Oh gosh. I had to watch Forrest Gump, didn’t I? At first, I started like, well, let’s see what the big deal is with this movie that it inspired someone to open up a worldwide restaurant chain. But DAMN.
It’s been five minutes and I’m still crying. The whole movie runs about 2 hours and 22 minutes. In the middle, I thought about leaving it for the morning, but I am SO glad I didn’t. Oh, God, the ending.
I wasn’t expecting that. Just picked up my heart and crushed it into tiny little pieces. This movie is so wrapped up in memories and so much life. Just the simple truths as answers to all the questions we ask. How we don’t really know why life never makes sense. Why we just feel what we feel and it doesn’t always have to make sense, but sometimes we do things just because we feel like it, and some of us are lucky enough to be able to do that. How not every question has an answer.
The freedom to follow your instincts.
If you feel like running across the country for 3 years, 2 months, 14 days, and 16 hours, just because your heart broke, you do it, until you outrun your past. If you feel like hopping on a bus to the great unknown, you do it. If you feel like telling your life story, you tell it– and you don’t look back to see who’s listening. Because that’s when life happens. When you’re not looking. Or, as the quote goes, “Shit happens”.
Some of the most amazing quotes by Forrest:
“My Mama always said you’ve got to put the past behind you before you can move on.”
“What’s normal anyways?”
“That day, for no particular reason, I decided to go for a little run. So I ran to the end of the road. And when I got there, I thought maybe I’d run to the end of town. And when I got there, I thought maybe I’d just run across Greenbow County. And I figured, since I run this far, maybe I’d just run across the great state of Alabama. And that’s what I did. I ran clear across Alabama. For no particular reason I just kept on going. I ran clear to the ocean. And when I got there, I figured, since I’d gone this far, I might as well turn around, just keep on going. When I got to another ocean, I figured, since I’d gone this far, I might as well just turn back, keep right on going.”
“Lieutenant Dan got me invested in some kind of fruit company [Apple computer]. So then I got a call from him, saying we don’t have to worry about money no more. And I said, that’s good! One less thing.”
“You know it’s funny what a young man recollects? ‘Cause I don’t remember bein’ born. I don’t recall what I got for my first Christmas and I don’t know when I went on my first outdoor picnic. But I do remember the first time I heard the sweetest voice in the wide world.”
“I’m not a smart man. But I know what love is.”
“Some people don’t think miracles happen, well, they do.”
… and in dialogue:
(Jenny): Why are you so good to me?
(Forrest): You’re my girl!
(Forrest): Then, Bubba said something I won’t ever forget.
(Bubba): I wanna go home.
(Forrest): Bubba was my best good friend. And even I know that ain’t something you can find just around the corner. Bubba was going to be a shrimping boat captain, but instead, he died right there by that river in Vietnam.
(Forrest): [running] I had run for 3 years, 2 months, 14 days, and 16 hours.
[he stops and turns around]
(Young Man Running): Quiet, quiet! He’s gonna say something!
(Forrest): I’m pretty tired… I think I’ll go home now.
And a quote by Jenny I can completely relate to:
(Jenny): Dear God, make me a bird. So I could fly far. Far far away from here.
It. Starts. Now. 