Forrest Gump, an American classic filmed in 1994, is a touching story of a slow-witted young man who, through his loyalty, honesty, and perhaps most of all sheer luck, influences many events that shaped the history of America through the later half of the 20^th century. The film is based off of the book, Forrest Gump by Winston Groom, and it was an immediate success; it earned over $677 million around the world [1] and it won the 67^th Academy Awards along with three Golden Globe Awards and two Saturn awards. But since its grand entrance into the world of American cinema, a debate has been triggered concerning the connotations of the film. Producer of the film Steve Tisch claims, “Forrest Gump isn’t about politics or conservative values. It’s about humanity, it’s about respect, tolerance and unconditional love” [2].

Figure #1: (Image from cinépata) Forrest Gump tells a heartwarming story of love and loyalty, but some critics say its message might not be as innocent as it appears.

Forrest's famous lesson from his mother is, "life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get"[3], and apparently the same message holds true for the public reactions to this movie. Many, as is to be expected, appreciate the film as a touching story with talented actors and memorable quotes, but in an interesting twist of fate, many believe that the film is secretly a political statement promoting conservative values. It is interesting to analyze the potential of the film as conservative propaganda, but too much focus on the political implications might make us lose sight of the message Forrest intended to show us. Throughout this blog, I will explore some elements of the film that seemed to hint at subversive political opinions, and then I will consider the significance of these implications.

Many people who viewed this film thought that the drastically different lives of the main characters, Forrest Gump and Jenny Curran, were meant to promote conservative ideals. Let's look at Forrest first. He has an IQ of 75, but somehow despite his lack of intelligence, he becomes an All-American football player, he is a Vietnam War hero, and through a stroke of pure luck, he strikes it rich in his shrimping business and ends up with so much money, he doesn't know what to do with it. And then there's Jenny. She becomes a promiscuous hippie who joins the anti-war movement, she hangs out with the Black Panthers, is abused, becomes a drug addict, contemplates suicide, and in then end (*SPOILER ALERT! skip this part if you don't want to know!) she dies of an unspecified virus.

Figure #2: (Screen shot from the film, Forrest Gump). After serving valiantly in the Vietnam War, Forrest strikes it rich in his new shrimping company and never has to worry about money again.

Figure #3: (Screen shot from the film Forrest Gump). Jenny finds herself lost and depressed as she becomes more involved in the counterculture movement.

Daniel Herbert, a professor of media culture at the University of Michigan observed, "While both Forrest and Jenny experience many of the most notable historical events of the era, Jenny's anti-conformist lifestyle is made to look very unappealing" [4]. And I would add that in the meantime, Forrest's life of willing obedience is made to look very appealing, and he becomes a heroic figure, worthy of emulation. The audience gets the hint: conform and you will be happy, or don't conform and your life will be thrown into disarray. 

Conservatives also embraced Forrest Gump because of the way in which radical liberalists were portrayed in the film. 

Figure #4: (clip from the film, Forrest Gump). The film depicts the Black Panther radicals as rude, aggressive, and closed minded.

The only glimpses we get of the counterculture movement in this film involve violence, abuse and drugs, and the liberalists are made to appear either exclusive and extremist or too stoned to even know what they want. For instance, when Forrest is reunited with Jenny after his stint at an anti-war rally, they spend the evening walking around the hippy campgrounds, and everyone around them is visibly under the influence of drugs. When they enter a Black Panther meeting area, extremists, who have an arguably just cause, greet Forrest, who is wearing his military uniform, with startling hostility and coldness. By the time the uncomfortable scene ends, the audience is left with a very low impression of this activist group. This less than favorable representation of the counterculture movement did not go unnoticed by the conservative population. During the 1994 congressional elections, Forrest Gump's representation of the counterculture was used as an example by many conservative campaigners to show how radical liberalism was harming America. House Republican leader Newt Gingrich argued that the film reaffirmed that the counterculture "destroys human beings and basic values" [5], and he is reported to have accused his opponent, Bill Clinton, of supporting the heinous actions of the counterculture [6] that were represented in the film. That year, the congressional elections put Republicans at the majority in the U.S. House of Representatives for the first time in forty years [7], and Forrest Gump was, in a way, the fuel to their uniting cry for change. 

However, despite all the attention the film has gotten for its politics, it is important to understand that the author of the story, Winston Groom, did not intend Forrest Gump's story to hold any secret political message. In fact, the idea that Gump would become such an icon for conservative values was unexpected, and frankly, offensive. When asked how he felt about his story being transformed to a political reflection, Winston Groom said angrily, "It almost seems as though today, in America, we are moving toward an obsession with putting a political cast on every major event...But of all the idiotic balderdash I've come across, to make poor old Forrest Gump a political football wins the prize in meanness and posturing as far as I'm concerned. I know what I wrote, why I wrote it, and if anybody doesn't like it, come see me and I'll set you straight"[8]. Groom intended the story to be nothing more than a stirring story of a man who proves you don't need to be intelligent or popular or wealthy to be a good person. Through hard work, luck, and genuine loyalty, Forrest became all of those things, but that didn't change who he was; and that is the important message.

There are convincing arguments to support the claim that Forrest Gump promotes conservative values, and whether these arguments have merit or not, I think they are insignificant. More important than the film's supposed subversive conservative opinions is the film's message of love and loyalty. In a world of judgment, hypocrisy and broken promises, we need more Forrest Gumps. Who cares, really, if he's conservative or liberal - and let's be honest, he probably doesn't even have the IQ to know that for himself. But despite his low IQ, he has taught America more about love than any other movie character I can think of. And that's all I have to say about that.

Figure #5: (Image from quickmeme.com). Forrest Gump tells a story that's simpler and more meaningful than sneaky political pitches: it is a story of love and loyalty.