) did not get things because people were 'nice' -families previously had to do things they probably actually did not 'like' before students got access in 1975. That lack of access is why parents resorted to sleeping with the principal...etc

Yes I agree full movies ARE needed. Most people have no idea re the 'big legal battles people with disabilities faced and won'.

[–] Wint3rFir3 (6931) 3 years ago

I think we're having two completely different conversations right now. You stated that the movie isn't saccharine because of the issues, I disagreed because I think that, issues aside, the entire film has a very rosy overcoat. You've now made a couple of statements that really have nothing to do with the previous disagreement, which is fine.

If you want to discuss the issues presented in this film and your personal relationship with disabilities in relation to them, that's one thing. But please be clear in doing so and not relating it to the previous points, which you're using as a springboard for a whole other discussion. It's kind of confusing and not at all related to what I've written.

[–] pioneergrrrl (2390) 3 years ago

No we're not having two different conversations.

I agreed that the movie didn't give events in his life sufficient weight. The screenplay would have to be very long---hours on end---in order to properly do this

The problem is that following along with the compressed screenplay WAS difficult for most people. People who don't know what they're watching/what is supposed to happen thought the screenplay was jumping around. It did what it could in the time allotted.

[–] Wint3rFir3 (6931) 3 years ago

Okay, I agree with all that.

[–] Strazdas (2328) 3 years ago

Im sorry i thought you said history of US, not present.

[–] TheArgentinian (6457) 4 years ago

No lies detected.
There's a reason for conservatives love this movie so much when they basically hate everything from Hollywood.

[–] [deleted] 4 years ago

[deleted]

[–] TMC-4 (19421) 4 years ago

https://www.reddit.com/r/movies/comments/gy4q0x/i_hate_it_when_people_say_forrest_gump_is_a/ft8ffmd/

The message of the movie Forest Gump is that education means nothing, anyone can succeed in life all they need is billion-to-one luck several times over.

Forest Gump mischievously misrepresents the anti-Vietnamwar movement but has no viable alternative to offer. Protestors are bad, stupid people according to the movie, by implication senseless US military adventures in third world countries are just fine.

Forest Gump is a shallow exercise in audience manipulation, a movie that makes excuses for dumb repression of people of sincere conscience.

Be careful of this movie, it can suck the IQ points right out of your brain.

[–] MovieChatUser497 (18943) 4 years ago

I agree this movie is garbage but I disagree that it’s for the reasons you said