February 13, 2024
'Forrest Gump' live from D.C.
Live from a park bench, The Ringer's Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin rewatch the 1994 classic 'Forrest Gump,' starring Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, and Gary Sinise.
Cast
Tom Hanks as Forrest Gump
Robin Wright as Jenny Curran
Gary Sinise as Lieutenant Dan Taylor
Sally Field as Mrs. Gump
Mykelti Williamson as Bubba Blue
Haley Joel Osment as Forrest Gump Jr.
Directed by: Robert Zemeckis
Written by: Eric Roth
Music by: Alan Silvestri
Notes
- Live show recorded in Washington, D.C. as part of the Cold Weather Tour. About 850 people attended.
- Budget of $55 million, grossed $678 million worldwide. Stayed in theaters for 42 weeks.
- Won Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor. Robin Wright was NOT nominated for Best Supporting Actress – the hosts find this egregious.
- Zemeckis and Hanks waived large parts of their fee for percentage points, making 'ungodly amounts of money.' Paramount was trying to cut the budget.
- Warner Brothers had the rights but traded them for Executive Decision after 'Rain Man' came out – 'a $650 million mistake.'
- Tom Hanks's run from 1992-2000: League of Their Own, 'Sleepless in Seattle', 'Philadelphia', 'Forrest Gump', Apollo 13, 'Toy Story', That Thing You Do, 'Saving Private Ryan', 'You've Got Mail', 'Cast Away'.
- The backlash cycle: Initially huge, then backlash from 'Pulp Fiction'/Shawshank fans. Peak Internet backlash around 2004. By the 30th anniversary (2024), 'this movie's back.'
- Tom Hanks's brother Jim was his double for the cross-country running scenes. Kurt Russell was the voice of Elvis.
- Deleted scene: Young Jenny kills her father by releasing a tractor handbrake. Filmmakers decided audiences wouldn't forgive Jenny.
- The aborted sequel (Eric Roth screenplay): Forrest Jr. had AIDS, Forrest ended up in OJ's car, became a ballroom dancer with Princess Diana, had a girlfriend who died in the Oklahoma City bombing. 9/11 killed the project.
- Chris Ryan's theory: The movie works better as a Jesus Christ allegory – the beard, the apostles, Lieutenant Dan's conversion, Jenny as Mary Magdalene.
- The park bench is now in the Smithsonian. They spent two months building Forrest's house on a South Carolina plantation, then knocked it down after filming due to a dispute with the landowner.
- Reflecting pool scene used about 1,500 extras digitally replicated to look like tens of thousands.
- National Review ranked it #4 on its list of best conservative movies. Chris argues the movie is 'all things to all people' politically.
- 1995 Oscars viewership: 49 million people (vs. 19 million in 2023).
Categories
Roger Ebert's review
Quote from Rog's review:
“Tom Hanks may be the only actor who could have played the role.”
Ebert gave it 4 stars and called it 'a magical movie.'
Most re-watchable scene
- Bill: The Vietnam Monument protest / rally scene – Forrest's mic gets cut, Abbie Hoffman yells 'Forrest Gump!', Forrest and Jenny reunite in the reflecting pool. 'One of the best scenes of the 90s.'
- Chris: The Vietnam ambush and rescue sequence.
- Sean: Meeting Little Forrest for the first time ('Is he smart?').
- Other contenders: The hurricane scene with Sinise screaming at God, 'Why don't you love me Jenny?' / 'I'm not a smart man but I know what love is', Jenny's gravesite speech.
What aged the best?
- Pacing – very long film but never drags, no scene longer than about 2.5 minutes.
- Robin Wright – 'one of the greatest looking actresses of all time,' perfect as Jenny.
- Quotability: 'Stupid is as stupid does,' 'Run Forrest run,' 'Life is like a box of chocolates.'
- Lieutenant Dan's full redemption arc – from 'magic legs' to the wedding.
- A very young Haley Joel Osment.
- Forrest's rain descriptions in Vietnam – stinging rain, fat rain, sideways rain.
- The CGI holds up surprisingly well for a 90s movie.
What aged the worst?
- John Lennon's CGI lips – really rough.
- The jogging/running for three years sequence – Bill: 'the dumbest scene of all time.'
- Being named after Nathan Bedford Forrest (KKK founder).
- The soundtrack picks are generic/obvious – 'the most literal' song choices. Five Doors songs is a lot.
- Sally Field being only 10 years older than Hanks.
Best needle drop
- Bill: 'Running on Empty' for the jogging sequence.
- Chris: 'Go Your Own Way.'
- Mallory: Jenny singing 'Blowin' in the Wind' nude as Bobby Dylan.
Weak link of the movie
Bill: The jogging sequence – three years, two months, and 14 days straight. Mallory defends it as 'the movie in miniature.'
Casting what-ifs
- John Travolta was the original choice; said passing was a mistake. Later made Michael and Phenomenon trying to recreate 'that Gump magic.'
- Sean Penn claimed he was the second choice and turned it down.
- For Bubba: David Alan Grier, Dave Chappelle, and Ice Cube all turned it down. Tupac auditioned but didn't get it.
- For Jenny: Jodie Foster, Demi Moore, and Nicole Kidman all turned it down.
- Terry Gilliam turned down directing.
Over-acting award
Gary Sinise 'styles it up a couple times' – Mallory is 'here for it.'
Best "that guy"
Sam Anderson (the principal) – Bernard from Lost, Lee Paxton from Justified.
Best "heat check" performance
- Sean: Afemo Omilami as the drill sergeant – 'coming for the Full Metal Jacket crown.'
- Mallory: Dorothy Harris, the bus driver – iconic, showing up across time.
The hottest take award
- Bill: Forrest's mom was bad at her job. Named him after the head of the KKK. Her quotes are all nonsense.
- Sean: If 'Forrest Gump' was never born, the Jets would have zero Super Bowls.
- Chris: The movie works better as a Jesus Christ allegory.
Apex Mountain
- Tom Hanks: Yes. Back-to-back Oscars, $680M movie, then straight into Apollo 13 and 'Toy Story'.
- Gary Sinise: This over Apollo 13, but he hasn't been in a notable movie in 20+ years.
- Premature ejaculation in movies: Yes – 'broke the record.'
- The 1994 Oscars: Possible – Shawshank vs. 'Pulp Fiction' vs. 'Forrest Gump', 49 million viewers.
Picking nits
- How long was Forrest at the bus stop? At least 6-9 hours, and he was only a few blocks from Jenny's apartment.
- Forrest naming the shrimp boat 'Jenny' instead of 'Bubba' – it was Bubba's dream.
- How did Forrest get Apple stock before Apple went public (IPO in 1982)?
- Lieutenant Dan should have thrown Forrest a bachelor party.
- Chris: We missed using 'Gump' as a verb.
Half-assed (internet) research
- WB traded the rights for Executive Decision – a $650 million mistake.
- The reflecting pool scene: 1,500 extras digitally replicated to look like tens of thousands.
- Vietnam scenes filmed in South Carolina with about 20 palmetto trees.
- The park bench is now in the Smithsonian.
- Hidden newspaper clipping in Jenny's scrapbook: 'Investigation of Gump to continue in hometown.'
- Jenny's Playboy prop sold at auction for $4,800.
Who won the movie?
Unanimous: Tom Hanks.
Best (or worst!) life lessons from the movie
You can believe in destiny and luck.
Best double feature for this movie
Sean: 'Back to the Future' (shows Zemeckis's genius). Bill: 'Cast Away' (Zemeckis + Hanks). Mallory: The Water Boy.