The actor who played Lt Dan, Gary Sinise, after his sensitive portrayal of a paraplegic wounded in combat, went on to become an advocate for our wounded warriors, starting the Gary Sinise Foundation. Since 2011, he has raised neary 1/3 of a billion dollars for wounded veterans, first responders, and their families.
My friend and old roommate's neighbor... when he was a kid. Can't remember the city but a suburb of Chicago. What a true American!! OK, Have to edit. Looked him up.. born on March 17th, one year to the day after my older brother, Jim. On St. Patrick's Day. My Brother's middle name is Patrick.
Forrest viewed people through the lens of how his mom treated him. Jenny viewed people through the lens of how her dad treated her. It definitely demonstrates how powerful being a good parent can be. Such an important job and responsibility.
I don't care how many thumbs ups the other comments get. That comment is the most powerful statement on this comment section and such a valuable lesson a parent can learn. As a dad of 3 little girls, thank you for that God sent advice. I'll always remember this.
This comment, talk about hitting the nail on the head and maybe my favorite comment made about this movie. Jenny was not perfect no one person is(with the exception of Forrest)she deserves compassion and understanding, I truly believe having Little Forrest gave her not just a push to change, to realize she was the victim, but the purpose to get help, love herself, and let herself be loved.
Love this movie as pure entertainment, but I think the best thing to come out of it is that it inspired Gary Sinise (a.k.a. Lieutenant Dan) to start getting really involved with helping veterans, ultimately founding the Gary Sinise Foundation. They do so much great work, including building smart homes for those who have lost limbs on the battle field, just to help make their lives a bit easier. I'm proud to have donated to that organization. God bless.
Gary Sinise also wrote a book "From Self to Service". He still visits Army Hospitals, raises money for handicapped accessible housing for vets, etc. To say it changed his life is a huge understatement, but he's changed uncountless lives for the best...
That is who we donate to. He also entertains the troops with the Lt. Dan Band, and has done many USO Tours . He giv3s so much of himself to them. All b3cause of one little movie.
THANK YOU! This movie portrayed 31 Dec 1971 as the night Forrest and Lt. Dan were in Times Square partying . In real life my two buddies and I, all paratroopers (members of the 82nd Airborne Division) were there. We had a blast watching the ball drop. The next day I climbed inside the Statue of Liberty, realizing what a special right is was to be an American. Now I am 71 years old. I take care of my 31 year old severely autistic son, the joy of my life. Thanks again for your post.
Fun Fact, the kid that plays Forest Gump, Michael Conner Humphreys, he grew up in the deep south, graduated from college in Alabama, joined the army, went to war, then became a world class marathon runner... like the character he played. And Tom Hanks based HIS accent on Michael's.
Jenny was an abused child, she was traumatized and she ran away away from everything, that’s how she dealt with her pain. It’s why her advice to Forrest to run was so ironic. I’m always surprised at how many people who react to this movie don’t see this, her suffering. I also think the virus she had was AIDS, she had done drugs with needles. This is my absolute favorite movie … it’s perfect and beautiful.
It's always easy, and only natural, to hate on Jenny. But yeah, she was a deeply troubled addict who always ran away...ironically the same advice she'd given Forrest. He was the one good, true, constant thing in her life, which she never felt worthy of. We should all be so lucky to have a Forrest in our lives and not run away from him.
This. I think the film tries to show the terrible impact of childhood trauma and abuse like her character experienced. Child abuse sends lots of people down difficult paths as adults. I always saw that as the root of her behaviors.
The scene in Jenny's college, when she exposed her top to Forrest and he messed his trousers. What do you suppose went through Jenny's head then? Maybe something along the lines of; "Well Jenny, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, does it? Forrest is so innocent, and here I am taking advantage of him sexually. I'm just like my daddy. Well I have to protect Forrest. Run Jenny Run!"
Not only was Jenny's learned behavior to run away when things were difficult or uncomfortable, she also gravitated toward sleazebag addicts who treated her poorly and abused her, i.e. people like her father. And you're right about her not feeling worthy of Forrest's love. She basically says so when she agrees that Forrest would make a good husband but, when he asks why she won't marry him, Jenny says, "You don't want to marry me." It wasn't until she had a child that she understood what real, unconditional love is for the first time and that allowed her to finally accept and feel worthy of Forrest's love.
Love the friendship between Forrest and Lt. Dan. I think the reason Lt. Dan kept seeking out Forrest is that Forrest never treated Dan differently. He acknowledged Dan's disability, but his behavior towards Dan never changed. He never averted his gaze, or offered false hope. Lt. Dan was simply his friend. And that's all Forrest had to say about that.
I think he sought him out, because he had to live with this disability every minute of every day. And he wanted Forrest to see what it was like. What he had done to him. Turned him into.
The last look Dan gives Forest before the wedding, a look that says, "Thank you, buddy." Always brings a lump to my throat. Gary Sinese is EXCELLENT in this film.
A lot of people walked away from this movie hating Jenny, but she is misunderstood. Abused physically and sexually as a child, she is damaged. She tells Forrest to run because that's all she knows, trying to run away from her trauma. For me this movie is about running.....are you going to choose to run towards life, or away from it. Fantastic film and excellent review.
Excellent! I was looking for a comment like this! From the beginning Jenny tells him to run away. Running is so different for each of them. Jenny doesn't commit to him because she sees him as a pure soul and sees herself as almost unlovable or damaged. She thought he couldn't understand.
It was how she was written I got what they where going for but the way she was written into the scenes made it seem like she didn't really care for Forrest and was self centered what would've really helped is more scenes of her struggling to be a good person even though she was dealing with such trauma.
I came here to say this. Childhood trauma would have completely destroyed Jenny's ideas of what healthy love and healthy relationships would have looked like. Jenny is not a bad girl she is just damaged because of others actions.
Exactly! People seem to ignore Jenny's past and make assumptions about her. What they don't know is that Jenny was physically and sexually abused at 5-years old, which forever damaged her innocence and sent her down a path of dating abusive men instead of sweet men, like Forrest. Whenever she runs away from Forrest, whenever she rejects Forrest's help when she gets harrassed or assaulted, and when she didn't write back to Forrest when he was in Vietnam, all because she feels like she doesn't deserve love or help. On the outside, she looks like a completely messed-up, abused, drug-addict. But on the inside, she's still a sweet, young woman who didn't deserve to be abused in the first place and needed some hope and redemption.
The kid is not his son, she lied about it because she is a manipulative whore. Even if it was his son, why didn't she contact him? Horrible thing to do. She was ultimately a bad person.
Me too, she's one of the great tragic characters in modern art as far as I'm concerned. I often associate that line from The Perks of Being a Wallflower with Jenny also.
It really amazes me how people can't see why she did what she did. She was so damaged by her childhood she didn't think she deserved to be loved by Forrest.
I was a contemporary of Forrest. I went to Vietnam and was wounded and lost my best friend. The movie hit me hard the first time I saw it and the sound track was the hammer that drove the nail home for me. But the film was more important than what it meant to me. It was a statement of hope where there should be none. A poor soul like Forrest could do wonders if he just knew what wonders needed doing. There is that hidden nobility in all of us if we can just tap it. What a noble world it would be.
Very true. It’s there you see that he does understand that he’s not smart. He seems like he’s clueless sometimes, but he understands enough about himself.
It's the most moving line in the entire movie. I've always wondered if it was written to be that emotional or if Tom Hanks just interpreted it that way.
When I was a child, I did not understand Jenny at all. But, rewatching it as an adult, I think it's a good representation of what childhood incest and rape will do to a person's growth. Jenny ran away from everything, didn't understand the concept of love, and drowned her sorrows with any vice she could get her hands on. Some people never get over it, while others learn to move forward with time. Unfortunately, Jenny found her reason for living a bit too late.
It can also destroy a person's self-esteem and self-worth. I think a major reason for Jenny never staying with Forrest (until the end) is that she doesn't believe she's worthy of him or his love, because he's good (and has value) and she believes she doesn't (have value), largely because of all of her trauma.
She’s still responsible for being a terrible loose woman who uses people. Yeah yah.. many of us come from troubled backgrounds but at some point (around 18) it’s time to take personal responsibility. You can’t hide behind your pain as an excuse for using and hurting others. Emotions and bias change… you can choose to view it from ONE side, but principles don’t change. She did bad things - that makes her a bad person. Forrest and her own son have to pay the ultimate price. Bleeding heart histrionics who want to play victim choose only to see her side - that’s compassionate - but the wise person doesn’t absolve her in any way. Pull it together people.
Jenny's, "you don't know what love is" was a warning not an admonition. From Jenny's perspective love was hurt and pain and violence. She was telling Forest that the warm fuzzies that he thought was all of love... was just just tip of a world breaking iceberg. She was terrified that if she let that love take root, the pain wouldn't be far behind, and it took becoming a mother, and her finding a pure love for her to see that she was the one that was wrong.
If it was a male version of Jenny in this movie and forest was a woman u know good and damn well the sympathy in the comments wouldn't be the same ...instead he would be called a jerk , playboy , scumbag ECT....stop with the double standards. ....even if he had a troubled childhood ...
When Jenny says: "Forrest, you don`t know what love is.", she actually means: "If you knew what love was, you could never love me!" It`s not that she thinks of him as less, she herself doesn`t feel worthy of Forrest. She comes into his life and runs out of it because he is such an important part of her life and the only good and innocent thing that had ever happened to her. She loves him dearly and is convinced that she would destroy all the good in him if she would marry him. Just like Forrest, she is very unselfish. But unlike Forrest, she is a very troubled soul.
Love is unconditional. It’s not a choice. It just is. For the brief moments it flairs up is the purest expression in the soul. Whether or not you act on it is your choice.
She’s still responsible for being a terrible loose woman who uses people. Yeah yah.. many of us come from troubled backgrounds but at some point (around 18) it’s time to take personal responsibility. You can’t hide behind your pain as an excuse for using and hurting others. Emotions and bias change… you can choose to view it from ONE side, but principles don’t change. She did bad things - that makes her a bad person. Forrest and her own son have to pay the ultimate price. Bleeding heart histrionics who want to play victim choose only to see her side - that’s compassionate - but the wise person doesn’t absolve her in any way. Pull it together people.
@@datacipher She gave Forest the gift of love and friendship when others were against him. In the end, she gave him the ultimate gift - LIFE in the form of a precious child. Erase her from his life and what do you get? A lonely Forest. She tried to survive and did nothing horrible. You say she manipulated others. I saw how the world manipulated and abused HER. The relationship between her and Forest was the only pure thing both of them had in their lives.
He hated Jen-nay, but she had him ugly crying. I noticed it came when Forrest learned he was a father. That speaks to how much being a father defines him. Amber you are absolutely gorgeous inside and out, and that beautiful man sitting next to you, compliments you wonderfully. Make somebody else smile today, I always smile while watching your reactions, and I watch them EVERYDAY.
What Rob is missing is Jennys childhood and how it affected her. THAT was her story in this movie. How it took her having a child to move somewhat past that in her life. You may need to have been abused or be close to someone that has in order to really understand.
Jenny was so clearly destroyed by the abuse she suffered at the hands of her father. Back then it wasn't openly discussed or well understood. Jenny didn't know what real love was or how to receive it much less give it in return. She spent her life running away from the pain or seeking a feeling that might drown it out. Forrest always had pure unselfish love for her, but again she didn't know how to properly receive or return it. He was her port in a storm but at some point the storm always blew her away. Everything that she had been through and done made her feel unworthy of his love. But he made her a mother, and that pure unconditional love helped her work through some things and heal. Great movie. I too wish she had married him before she got sick.
@@TheRealSubourbonMermaid Thanks! Jenny is one of my all-time favorite realistically flawed characters, but I'm glad she got a redemption aec at the end. Great movie!
Give all the excuses you want for Jenny but you can’t give a good excuse for her keeping Lil forest away from forest for 5 years. Only a selfish evil person would do something like that and only tell him finally after learning she would probably be dead soon, most likely bc of her rampant drug use.
My favorite line from Forrest Gump is when Forrest says "Sometimes, I guess there just aren't enough rocks"! To me that symbolizes Jenny's life. She had such a horrible childhood and because of that her adulthood was compromised and she made a lot of bad decisions. At that moment of her life she truly wanted to rid herself of the trauma and her way of doing that was to try to damage the one place that she hated most and where that trauma came from, but not matter how many rocks she threw it was still there. Which is why I absolutely love that they showed the scene of Forrest getting rid of the house once and for all. It showed that he truly loved her and even after she died he was trying to rid her of the pain and suffering that she endured throughout her life! Man I love this movie!!!!!
A lot of people that experience prolonged periods of trauma often have a hard time settling down and the only truly safe times in their lives was when they fled from that trauma. It creates a feedback loop of returning to the source of the trauma as it is what they feel it is what they deserve only to flee again when it gets too much. When they do find a safe place, they don't feel they deserve it and leave,
@@williamswiniuch7527 You should!!! I think we all would want to see what she went through so we can realize that she was never a bad person. She was a person that was treated badly.
Watching it more times you can see that the reason that Jenny kept running from him and turning him down wasn’t because she didn’t love him. It was because she didn’t think she deserved him and his love because he was such a good person. Her childhood with her father just spiraled. “I was messed up for a long time”
It wasn't him she needed to accept. It was herself. It's not cool what she put Forrest through, but she obviously never took any pleasure in it and thought she was protecting him by ghosting him over and over. the complexity of the character is well written. You can care about someone deeply, and fail them over and over again. Hurt people hurt people. Life is messy.
She’s still responsible for being a terrible loose woman who uses people. Yeah yah.. many of us come from troubled backgrounds but at some point (around 18) it’s time to take personal responsibility. You can’t hide behind your pain as an excuse for using and hurting others. Emotions and bias change… you can choose to view it from ONE side, but principles don’t change. She did bad things - that makes her a bad person. Forrest and her own son have to pay the ultimate price. Bleeding heart histrionics who want to play victim choose only to see her side - that’s compassionate - but the wise person doesn’t absolve her in any way. Pull it together people.
@thialhoinj1971yep… she was a chronic user of people. Good heart deep down? Perhaps, but she also made horrific choices and Forrest and her own son now pay the price. Disgusting woman.
Trauma does funny things to people. Jenny kept rebounding to Forrest, because he truly did love her, and she recognized that, but because of her trauma, she felt like she didn’t deserve it. She was perhaps projecting when she said, “You don’t know what love is, Forrest.” It may also be true that she was intimating the subtext, “You have no idea what it is or what it takes to love someone like me. You wouldn’t want that. I’m damaged, irreparably broken even, and I wouldn’t wish you to be subjected to that.”
I also feel like due to her trauma Jenny had a very warped view of love. She couldn't see that what Forest gave to her, simply caring and being there for her, is true love.
Nah she wanted to sleep around with chads, once chads no longer wanted her because she was aging and losing her value she wanted a beta to settle down. A tale as old as time.
@@nukiesduke6868 So you're saying that a war hero, college football player, a multi-millionaire is a beta male? Man, you are not very bright are you? If this man is a beta male, what does that make you??
The bit when he asks if his son is smart always gets me too its the first time you realise that Forrest is self aware which just makes it so sad but beautiful
What would even get me is even if Jenny said he is a lot like Forrest that he would still be proud of his son, because Forrest was so accomplished in his life.
An important thing to remember about Lt Dan is that from the moment he met Forrest back in Vietnam, as soon as he realised Forrest had a learning disability, he never referred to it again. That means he never made fun of him, never teased him; he just accepted Forrest for the person he was.
Well he kind of did when they meet up for the first time after the military hospital. It was more giving him crap for showing his ass to the president but i thought moron and imbecile were genuine (shifting into derogatory) terms for people with mental disabilities around that time. That's not to diminish his respect towards Forest throughout the rest of the movie though...that was obviously just when he was in his worst headspace.
@@billie_vanilli - Dan lost his legs, and spent a lot of time angry at the world, lashing out at everyone and everything around him. Forrest was probably the only one patient enough to let it all go, and remain at Dan's side through the whole thing. Once he made his peace with it, Dan became a new man and realized just how important Forrest had been in his life. It wasn't Forrest managing that shrimp company. Heck, Forrest wasn't even managing his own money. It was Dan behind the scenes running the show, and making sure that Forrest was set for life.
@@Mr.Ekshin Those are great points. I mean Lt. Dan has always been my favorite character in the movie but you just gave me a bit more to think about (namely the care he took in thinking he should help Forrest in managing the money). Yeah I definitely wasn't bringing that up to put any sort of slight on Dan, just making a bit of a counterpoint to the notion that he never said anything of Forrest's impairments. I just think it's kind of noteworthy the one time that he did, as it contrasts with the rest of his behavior and highlights the lowest point we see him at. Just to emphasize, the story makes it immediately clear how considerate he is. The moment Forrest and Bubba respond to his "Are you twins?" joke with total seriousness he realizes what's going on (anyone interested further on that subject should look into "Project 100,000", otherwise known as "McNamara's Morons") and immediately moves into giving them clear instructions.
Forest, unlike many "full-function" adults, did what I have seen mentally challenged people do time and time again: his very best. He doesn't whine. He doesn't use any deficiencies as excuses. He never belittles others. He just does his best. I shared my mentally challenged brother's life for 39 years. It was NOT easy, but learning to accept him, and later others, and eventually even myself, as-is has made my life so much better than it could have been otherwise. May God bless each person who reads this, and may you find the best in those around you, and in yourself.
The scene where Forrest meets his son is pure genius. Throughout the movie we see Forrest doing silly stuff because he's not smart enough to know better. But in this scene we finally see that Forrest actually KNOWS that he's disadvantaged because of his intellect, and doesn't want his son to have to go through what he did.
The cgi was pretty groundbreaking at the time. Adding forest into all those historical shots, the ping pong, lt Dans legs being removed and all that was flawless and was something unseen before this movie.
I remember thinking that Lt Dan really had no legs. That's how good the FX were. It was my first time seeing Gary Sinise, so I thought he was really crippled and they pretended he had legs in the beginning. I never knew that type of CGI was possible, and it still holds up today.
This film makes the case for the best use of CGI, sure there are the impressive shots of Lt. Dan, and Forest in the historical moments. but there is almost never a scene that doesn't have some CGI enhancement. Sky Replacement the crowd in Washington DC, most of the CGI goes completely unnoticed and simply exists to serve the movie bringing the viewer Into this world. It was a revolutionary movie
The reason this film is so good is the acting is amazing... At no point does the facade fall away and Tom Hanks did an exceptional job creating and maintaining this fictional character.
@@dgmaffi The screen writing of the film from an average at best book is quite exceptional. They took everything that worked in the book and ignored the stuff that didn't.
The best story arc is definitely Lt. Dan. I didn’t realize the importance of the ethnicity of his wife until I rewatched this movie as an adult. He was able to forgive and let go of the hate that used to be in his heart and then quite literally became “whole” again.
What did he fcking forgive. Your country attacked the Vietnamese not other way around. Omfg the audacity and ignorance of you 🤡🤡if anything she should be the one to forgive and every sane Vietnamese would spit in your face
The way he says "I miss you Jenny" under the tree at the end of the movie makes me cry every single time. It's such incredible acting. Tom Hanks as Forrest is in my personal top 5 favorite performances from any actor/actress of all time
Every single time! Even if it's just playing on TV and I happen to catch the last 5 minutes of the movie...if I see that part, I'm a bucket of tears...every time 😫
Children who suffer abuse grow into adults dealing with such abuse. Jenny's character is such a reminder of this. So many emotions and connections in this movie. Stands the test of time over and over again. Love wins.
Jennie's coping mechanism, was to run... just like she would tell Forrest to do. Given her broken family and such abuse she endured, it shifted her view of what love is... "You don't love me Forrest" makes perfect sense, as her perception of love, always had some form of abuse to it. She identified abuse as love, and Forrest never abused her, so how could he possibly love her? When she began to feel "true love" (not her past experience of what was), it scared the heck out of her, and despite is being the "love she needed" she wasn't in a place to accept it, it scared her, and she ran, just like she always had. IT was probably once she had Little Forrest, that she really could understand what love was, and how she needed to re-frame her perception of love. Which she was able to do, and really share with Forrest and little Forrest. Unfortunate it took as long as it did, but it just showed Forrest's character and love for her that she finally was able to accept. Such a tragedy and such a great portrail of emotions and an ending that was sad yet hopeful.
Jenny was conditioned to be abused by her father and she always ran away from Forrest because his kindness was foreign to her and she had to work through her emotional journey to finally realize that she deserved to be loved. It takes time to heal all those wounds she suffered throughout her childhood. Forrest just waited and continued to do what he knew best.....LOVE HER. Forrest is the embodiment of The Golden Rule. If we all could be just 10% like him, the world would be a much better place to live in.
Yeah, I feel like a lot of people don’t realize that forces love is unconditional, unlike all of the other relationships in Jen-ney‘s life. That’s what makes it so beautiful and needed for her. He doesn’t love her because she does some thing right or looks a certain way, he just loves her.
@@Soy_boi i dont think anyone denies that or doesn’t see that. In fact i think everyone’s problem with that is the complete opposite. That on Jenny’s side, she knew Forrest loved her the way you’re describing and she took advantage of that, she did only “love” Forrest because he did everything right which only proves one true Life fact. That only women children and pets are loved unconditionally. Men are only loved With the stipulation that they provide something.
Forrest's appearance on TV was on the Dick Cavett show. The other guest was John Lennon. The back-and-forth dialogue they had on that segment were actually the lyrics John Lennon used in his song "Imagine" which I believe you reacted to on your music channel.
My perspective is Jenny was protecting Forrest. She knew she was a mess and didn't want to drag him down. She needed to sort things out before she committed to him.
Jenny's whole way of dealing with problems of any sort is to run. That's why she tells Forrest any time he's in trouble to run. Because that's all she knows to do. And Forrest is guided by straight up loyalty and love. He couldn't ever abandon Jenny for anything she did because he loved her unconditionally. He loved Lt. Dan even when Dan freaking HATED him. LOL.
Jay’s eye rolls every time Jenny left were the much needed humorous breaks between all the sentimental scenes. Great movie, great reaction. I’d forgotten how impactful this movie was.
Can I just say, you too are such good and genuine people. In a crowded and noisy world, your good hearts and kindness are like a daily glass of cool water. Thank you for sticking to who you are and creating top shelf content. Love you guys ❤️😎👍🏼 Also, I’m not crying, you’re crying! 🥲😂
Yes, these two are becoming fully realized humans. Self aware and critical thinking adults are in short supply. They are feeling the love so many of us send to them via their reaction videos. Crying, who's crying?
Jay’s reaction at 49 mins 😂😂😂😂 Amazing. I’ve seen this film 30 times. Watched it at the cinema when it was first released back in 1994! I cry every single time. One of my all time favourites!!!
Jenny is doing exactly what she told Forrest to do. She's running. She's constantly running away. She grew up wanting to run away. She grew up with a twisted abusive view on love. She doesn't know what it's like to be loved. Every time her love for Forrest draws her back in, his love for her makes her nervous and she runs again. Eventually she figures it out. But by the time she figures it out she doesn't think she's worthy of Forrest, so she leaves to spare him her chaos. But in the end she gets sick, and finally realizes that none of her shit matters, and Forrest had it right all along.
Great summation. People are often really harsh on her character like they forget entirely what she went through as a child. That kind of stuff would really mess a lot of us up so badly.
Not that I saw any comments in here like that. But I have seen a lot over the years that just lack any empathy or understanding whatsoever and just call her nasty names. She's a complex character dealing with severe trauma, not a monster.
I always thought that part of the reason she kept leaving was because she was trying to protect Forrest. She knew what her trauma had done to her and her life. She kept coming back because Forrest was the one good thing in her life. The one thing she could always count on. She kept leaving because she didn't want the chaos of her life to destroy Forrest. She was afraid that if she stayed with him her trauma would wreck his life and bring him down to her level, or what she felt her level was. She always wanted the best for him, and she felt that it wasn't her. She wasn't good enough for him and that innocence he had.
You can really tell a generation by the reaction when Forrest gets his letters back. I’ve seen some people get confused and say “awe she wrote him back” lmao….. or really who you were raised by just a funny small detail….
Can't believe y'all didn't recognize Jenny as Buttercup from The Princess Bride. Jenny's problem was that after her rough childhood, her solution to every bad situation was to run, just like she told Forrest to do when he was young. She couldn't handle the intensity of Forrest's love, so she ran. And she was looking for something to fill the void in her life, so she was always running to try and find something superficial to fill that void.
I didn't cry when I saw Titanic. To this day I have not cried watching Saving Private Ryan. But, Tom Hanks' monologue over Jenny's grave is one of the greatest tearjerking moments in the history of Hollywood cinema. It got me too as a kid. Great reaction guys! 👍🏿
Agreed. When I saw Forrest Gump for the first time I cried like a baby at the same scene...Jenny's grave. I recall that I wasn't the only one though. Many of us were still sobbing coming out of the theater. 😪
“Who was that guy?” “I don’t know” Abbie Hoffman. He was an activist. “Who was this broadcaster?” Dick Cavett. The talk show that Forrest appears on was his show. When you see Cavett, that is not achieve footage of himself from his show. He actually filmed his part for the movie, and they green screened himself and Hanks within the actual footage of the 1971 episode where Cavett interviewed John and Yoko.
So much came out of this movie. The actor who played Lt Dan (Gary Sinise) actually was so moved by acting as a paraplegic war vet that he opened the Gary Sinise Foundation to help vets and those in need!
Just the fact that Jenny traveled the country trying to see the sights, and in the end it ends up being Forrest who tells her of the beauty of nature that she's spent her life searching for makes me want to cry every time
Someone told me that this ambivalent feeling people have towards Jenny represents how people with tough childhood struggle when building relationships as adults and I think this is pretty accurate. it's unbelievably sweet when Forrest says "you're my girl" - those folks also struggle with believing someone can love them. You can see Forrest and Jenny happy together, you see her happy too, but then, it's heartbreaking when she leaves him again and again, you think "she doesn't deserve his love" - that's how those people think, they think they don't deserve to be loved, their happiness is too unreal for them to believe in it. As for me, the definite proof that this theory is right is that there is always heated debate about Jenny when talking about this movie. Awesome writing.
It is really about being the best you can be despite all the sad things that happen. If you want to turn it into an allegory, Forrest is the human spirit and baby Forrest is hope that it carries on. All the other characters were every day triumphs and tragedies occurring as historic events cropped up.
As someone born in 1951, this movie is like an anthology of my life. Lately, because of a situation in my life, I have very much been reflecting on all the many episodes of my journey. There were a lot of thing in the movie that need to be explained to you, I hope many in the comments answer your questions.
34:02 I traveled like this for about 4 years and while some times it was bad, it was overall the best time of my life. It wasn't easy but I discovered myself and had such great life experiences. I hitchhiked, lived in a van, traveled for work, hopped trains, it was definitely an experience.
The scene with John Lennon had far more historical significance than either of you noticed. You missed the fact that they basically were saying the lyrics to the Lennon song "Imagine" Love the reactions ✌️
@@cheryljackson5659 I came here to say both of those things after seeing the clip. They missed the fact that Forrest basically inspired Lennon to write "Imagine" on the Dick Cavett show. There are lots of historical tid-bits like this in the movie that might be lost on younger people. I think being old enough to remember Vietnam (just barely) and the Black Panthers and Nixon and all the rest (or at least being well versed in the history of it) makes the movie more impactful.
This is such an awesome movie. Jenny's life was tragic from the beginning. There was no one to talk to in those days about abuse. She carried that throughout her life and felt unworthy. That's why she couldn't stick around for Forrest. She felt he was too good for her and she didn't deserve him. I cried along with you guys. So happy ya finally reacted to this one. ❤️
That’s true back in those day there’s there’s there’s no way to report that kind of abuse people had to suffer in silence and not know what to do and that’s what Rick led to the drugs and the craziness because you know I was in a group therapy wants and the therapist said she was a psychiatrist psychologist for 17 years she says One of the worst things that can happen when a person gets raped or abused a female or male whatever and you can’t really talk to other people that I haven’t had the same abuse about it that’s why these days you go to a group like a rape group and talk to other people about it pack them they didn’t have any of that because people will say to a person that has been raped or abused “just get over it” Because they don’t have the time or patience to listen to it they don’t understand because they haven’t been through the abuse that’s why you go to a group of people that have had similar experiences back then there was absolutely nothing like that and even today if you go to group of similar people it’s still never leaves your mind it stays in your mind forever and it’s very difficult to deal with
@@nocturnalwolf7559 Forrest went to her college to see her. She didn't ask him. Forrest went to see her when he saw her in the magazine. He went to Washington and she was already there. The only time she went to see him was the part where he was mowing his lawn. Afterwards, she sent him a letter to come to see her and it was to introduce him to his child.
Jay and Amber your reaction was fantastic. Seeing Jay being emotional with his wife was, in itself, a pure and wonderful thing. You both totally _got_ this film. Jay also caught the hypocrisy of Jenny's 'you don't know what love is, Forrest', when it was her childhood that stopped her knowing what love is ... until Forrest showed her. Great movie. Great reaction.
She knew what love was, she just never believed she deserved it because of her childhood, so she was trying to let Forrest down easily without having to explain it to him.
This is Tom Hanks' greatest performance and he won his second lead actor Academy Award for this film. This is actually my all time favorite movie. Thank you so much for reacting to this. The music in this is fantastic as well and I had the soundtrack and I saw "Forrest Gump" twice in the theater and it was a great experience. You should react to more Tom Hanks movies ("The Green Mile", "Apollo 13", "Big" and ""Sleepless In Seattle" with Meg Ryan just to name a few). You guys opened a huge rabbit hole here.
It always gets me when Forrest asks if his son is smart, because he's not actually asking if he smart he's asking if he's going to suffer like he has suffered. The relief on his face when she answers and he knows his son won't have to endure the things he had to is powerful.
*People miss that Jenny spent her life protecting Forrest from herself. She knew she was damaged, and refused to expose Forrest to that. She literally waited until she was dying to finally reach out, and only then to protect Forrest Jr. People think she used or manipulated him. Never happened. She never led him on or took a dime, and you KNOW she could have. She only contacted him twice:* 1. When she got clean and needed a place to heal. 2. Upon realizing she was dying. *Anyone saying otherwise literally paid no attention AT ALL.*
That's an excellent observation. Looking at it from that perspective I realized that her party-girl life and Forrest's running were the same feelings released in different ways.
one could argue that she went to forrest only AFTER she knew she was dying so that he and his enormous wealth could take care of them. The kid might not actually be his lol. She got around.
@@GameOgreDonkey Wow. Misogynist much? Given how devoted he was to her, if she was after his money, she could have married him long before and taken him for half of it 6 months later.
Best movie ever made, IMO. Amber, your husband is the bomb. He doesn't miss a beat. When he made the comment about the birds at the end. Dang. Love watching movies with you guys. Love how you smile with your eyes when something is so sweet, Amber. Happy Mother's Day.
Watch Lt Dan's facial expression when he meets Jenny for the first time. He gives her a stare down like he wants to say something to her about her treatment of Forrest. But he pushes it down and his expression softens once he sees how happy Forrest is. It's grade A acting by Gary Sinise to show just how protective and caring Lt Dan is of Forrest.
Dan lost his legs, and spent a lot of time angry at the world, lashing out at everyone and everything around him. Forrest was probably the only one in Dan's life that was patient enough to let it all go, and remain at his side through all of it. Once he made his peace with his disability, Dan became a new man and realized just how important Forrest had been in his life. Remember... it wasn't Forrest managing that shrimp company. Heck, Forrest wasn't even managing his own money. It was Dan behind the scenes running the show, investing the profits, and making sure that Forrest was set for life.
People hated on Jenny for years...not taking into account that in those days, she didn't receive any kind of therapy for what her father did to her and her sisters. You never even know what happened to all of her sisters. There's a whole known progression of most childhood SA incest/molestation in girls. You usually have 3 main paths. But it's a very long conversation of severe mental illness, drug abuse, health issues, and extremely rare cases of girls who came out of it well. She made perfect sense. Especially for the 50's, 60's, 70's, and the early 80's.
Still angry at MoviesinDepth for his insensitive dickhead comments at Jenny about her situation. So tired of the bullshit hate Jenny gets it's ridiculous. I've never been in Jenny's shoes, but I have sympathy and compassion for her and anyone who actually has been through that because her case is real for alot of people. And the Jenny bashing pisses me off to no end.
If Jenny was a guy she be a rapist. Imagine if she was the slow one, and didn't even know what sex was, and a not mentally ill forest had sex with her. That scene alone was cringy af.
@@mikeyj7824Forest's IQ is low, not so low that he can't consent to sex. I can only think of a single case where someone's IQ was low enough that a judge ordered them not to have sex, and that was in the UK and nearly half of Forest's IQ
I do think its important to understand how Jennie's abuse affected her behaviour. But I also think its fine to criticise her actions because she didn't really treat Forrest the best, not that she had to be with him but doing things like having sex with him then running away without telling him isn't really respecting his feelings. I think its best to view both sides of it.
I saw this movie in theaters and I was not prepared for it. Every possible emotion and feeling I had this movie brought out. I was laughing then welling up inside with hope, then tearing up the next. Truly one of the best movies ever made. Sometimes I wish I could erase a movie I’ve watched so I could watch it again for the first time.
Jenny told Forrest he didn't know what love was, truth is she didn't. From the sexual and physical abuse, she suffered as a child, to living in places that scared her. She ran trying to find a safe place. I have watched this movie dozens of times and Jenny's death is so emotional, it never gets easier to watch. Next to Forrest she is my favorite character.
Another movie you might like is "Mr. Holland's Opus" starring Richard Dreyfuss. Events also take place over several decades of a man's life (but not from conception) and there's a great soundtrack marking the passage of the years. It's not "Forest Gump" but I think you might have a similar reaction.
The longest and best reaction I've had the pleasure to be part of. I've lost track of how many times I've watched this movie and yet, thanks to to ya'll, I was immersed with all of the emotions from my initial watching. I cried with you, laughed with you, got mad with you, was inspired with you, and bopped along to the sound track with you. Thank you so much for taking your time with it. Have been a long time subscriber to your music channel so, very proud of you for your musical knowledge and appreciation. Keep up the good work. Take care.
Hey Rod Squad, I was 32 years old when I saw Forrest Gump. Thirty years later I continue to have the same reaction whenever I see it. Appreciate that people still get emotional and empathize with the character. I enjoy your channel immensely. Big fan.....
He made so much impact on so many peoples lives from his heart. I'm also happy that Gary Sinese is such a big supporter of the The Wounded Warrior project. So many military veterans and active duty military have not been given the support and respect they deserve.Sgt.Dan learned he could still have a happy, positive life.
Iraq vet here, I cannot imagine Vietnam at all and they have my 100% respect but I get Lt. Dan. Also, you two are the cutest damn couple and this video was exactly what i needed tonight!! Thank-you both!
I've always thought when the Army recruiter asks him "Have you thought about your future?" Forrest's response of "Thought?" really explains the entire premise of his movie. The normal focus would have been on "future" for most people. Forrest just does the right thing because it's the right thing without considering any consequences for himself, good or bad.
Basically, what you’re saying is Forrest lives in the moment and remembers the past. Forrest is basically a loyal dog who gives unconditional love in human form. He’s literally man’s best friend.
I think the mixture of Jenny realizing her own mortality along with genuinely loving her son made her realize how she really wanted to spend the rest of her life
She knew that she had to find Forrest Jr. a good home since her time was limited. And she was still working as a waitress when Forrest came to visit her but that sooner or later she wouldn't be able to support herself and little Forrest much longer.
Your reaction to this film was incredible. Often people will lie about not having seen a film and put on some fake reaction for views, but we can all see your reaction is genuine, to this incredible film. Jay and Amber, you're amazing. Love watching you guys.
Sorry I can only like this once. One of the most PERFECT movies ever made. I'm 52 and still tear up watching this great movie! Absolutely enjoyed your reaction!!
funfact: what Forrest said during his speech about Vietnam at the protest was "Sometimes when people go to Vietnam, they go home to their mommas without any legs. Sometimes they don't go home at all. That's a bad thing. That's all I have to say about that." this movie always makes me cry, especially at the end.
Wow! That perfectly seems like what Forrest would say! How do you know this? And... Why did they not leave that in the movie? Was it suppose to be in it... and some how end up on the cutting room floor?
In every U.S. theater when this was released there were standing ovations from the movie audiences. I will never forget that moment. Just like old songs.....the best movies have already been written and seen. Another masterpiece from the past.
Had to pause and comment when you said you don't like Jenny anymore. She was like that because of the emotional trauma she suffered from the abuse by her father. Actually a very good representation of the damage that type of abuse does to a child
Amber's reaction to the loss of Bubba at 27:29 is an absolute show of raw emotion and compassion. Never have i seen such an honest movie reaction such as the one displayed her by Rob and Jay. I am a permanent subscriber from now on. Great job guys. Keep it up ( i also love your music reaction videos too)
You are right about that! What an incredible job he did with this role. So good, in fact, that after seeing it, it's hard to believe he's not REALLY Forrest Gump. There are only a handful of performances that make me identify an actor so strongly with their role.
The story of forest and Jenny is showing what love is when it's unconditional. Forest saw Jenny for the beautiful angel he always believed her to be. Thing is he is so pure part he didn't understand all the anguish you would want to use of abuse from her father and neglect from her grandmother. Then when she tried to escape everything she just emotionally kept looking for the same kind of abuse. Happens to too many when they start believing that they're meant to be treated that way. And even though she deep down loved for us and wanted what the offered she never believed herself worthy so she always pushed him away in the end of the film of course he gets the chance to love her and take care of her like he always would have through their entire life if he had the opportunity. And they have a beautiful little boy to cherish that love
I honestly love the Jenny storyline more than anything else in this movie. The way that childhood physical and, more importantly, sexual abuse has on a person throughout their life is so important. Especially in the 60s/70s, when people weren’t openly talking about their trauma and weren’t getting any psychological help for it. I felt for her character so much.
A lot of people still don't open up about those things unfortunately. Especially men, it's seen as weak, and men are supposed to be strong in societies eyes.
Watched this film so many times but still left here with tears running down my face. A pain in my heart. I just wish we could all live with this amount of love and understanding for people. Tell someone you love them as you never know when they or you will be gone .
The 1990s was absolutely the greatest decade for films. From Forrest Gump to Shawshank Redemption to about a hundred others, I am so grateful I grew up during this generation. Thanks for sharing yet another amazing film.
It's always great to see some one watch these classic movies for the first time like Jay but it's just as great to see someone like Amber rewatch movies as a parent. The scene's with his son hit so much harder when you have kids of your own.
It is, in fact, a gem of a movie. I couldn’t help but notice your reaction to the violent nature of the Vietnam battle scenes. The special affects were superb. If done correctly, your reaction is what the filmmakers are trying to achieve. I believe they hit their mark.
I’ve seen this many so many times I could probably re-write half the script from memory, and I, as a vet, as a dude who does “macho” stuff. Every single time, without fail, the scene where little Forrest is introduced, and Jenny’s passing where Forrest is talking about their child, breaks me down. Every time. I know what’s coming, I know the lines, I know what tone it’s said in, but every single time, the tears start welling up, my throat gets tight and on comes the stream of tears. No other movie can I think of that invokes that feeling for me. It’s the only one where the moment it starts, my immediate thought is, “not this time” and by the end of it I’m thumbing the tears away.
I hear ya Tex! There are a few movies that give me that same reaction and coincidentally, they're all Tom Hanks movies! LOL. The ending of Apollo 13 and Saving Private Ryan, the scene when Wade dies always gets me!
Thanks for reacting to this one. Great movie! Jay, Jenny obviously had a rough childhood but it wasn't just tough breaks after that. Her behavior followed the same pattern of her abusive childhood. She kept putting herself in abusive situations and learned substance abuse from her father. She always told Forrest to "RUN" because that was how she dealt with things in her life. Forrest ran but never from his problems. Also, Jenny didn't actually try to show up in Forrest's life until the end probably because she didn't think she deserved Forrest. All the other encounters with each other, other than their childhood, were by chance. So she was on her path and never really strayed from it. If you look at it from that perspective, even though she would have been better off with Forrest, she wasn't really toying with him on purpose. Just my opinion, of course. You guys are awesome! I love your music reactions also!
You are absolutely right on about everything you said. She was following the pattern that was established in her childhood, as probably most of us do to one extent or another.
My favorite movie of all. I identify with Jenny. I had the same things happen to me when young before getting it together. I was given 3 years to live in 1991 while in the navy for the same disease Jenny died from. Chronic hep C. I'm still here after it eventually went into remission after experimental treatment, thankfully, and think of Forrest and Jenny often.
Jay, your reaction to this was PRICELESS!!!! I loved watching you two watch this so much! “But you ain’t got no legs, Lieutenant Dan” Gets Me. Every. Time. 😂
You brought a genuine tear to my eye. People say reaction videos a fake or corny, but I love seeing people enjoy movies I love. And if you are faking it, you both deserve Oscars
![FORREST GUMP (1994) [REACTION] MADE US WANT TO BE BETTER PEOPLE! First Time Watching](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/YP9PGQIt-n8/mqdefault.jpg)
The actor who played Lt Dan, Gary Sinise, after his sensitive portrayal of a paraplegic wounded in combat, went on to become an advocate for our wounded warriors, starting the Gary Sinise Foundation. Since 2011, he has raised neary 1/3 of a billion dollars for wounded veterans, first responders, and their families.
My friend and old roommate's neighbor... when he was a kid. Can't remember the city but a suburb of Chicago. What a true American!! OK, Have to edit. Looked him up.. born on March 17th, one year to the day after my older brother, Jim. On St. Patrick's Day. My Brother's middle name is Patrick.
Gary Sinise is one of the best Americans I've ever seen in my life. He's very humble and genuine. A true patriot.
ruclips.net/video/K7nCYnFsBqs/видео.html
He also plays in a band called “The Lt. Dan Band” which is AWESOME! 🤘😎 🤘
@@frankthespank woah coolio ykwis
Forrest viewed people through the lens of how his mom treated him. Jenny viewed people through the lens of how her dad treated her.
It definitely demonstrates how powerful being a good parent can be. Such an important job and responsibility.
And how it affects on your childs life and future.
I don't care how many thumbs ups the other comments get. That comment is the most powerful statement on this comment section and such a valuable lesson a parent can learn. As a dad of 3 little girls, thank you for that God sent advice. I'll always remember this.
This comment, talk about hitting the nail on the head and maybe my favorite comment made about this movie. Jenny was not perfect no one person is(with the exception of Forrest)she deserves compassion and understanding, I truly believe having Little Forrest gave her not just a push to change, to realize she was the victim, but the purpose to get help, love herself, and let herself be loved.
Absolutely right
I've watched several reviews on Forrest Gump and for some reason nobody gets what "virus" Jenny has. HIV
Love this movie as pure entertainment, but I think the best thing to come out of it is that it inspired Gary Sinise (a.k.a. Lieutenant Dan) to start getting really involved with helping veterans, ultimately founding the Gary Sinise Foundation. They do so much great work, including building smart homes for those who have lost limbs on the battle field, just to help make their lives a bit easier. I'm proud to have donated to that organization. God bless.
Gary Sinise also wrote a book "From Self to Service". He still visits Army Hospitals, raises money for handicapped accessible housing for vets, etc. To say it changed his life is a huge understatement, but he's changed uncountless lives for the best...
Gary Sinise is one of those few rare souls that turned into an absolute gem for helping our veterans.
I agree on the Gary Sinise helping veterans part.
War is the anti christ of LOVE
That is who we donate to. He also entertains the troops with the Lt. Dan Band, and has done many USO Tours . He giv3s so much of himself to them. All b3cause of one little movie.
THANK YOU! This movie portrayed 31 Dec 1971 as the night Forrest and Lt. Dan were in Times Square partying . In real life my two buddies and I, all paratroopers (members of the 82nd Airborne Division) were there. We had a blast watching the ball drop. The next day I climbed inside the Statue of Liberty, realizing what a special right is was to be an American. Now I am 71 years old. I take care of my 31 year old severely autistic son, the joy of my life. Thanks again for your post.
You are a great American!
@@michaeldavidfigures9842 thank you
Thanks for your service and way to go Dad!!!!
Thank you for your service
Fun Fact, the kid that plays Forest Gump, Michael Conner Humphreys, he grew up in the deep south, graduated from college in Alabama, joined the army, went to war, then became a world class marathon runner... like the character he played.
And Tom Hanks based HIS accent on Michael's.
Wow! 😮
This is one of my favorite fun stories about the making of the movie. And listening to Tom Hanks tell it is awesome.
He sure did a great Elvis.
Jenny was an abused child, she was traumatized and she ran away away from everything, that’s how she dealt with her pain. It’s why her advice to Forrest to run was so ironic. I’m always surprised at how many people who react to this movie don’t see this, her suffering. I also think the virus she had was AIDS, she had done drugs with needles.
This is my absolute favorite movie … it’s perfect and beautiful.
Movie tip if you love this one.
“The World According to Garp”
@teresas8173
Wrong, dumbass. It was hepatitis C.
Yes exactly. Plus she knew how pure Forrest was, she didn’t think she was good enough for him. She saw herself as damaged.
In the movie it was supposed to be HIV/AIDS, but in the book it was Hep. C. You can contract both from dirty needles.
I always belived she had hepatitis C it was around same time frame and similar symptoms as she had
It's always easy, and only natural, to hate on Jenny. But yeah, she was a deeply troubled addict who always ran away...ironically the same advice she'd given Forrest. He was the one good, true, constant thing in her life, which she never felt worthy of. We should all be so lucky to have a Forrest in our lives and not run away from him.
This. I think the film tries to show the terrible impact of childhood trauma and abuse like her character experienced. Child abuse sends lots of people down difficult paths as adults. I always saw that as the root of her behaviors.
The scene in Jenny's college, when she exposed her top to Forrest and he messed his trousers. What do you suppose went through Jenny's head then? Maybe something along the lines of; "Well Jenny, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, does it? Forrest is so innocent, and here I am taking advantage of him sexually. I'm just like my daddy. Well I have to protect Forrest. Run Jenny Run!"
I never hated on her, always felt sorry for her
Not only was Jenny's learned behavior to run away when things were difficult or uncomfortable, she also gravitated toward sleazebag addicts who treated her poorly and abused her, i.e. people like her father. And you're right about her not feeling worthy of Forrest's love. She basically says so when she agrees that Forrest would make a good husband but, when he asks why she won't marry him, Jenny says, "You don't want to marry me." It wasn't until she had a child that she understood what real, unconditional love is for the first time and that allowed her to finally accept and feel worthy of Forrest's love.
Yeah but at what age does does that turn from a reason into an excuse?
My favorite quote also comes from this movie. “There’s only so much fortune a man truly NEEDS. The rest; is just for showing off.”
Love the friendship between Forrest and Lt. Dan. I think the reason Lt. Dan kept seeking out Forrest is that Forrest never treated Dan differently. He acknowledged Dan's disability, but his behavior towards Dan never changed. He never averted his gaze, or offered false hope. Lt. Dan was simply his friend. And that's all Forrest had to say about that.
I think he sought him out, because he had to live with this disability every minute of every day. And he wanted Forrest to see what it was like. What he had done to him. Turned him into.
@@robbob5302 Forrest lived with HIS disability every day. Even longer than Lt. Dan, and he still prosprered.
@@dr.burtgummerfan439
True that.
Took Dan a long time to see it that way.
The last look Dan gives Forest before the wedding, a look that says, "Thank you, buddy." Always brings a lump to my throat. Gary Sinese is EXCELLENT in this film.
"You're still Lt. Dan."
A lot of people walked away from this movie hating Jenny, but she is misunderstood. Abused physically and sexually as a child, she is damaged. She tells Forrest to run because that's all she knows, trying to run away from her trauma.
For me this movie is about running.....are you going to choose to run towards life, or away from it.
Fantastic film and excellent review.
Excellent! I was looking for a comment like this! From the beginning Jenny tells him to run away. Running is so different for each of them. Jenny doesn't commit to him because she sees him as a pure soul and sees herself as almost unlovable or damaged. She thought he couldn't understand.
Exactly my heart breaks for both her and Forrest but I’m happy they had a little happiness together 😢
It was how she was written I got what they where going for but the way she was written into the scenes made it seem like she didn't really care for Forrest and was self centered what would've really helped is more scenes of her struggling to be a good person even though she was dealing with such trauma.
I came here to say this. Childhood trauma would have completely destroyed Jenny's ideas of what healthy love and healthy relationships would have looked like. Jenny is not a bad girl she is just damaged because of others actions.
Exactly! People seem to ignore Jenny's past and make assumptions about her. What they don't know is that Jenny was physically and sexually abused at 5-years old, which forever damaged her innocence and sent her down a path of dating abusive men instead of sweet men, like Forrest. Whenever she runs away from Forrest, whenever she rejects Forrest's help when she gets harrassed or assaulted, and when she didn't write back to Forrest when he was in Vietnam, all because she feels like she doesn't deserve love or help.
On the outside, she looks like a completely messed-up, abused, drug-addict. But on the inside, she's still a sweet, young woman who didn't deserve to be abused in the first place and needed some hope and redemption.
"we accept the love we think we deserve" that totally applies to Jenny. I love her character so much.
The kid is not his son, she lied about it because she is a manipulative whore. Even if it was his son, why didn't she contact him? Horrible thing to do. She was ultimately a bad person.
Me too, she's one of the great tragic characters in modern art as far as I'm concerned. I often associate that line from The Perks of Being a Wallflower with Jenny also.
Movie tip if you love this one.
“The World According to Garp”
Robin Williams first movie
It really amazes me how people can't see why she did what she did. She was so damaged by her childhood she didn't think she deserved to be loved by Forrest.
I was a contemporary of Forrest. I went to Vietnam and was wounded and lost my best friend. The movie hit me hard the first time I saw it and the sound track was the hammer that drove the nail home for me. But the film was more important than what it meant to me. It was a statement of hope where there should be none. A poor soul like Forrest could do wonders if he just knew what wonders needed doing. There is that hidden nobility in all of us if we can just tap it. What a noble world it would be.
My husband was also in Vietnam
I tried my best not to cry during this reaction, but that "Is he smart?" scene breaks me every time. Hanks's acting in that moment is masterful.
Very true. It’s there you see that he does understand that he’s not smart. He seems like he’s clueless sometimes, but he understands enough about himself.
I mean, the last 30 mins of the movie are a long cry
It's the most moving line in the entire movie. I've always wondered if it was written to be that emotional or if Tom Hanks just interpreted it that way.
You're not the only one.
Yep. That scene gets me every time!
When I was a child, I did not understand Jenny at all. But, rewatching it as an adult, I think it's a good representation of what childhood incest and rape will do to a person's growth. Jenny ran away from everything, didn't understand the concept of love, and drowned her sorrows with any vice she could get her hands on. Some people never get over it, while others learn to move forward with time. Unfortunately, Jenny found her reason for living a bit too late.
Check out
The world according to Garp
With Robin Williams
It can also destroy a person's self-esteem and self-worth. I think a major reason for Jenny never staying with Forrest (until the end) is that she doesn't believe she's worthy of him or his love, because he's good (and has value) and she believes she doesn't (have value), largely because of all of her trauma.
@@ulthanos Exactly what I thought.
She’s still responsible for being a terrible loose woman who uses people. Yeah yah.. many of us come from troubled backgrounds but at some point (around 18) it’s time to take personal responsibility. You can’t hide behind your pain as an excuse for using and hurting others. Emotions and bias change… you can choose to view it from ONE side, but principles don’t change. She did bad things - that makes her a bad person. Forrest and her own son have to pay the ultimate price. Bleeding heart histrionics who want to play victim choose only to see her side - that’s compassionate - but the wise person doesn’t absolve her in any way. Pull it together people.
Jenny's, "you don't know what love is" was a warning not an admonition. From Jenny's perspective love was hurt and pain and violence. She was telling Forest that the warm fuzzies that he thought was all of love... was just just tip of a world breaking iceberg.
She was terrified that if she let that love take root, the pain wouldn't be far behind, and it took becoming a mother, and her finding a pure love for her to see that she was the one that was wrong.
Beautifully said.
If it was a male version of Jenny in this movie and forest was a woman u know good and damn well the sympathy in the comments wouldn't be the same ...instead he would be called a jerk , playboy , scumbag ECT....stop with the double standards. ....even if he had a troubled childhood ...
@@rashadwalker8218 show me on this doll, where the internet hurt you.
@@Rated314 Funny guy
@@Rated314 LOL!
When Jenny says: "Forrest, you don`t know what love is.", she actually means: "If you knew what love was, you could never love me!"
It`s not that she thinks of him as less, she herself doesn`t feel worthy of Forrest.
She comes into his life and runs out of it because he is such an important part of her life and the only good and innocent thing that had ever happened to her. She loves him dearly and is convinced that she would destroy all the good in him if she would marry him.
Just like Forrest, she is very unselfish. But unlike Forrest, she is a very troubled soul.
You got the point. Based on her behavior she doesn't love HERSELF most of all and basically keeps fleeing from herself.
Love is unconditional. It’s not a choice. It just is. For the brief moments it flairs up is the purest expression in the soul. Whether or not you act on it is your choice.
Forrest run from physical problems, Jenny Run from her mental problems... they are two sides of the same coin.
She’s still responsible for being a terrible loose woman who uses people. Yeah yah.. many of us come from troubled backgrounds but at some point (around 18) it’s time to take personal responsibility. You can’t hide behind your pain as an excuse for using and hurting others. Emotions and bias change… you can choose to view it from ONE side, but principles don’t change. She did bad things - that makes her a bad person. Forrest and her own son have to pay the ultimate price. Bleeding heart histrionics who want to play victim choose only to see her side - that’s compassionate - but the wise person doesn’t absolve her in any way. Pull it together people.
@@datacipher
She gave Forest the gift of love and friendship when others were against him. In the end, she gave him the ultimate gift - LIFE in the form of a precious child. Erase her from his life and what do you get? A lonely Forest.
She tried to survive and did nothing horrible.
You say she manipulated others. I saw how the world manipulated and abused HER. The relationship between her and Forest was the only pure thing both of them had in their lives.
He hated Jen-nay, but she had him ugly crying. I noticed it came when Forrest learned he was a father. That speaks to how much being a father defines him. Amber you are absolutely gorgeous inside and out, and that beautiful man sitting next to you, compliments you wonderfully. Make somebody else smile today, I always smile while watching your reactions, and I watch them EVERYDAY.
Thanks John we love you!
What Rob is missing is Jennys childhood and how it affected her. THAT was her story in this movie. How it took her having a child to move somewhat past that in her life. You may need to have been abused or be close to someone that has in order to really understand.
Ditto guys
@@red90rover98they literally mentioned it multiple times how her childhood affected her. He just doesn’t like Jenny. I don’t either
Jenny was so clearly destroyed by the abuse she suffered at the hands of her father. Back then it wasn't openly discussed or well understood. Jenny didn't know what real love was or how to receive it much less give it in return. She spent her life running away from the pain or seeking a feeling that might drown it out. Forrest always had pure unselfish love for her, but again she didn't know how to properly receive or return it. He was her port in a storm but at some point the storm always blew her away. Everything that she had been through and done made her feel unworthy of his love. But he made her a mother, and that pure unconditional love helped her work through some things and heal. Great movie. I too wish she had married him before she got sick.
So well put, Wendy! Couldn't agree more.
@@TheRealSubourbonMermaid
Thanks! Jenny is one of my all-time favorite realistically flawed characters, but I'm glad she got a redemption aec at the end. Great movie!
They did get married.
@@janafidler-wiggers1674 I think Wendy meant it would have been even better if Forrest and Jenny had married sooner than they did. 🙂
Give all the excuses you want for Jenny but you can’t give a good excuse for her keeping Lil forest away from forest for 5 years. Only a selfish evil person would do something like that and only tell him finally after learning she would probably be dead soon, most likely bc of her rampant drug use.
My favorite line from Forrest Gump is when Forrest says "Sometimes, I guess there just aren't enough rocks"! To me that symbolizes Jenny's life. She had such a horrible childhood and because of that her adulthood was compromised and she made a lot of bad decisions. At that moment of her life she truly wanted to rid herself of the trauma and her way of doing that was to try to damage the one place that she hated most and where that trauma came from, but not matter how many rocks she threw it was still there. Which is why I absolutely love that they showed the scene of Forrest getting rid of the house once and for all. It showed that he truly loved her and even after she died he was trying to rid her of the pain and suffering that she endured throughout her life! Man I love this movie!!!!!
I’ve always wanted to write a movie from Jenny’s pov
I was going to say the same. That is my favorite.
I agree. It was a great line that summed up her life.
A lot of people that experience prolonged periods of trauma often have a hard time settling down and the only truly safe times in their lives was when they fled from that trauma. It creates a feedback loop of returning to the source of the trauma as it is what they feel it is what they deserve only to flee again when it gets too much. When they do find a safe place, they don't feel they deserve it and leave,
@@williamswiniuch7527 You should!!! I think we all would want to see what she went through so we can realize that she was never a bad person. She was a person that was treated badly.
Watching it more times you can see that the reason that Jenny kept running from him and turning him down wasn’t because she didn’t love him. It was because she didn’t think she deserved him and his love because he was such a good person. Her childhood with her father just spiraled. “I was messed up for a long time”
It wasn't him she needed to accept. It was herself. It's not cool what she put Forrest through, but she obviously never took any pleasure in it and thought she was protecting him by ghosting him over and over. the complexity of the character is well written. You can care about someone deeply, and fail them over and over again. Hurt people hurt people. Life is messy.
She’s still responsible for being a terrible loose woman who uses people. Yeah yah.. many of us come from troubled backgrounds but at some point (around 18) it’s time to take personal responsibility. You can’t hide behind your pain as an excuse for using and hurting others. Emotions and bias change… you can choose to view it from ONE side, but principles don’t change. She did bad things - that makes her a bad person. Forrest and her own son have to pay the ultimate price. Bleeding heart histrionics who want to play victim choose only to see her side - that’s compassionate - but the wise person doesn’t absolve her in any way. Pull it together people.
@thialhoinj1971yep… she was a chronic user of people. Good heart deep down? Perhaps, but she also made horrific choices and Forrest and her own son now pay the price. Disgusting woman.
can we safely say that this is one of the best movies ever made?
Right after district 9
@@icykickflip get out.
@@icykickflip "Fkn Prawns"...or Shrimp...
Trauma does funny things to people. Jenny kept rebounding to Forrest, because he truly did love her, and she recognized that, but because of her trauma, she felt like she didn’t deserve it. She was perhaps projecting when she said, “You don’t know what love is, Forrest.” It may also be true that she was intimating the subtext, “You have no idea what it is or what it takes to love someone like me. You wouldn’t want that. I’m damaged, irreparably broken even, and I wouldn’t wish you to be subjected to that.”
I also feel like due to her trauma Jenny had a very warped view of love. She couldn't see that what Forest gave to her, simply caring and being there for her, is true love.
Well said!!!
Nah she wanted to sleep around with chads, once chads no longer wanted her because she was aging and losing her value she wanted a beta to settle down. A tale as old as time.
@@nukiesduke6868 sounds like you’re projecting.
@@nukiesduke6868 So you're saying that a war hero, college football player, a multi-millionaire is a beta male? Man, you are not very bright are you? If this man is a beta male, what does that make you??
The bit when he asks if his son is smart always gets me too its the first time you realise that Forrest is self aware which just makes it so sad but beautiful
I shed manly tears everytime at that moment in the movie.
I used to sit through the whole movie just for that moment
What would even get me is even if Jenny said he is a lot like Forrest that he would still be proud of his son, because Forrest was so accomplished in his life.
That line is the only line in any movie that makes me want to bawl my eyes out. He’s so worried his son endured what he did and then he’s so proud
Absolutely. I had been a fan of Tom Hanks since Big, but that scene cemented him as my favorite actor.
The knowledge you two have of what today is called classic rock, what is pretty cool. Being 66 years old, this music is just Rock and roll to me😊
An important thing to remember about Lt Dan is that from the moment he met Forrest back in Vietnam, as soon as he realised Forrest had a learning disability, he never referred to it again. That means he never made fun of him, never teased him; he just accepted Forrest for the person he was.
Well he kind of did when they meet up for the first time after the military hospital. It was more giving him crap for showing his ass to the president but i thought moron and imbecile were genuine (shifting into derogatory) terms for people with mental disabilities around that time.
That's not to diminish his respect towards Forest throughout the rest of the movie though...that was obviously just when he was in his worst headspace.
@@billie_vanilli Agreed, however he was also very quick to defend Forrest too.
@@billie_vanilli - Dan lost his legs, and spent a lot of time angry at the world, lashing out at everyone and everything around him. Forrest was probably the only one patient enough to let it all go, and remain at Dan's side through the whole thing.
Once he made his peace with it, Dan became a new man and realized just how important Forrest had been in his life. It wasn't Forrest managing that shrimp company. Heck, Forrest wasn't even managing his own money. It was Dan behind the scenes running the show, and making sure that Forrest was set for life.
@@Mr.Ekshin Those are great points. I mean Lt. Dan has always been my favorite character in the movie but you just gave me a bit more to think about (namely the care he took in thinking he should help Forrest in managing the money).
Yeah I definitely wasn't bringing that up to put any sort of slight on Dan, just making a bit of a counterpoint to the notion that he never said anything of Forrest's impairments. I just think it's kind of noteworthy the one time that he did, as it contrasts with the rest of his behavior and highlights the lowest point we see him at.
Just to emphasize, the story makes it immediately clear how considerate he is. The moment Forrest and Bubba respond to his "Are you twins?" joke with total seriousness he realizes what's going on (anyone interested further on that subject should look into "Project 100,000", otherwise known as "McNamara's Morons") and immediately moves into giving them clear instructions.
Forest, unlike many "full-function" adults, did what I have seen mentally challenged people do time and time again: his very best.
He doesn't whine.
He doesn't use any deficiencies as excuses.
He never belittles others.
He just does his best.
I shared my mentally challenged brother's life for 39 years. It was NOT easy, but learning to accept him, and later others, and eventually even myself, as-is has made my life so much better than it could have been otherwise.
May God bless each person who reads this, and may you find the best in those around you, and in yourself.
The scene where Forrest meets his son is pure genius. Throughout the movie we see Forrest doing silly stuff because he's not smart enough to know better. But in this scene we finally see that Forrest actually KNOWS that he's disadvantaged because of his intellect, and doesn't want his son to have to go through what he did.
...and one day that son would grow up to see dead people (aka Sixth Sense) 😂
The cgi was pretty groundbreaking at the time. Adding forest into all those historical shots, the ping pong, lt Dans legs being removed and all that was flawless and was something unseen before this movie.
jurassic park the year before then this. ILM was going nuts!
The technology Robert Zemeckis used to put Forrest in historical scenes was also used in the former Back to the Future ride.
I remember thinking that Lt Dan really had no legs. That's how good the FX were. It was my first time seeing Gary Sinise, so I thought he was really crippled and they pretended he had legs in the beginning. I never knew that type of CGI was possible, and it still holds up today.
This film makes the case for the best use of CGI, sure there are the impressive shots of Lt. Dan, and Forest in the historical moments. but there is almost never a scene that doesn't have some CGI enhancement. Sky Replacement the crowd in Washington DC, most of the CGI goes completely unnoticed and simply exists to serve the movie bringing the viewer Into this world. It was a revolutionary movie
Amber deep empathy for Forrest is SUCH a wonderful thing ❤️❤️❤️🥰
The reason this film is so good is the acting is amazing... At no point does the facade fall away and Tom Hanks did an exceptional job creating and maintaining this fictional character.
I agree with the acting, but it would be a a shame to dismiss the writing.
Tom Hanks crafted Forest's speaking patterns after the kid who played young Forest
@@unhwildfan1 which makes his acting all the more impressive don't you think?
All of Hanks's lines are simplistic. Nothing deep or poetic about them.
But his delivery can make you die laughing or rip your heart out.
@@dgmaffi The screen writing of the film from an average at best book is quite exceptional. They took everything that worked in the book and ignored the stuff that didn't.
The best story arc is definitely Lt. Dan. I didn’t realize the importance of the ethnicity of his wife until I rewatched this movie as an adult. He was able to forgive and let go of the hate that used to be in his heart and then quite literally became “whole” again.
Wow. As many times as I have seen this movie, that never occurred to me. Amazing.
Yep!
@@treemarie213100
As many times that I’ve watched this also. Never occurred to me either.
What did he fcking forgive. Your country attacked the Vietnamese not other way around. Omfg the audacity and ignorance of you 🤡🤡if anything she should be the one to forgive and every sane Vietnamese would spit in your face
Yes! Healing personified in his wife.
The way he says "I miss you Jenny" under the tree at the end of the movie makes me cry every single time. It's such incredible acting. Tom Hanks as Forrest is in my personal top 5 favorite performances from any actor/actress of all time
Every single time! Even if it's just playing on TV and I happen to catch the last 5 minutes of the movie...if I see that part, I'm a bucket of tears...every time 😫
He's like 5 of my top 10--this, Green Mile, Castaway, Big, and Saving Private Ryan.
@@AuthorLaurenGregory he was on a hell of a run for about a 15 year period
Top 5 for sure. Right up there with Jack Nicholson (spelling?) in One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest and Marlon Brando in The Godfather.
Really interesting to see how much this movie touched a young generation who did not live through this era of our history.
Children who suffer abuse grow into adults dealing with such abuse. Jenny's character is such a reminder of this. So many emotions and connections in this movie. Stands the test of time over and over again. Love wins.
Jennie's coping mechanism, was to run... just like she would tell Forrest to do. Given her broken family and such abuse she endured, it shifted her view of what love is... "You don't love me Forrest" makes perfect sense, as her perception of love, always had some form of abuse to it. She identified abuse as love, and Forrest never abused her, so how could he possibly love her? When she began to feel "true love" (not her past experience of what was), it scared the heck out of her, and despite is being the "love she needed" she wasn't in a place to accept it, it scared her, and she ran, just like she always had. IT was probably once she had Little Forrest, that she really could understand what love was, and how she needed to re-frame her perception of love. Which she was able to do, and really share with Forrest and little Forrest. Unfortunate it took as long as it did, but it just showed Forrest's character and love for her that she finally was able to accept.
Such a tragedy and such a great portrail of emotions and an ending that was sad yet hopeful.
Jenny was conditioned to be abused by her father and she always ran away from Forrest because his kindness was foreign to her and she had to work through her emotional journey to finally realize that she deserved to be loved. It takes time to heal all those wounds she suffered throughout her childhood. Forrest just waited and continued to do what he knew best.....LOVE HER. Forrest is the embodiment of The Golden Rule. If we all could be just 10% like him, the world would be a much better place to live in.
Movie tip if you love this one.
“The World According to Garp”
The only thing jenny realized was that she had AIDS and no other choice.
Yeah, I feel like a lot of people don’t realize that forces love is unconditional, unlike all of the other relationships in Jen-ney‘s life. That’s what makes it so beautiful and needed for her. He doesn’t love her because she does some thing right or looks a certain way, he just loves her.
@@Soy_boi i dont think anyone denies that or doesn’t see that. In fact i think everyone’s problem with that is the complete opposite. That on Jenny’s side, she knew Forrest loved her the way you’re describing and she took advantage of that, she did only “love” Forrest because he did everything right which only proves one true Life fact. That only women children and pets are loved unconditionally. Men are only loved With the stipulation that they provide something.
Forrest's appearance on TV was on the Dick Cavett show. The other guest was John Lennon. The back-and-forth dialogue they had on that segment were actually the lyrics John Lennon used in his song "Imagine" which I believe you reacted to on your music channel.
My perspective is Jenny was protecting Forrest. She knew she was a mess and didn't want to drag him down. She needed to sort things out before she committed to him.
Jenny's whole way of dealing with problems of any sort is to run. That's why she tells Forrest any time he's in trouble to run. Because that's all she knows to do. And Forrest is guided by straight up loyalty and love. He couldn't ever abandon Jenny for anything she did because he loved her unconditionally. He loved Lt. Dan even when Dan freaking HATED him. LOL.
Jay’s eye rolls every time Jenny left were the much needed humorous breaks between all the sentimental scenes. Great movie, great reaction. I’d forgotten how impactful this movie was.
Can I just say, you too are such good and genuine people. In a crowded and noisy world, your good hearts and kindness are like a daily glass of cool water. Thank you for sticking to who you are and creating top shelf content. Love you guys ❤️😎👍🏼
Also, I’m not crying, you’re crying! 🥲😂
Well said.
@@tanisraistlin4934 totally agree Tanis
Yes, these two are becoming fully realized humans. Self aware and critical thinking adults are in short supply. They are feeling the love so many of us send to them via their reaction videos. Crying, who's crying?
Jay’s reaction at 49 mins 😂😂😂😂 Amazing. I’ve seen this film 30 times. Watched it at the cinema when it was first released back in 1994! I cry every single time. One of my all time favourites!!!
Jenny is doing exactly what she told Forrest to do. She's running.
She's constantly running away. She grew up wanting to run away.
She grew up with a twisted abusive view on love.
She doesn't know what it's like to be loved.
Every time her love for Forrest draws her back in, his love for her makes her nervous and she runs again.
Eventually she figures it out.
But by the time she figures it out she doesn't think she's worthy of Forrest, so she leaves to spare him her chaos.
But in the end she gets sick, and finally realizes that none of her shit matters, and Forrest had it right all along.
Great summation. People are often really harsh on her character like they forget entirely what she went through as a child. That kind of stuff would really mess a lot of us up so badly.
Not that I saw any comments in here like that. But I have seen a lot over the years that just lack any empathy or understanding whatsoever and just call her nasty names. She's a complex character dealing with severe trauma, not a monster.
I always thought that part of the reason she kept leaving was because she was trying to protect Forrest. She knew what her trauma had done to her and her life. She kept coming back because Forrest was the one good thing in her life. The one thing she could always count on. She kept leaving because she didn't want the chaos of her life to destroy Forrest. She was afraid that if she stayed with him her trauma would wreck his life and bring him down to her level, or what she felt her level was. She always wanted the best for him, and she felt that it wasn't her. She wasn't good enough for him and that innocence he had.
She belongs too the street
27:07 Every man who's ever seen this movie has cried at Bubba's death scene. That scene STILL hits hard 28 years later.
I didn't.
I can understand the part with Bubba I am a Viet Nam vet . I felt that we were all brothers regardless of skin color, or nationalities
@@luisnavarro9307 Thank you for your service. 🙏🏿
Even Jay is tearing up. So much depth in that movie. Jenny felt she didn’t deserve the love Forest had for her.
I think Jay has a soft heart.
You can really tell a generation by the reaction when Forrest gets his letters back. I’ve seen some people get confused and say “awe she wrote him back” lmao….. or really who you were raised by just a funny small detail….
Can't believe y'all didn't recognize Jenny as Buttercup from The Princess Bride. Jenny's problem was that after her rough childhood, her solution to every bad situation was to run, just like she told Forrest to do when he was young. She couldn't handle the intensity of Forrest's love, so she ran. And she was looking for something to fill the void in her life, so she was always running to try and find something superficial to fill that void.
Actually I don't recognize her either. I know it's her, but try as I might to see Buttercup when I look at Jenny I just can't bring that up.
@@NavvyMom Jenny is Buttercup on a booze- and drug-induced bender.
I didn't cry when I saw Titanic. To this day I have not cried watching Saving Private Ryan. But, Tom Hanks' monologue over Jenny's grave is one of the greatest tearjerking moments in the history of Hollywood cinema. It got me too as a kid. Great reaction guys! 👍🏿
You are so right about that!
Agreed. When I saw Forrest Gump for the first time I cried like a baby at the same scene...Jenny's grave. I recall that I wasn't the only one though. Many of us were still sobbing coming out of the theater. 😪
The mama part in Saving Private Ryan is soul crushing but that's in context with being a vet.
@@frankieb9444 yes, the hardest parts of Saving Private Ryan is all of the soldiers crying for their mothers as they die.
Forrest was such a pure soul. This movie... 😫. I cry every time I watch it. Tom Hanks is one of the greatest actors to ever do it. Genius.
Movie tip if you love this one.
“The World According to Garp”
Robin Williams first movie
“Who was that guy?”
“I don’t know”
Abbie Hoffman. He was an activist.
“Who was this broadcaster?”
Dick Cavett. The talk show that Forrest appears on was his show. When you see Cavett, that is not achieve footage of himself from his show. He actually filmed his part for the movie, and they green screened himself and Hanks within the actual footage of the 1971 episode where Cavett interviewed John and Yoko.
So much came out of this movie. The actor who played Lt Dan (Gary Sinise) actually was so moved by acting as a paraplegic war vet that he opened the Gary Sinise Foundation to help vets and those in need!
Just the fact that Jenny traveled the country trying to see the sights, and in the end it ends up being Forrest who tells her of the beauty of nature that she's spent her life searching for makes me want to cry every time
Someone told me that this ambivalent feeling people have towards Jenny represents how people with tough childhood struggle when building relationships as adults and I think this is pretty accurate. it's unbelievably sweet when Forrest says "you're my girl" - those folks also struggle with believing someone can love them. You can see Forrest and Jenny happy together, you see her happy too, but then, it's heartbreaking when she leaves him again and again, you think "she doesn't deserve his love" - that's how those people think, they think they don't deserve to be loved, their happiness is too unreal for them to believe in it. As for me, the definite proof that this theory is right is that there is always heated debate about Jenny when talking about this movie. Awesome writing.
Very well put
Well said. I think you're absolutely right.
Jenny thinks she doesn’t deserve Forrest’s love, and that’s heartbreaking.
Most evil movie villain of all time.
I never saw forrest love for as being romantic love, but love for a family member
Don't you love how Forrest taught Elvis his moves?! I love that part so much!!
TCB!⚡👑2023
I don't know anyone who can watch this movie and not be moved to tears throughout. This movie stands the test of time.
It is really about being the best you can be despite all the sad things that happen. If you want to turn it into an allegory, Forrest is the human spirit and baby Forrest is hope that it carries on. All the other characters were every day triumphs and tragedies occurring as historic events cropped up.
As someone born in 1951, this movie is like an anthology of my life. Lately, because of a situation in my life, I have very much been reflecting on all the many episodes of my journey. There were a lot of thing in the movie that need to be explained to you, I hope many in the comments answer your questions.
That scene with Bubba when he is about to die, always gets me. I sob through the rest of the movie.
34:02 I traveled like this for about 4 years and while some times it was bad, it was overall the best time of my life. It wasn't easy but I discovered myself and had such great life experiences. I hitchhiked, lived in a van, traveled for work, hopped trains, it was definitely an experience.
The scene with John Lennon had far more historical significance than either of you noticed. You missed the fact that they basically were saying the lyrics to the Lennon song "Imagine"
Love the reactions ✌️
And the interviewer was Dick Cavett who had a popular TV show during the 70s, I believe.
@@cheryljackson5659 I came here to say both of those things after seeing the clip. They missed the fact that Forrest basically inspired Lennon to write "Imagine" on the Dick Cavett show. There are lots of historical tid-bits like this in the movie that might be lost on younger people. I think being old enough to remember Vietnam (just barely) and the Black Panthers and Nixon and all the rest (or at least being well versed in the history of it) makes the movie more impactful.
@@alangil40 They also didn't appear to know the name of the President that awarded Forrest the medal of honor, Lyndon B Johnson.
This is such an awesome movie. Jenny's life was tragic from the beginning. There was no one to talk to in those days about abuse. She carried that throughout her life and felt unworthy. That's why she couldn't stick around for Forrest. She felt he was too good for her and she didn't deserve him. I cried along with you guys. So happy ya finally reacted to this one. ❤️
She played him that's what and only goes to him when he's famous
Yeah Jenny was a pretty terrible person!
That’s true back in those day there’s there’s there’s no way to report that kind of abuse people had to suffer in silence and not know what to do and that’s what Rick led to the drugs and the craziness because you know I was in a group therapy wants and the therapist said she was a psychiatrist psychologist for 17 years she says One of the worst things that can happen when a person gets raped or abused a female or male whatever and you can’t really talk to other people that I haven’t had the same abuse about it that’s why these days you go to a group like a rape group and talk to other people about it pack them they didn’t have any of that because people will say to a person that has been raped or abused “just get over it”
Because they don’t have the time or patience to listen to it they don’t understand because they haven’t been through the abuse that’s why you go to a group of people that have had similar experiences back then there was absolutely nothing like that and even today if you go to group of similar people it’s still never leaves your mind it stays in your mind forever and it’s very difficult to deal with
@@nocturnalwolf7559 Forrest went to her college to see her. She didn't ask him. Forrest went to see her when he saw her in the magazine. He went to Washington and she was already there. The only time she went to see him was the part where he was mowing his lawn. Afterwards, she sent him a letter to come to see her and it was to introduce him to his child.
@@nocturnalwolf7559 She didn't play him lol...
Jay and Amber your reaction was fantastic. Seeing Jay being emotional with his wife was, in itself, a pure and wonderful thing. You both totally _got_ this film. Jay also caught the hypocrisy of Jenny's 'you don't know what love is, Forrest', when it was her childhood that stopped her knowing what love is ... until Forrest showed her. Great movie. Great reaction.
She knew what love was, she just never believed she deserved it because of her childhood, so she was trying to let Forrest down easily without having to explain it to him.
This movie is great on so many levels, including the soundtrack. I graduated high school in 1972 so this was what I grew up with and still listen to.
This is Tom Hanks' greatest performance and he won his second lead actor Academy Award for this film. This is actually my all time favorite movie. Thank you so much for reacting to this. The music in this is fantastic as well and I had the soundtrack and I saw "Forrest Gump" twice in the theater and it was a great experience. You should react to more Tom Hanks movies ("The Green Mile", "Apollo 13", "Big" and ""Sleepless In Seattle" with Meg Ryan just to name a few). You guys opened a huge rabbit hole here.
Don't forget "You've Got Mail", which is my personal favorite.
They would get a big kick out of the movie Big!
Also "Tha Road to Perdition " I do believe it was Paul Newman's last movie. A very dark movie, but the acting is incredible.
@@luckylady7542 I haven't seen that one yet. I need to check it out.
This is my favorite movie too! I love everything about this movie and Tom Hanks. I've been a fan of his since Bosom Buddies.
It always gets me when Forrest asks if his son is smart, because he's not actually asking if he smart he's asking if he's going to suffer like he has suffered. The relief on his face when she answers and he knows his son won't have to endure the things he had to is powerful.
*People miss that Jenny spent her life protecting Forrest from herself. She knew she was damaged, and refused to expose Forrest to that. She literally waited until she was dying to finally reach out, and only then to protect Forrest Jr. People think she used or manipulated him. Never happened. She never led him on or took a dime, and you KNOW she could have. She only contacted him twice:*
1. When she got clean and needed a place to heal.
2. Upon realizing she was dying.
*Anyone saying otherwise literally paid no attention AT ALL.*
Yes. Because of all the trauma she had to deal with since being a child, she believed she wasn't good enough for Forrest.
That's an excellent observation. Looking at it from that perspective I realized that her party-girl life and Forrest's running were the same feelings released in different ways.
one could argue that she went to forrest only AFTER she knew she was dying so that he and his enormous wealth could take care of them. The kid might not actually be his lol. She got around.
@@GameOgreDonkey Wow. Misogynist much?
Given how devoted he was to her, if she was after his money, she could have married him long before and taken him for half of it 6 months later.
@@DM-kc5du too bad she wasn't devoted to him
Best movie ever made, IMO. Amber, your husband is the bomb. He doesn't miss a beat. When he made the comment about the birds at the end. Dang. Love watching movies with you guys. Love how you smile with your eyes when something is so sweet, Amber. Happy Mother's Day.
Watch Lt Dan's facial expression when he meets Jenny for the first time. He gives her a stare down like he wants to say something to her about her treatment of Forrest. But he pushes it down and his expression softens once he sees how happy Forrest is. It's grade A acting by Gary Sinise to show just how protective and caring Lt Dan is of Forrest.
Dan lost his legs, and spent a lot of time angry at the world, lashing out at everyone and everything around him. Forrest was probably the only one in Dan's life that was patient enough to let it all go, and remain at his side through all of it.
Once he made his peace with his disability, Dan became a new man and realized just how important Forrest had been in his life. Remember... it wasn't Forrest managing that shrimp company. Heck, Forrest wasn't even managing his own money. It was Dan behind the scenes running the show, investing the profits, and making sure that Forrest was set for life.
People hated on Jenny for years...not taking into account that in those days, she didn't receive any kind of therapy for what her father did to her and her sisters. You never even know what happened to all of her sisters. There's a whole known progression of most childhood SA incest/molestation in girls. You usually have 3 main paths. But it's a very long conversation of severe mental illness, drug abuse, health issues, and extremely rare cases of girls who came out of it well. She made perfect sense. Especially for the 50's, 60's, 70's, and the early 80's.
Still angry at MoviesinDepth for his insensitive dickhead comments at Jenny about her situation. So tired of the bullshit hate Jenny gets it's ridiculous. I've never been in Jenny's shoes, but I have sympathy and compassion for her and anyone who actually has been through that because her case is real for alot of people. And the Jenny bashing pisses me off to no end.
If Jenny was a guy she be a rapist. Imagine if she was the slow one, and didn't even know what sex was, and a not mentally ill forest had sex with her. That scene alone was cringy af.
@@mikeyj7824Forest's IQ is low, not so low that he can't consent to sex. I can only think of a single case where someone's IQ was low enough that a judge ordered them not to have sex, and that was in the UK and nearly half of Forest's IQ
@ganymeade275 shit was creepy to me.
I do think its important to understand how Jennie's abuse affected her behaviour. But I also think its fine to criticise her actions because she didn't really treat Forrest the best, not that she had to be with him but doing things like having sex with him then running away without telling him isn't really respecting his feelings. I think its best to view both sides of it.
The best part was Rob's face every time Jenny came into a scene! LOL
Had the same reaction also, when I saw it for the first time.
Dude said 😐😮💨😒🙄
I saw this movie in theaters and I was not prepared for it. Every possible emotion and feeling I had this movie brought out. I was laughing then welling up inside with hope, then tearing up the next.
Truly one of the best movies ever made. Sometimes I wish I could erase a movie I’ve watched so I could watch it again for the first time.
Jenny told Forrest he didn't know what love was, truth is she didn't. From the sexual and physical abuse, she suffered as a child, to living in places that scared her. She ran trying to find a safe place. I have watched this movie dozens of times and Jenny's death is so emotional, it never gets easier to watch. Next to Forrest she is my favorite character.
Another movie you might like is "Mr. Holland's Opus" starring Richard Dreyfuss. Events also take place over several decades of a man's life (but not from conception) and there's a great soundtrack marking the passage of the years. It's not "Forest Gump" but I think you might have a similar reaction.
One of my all-time favorites. I know they would love watching it.
And, the oldest girl in Uncle Buck is in it, and boy can she sang!
Excellent choice.
YES!!!!!
Mr. Holland's Opus is such a good pick that gets overlooked too often. I really hope they do a reaction to it
The longest and best reaction I've had the pleasure to be part of. I've lost track of how many times I've watched this movie and yet, thanks to to ya'll, I was immersed with all of the emotions from my initial watching. I cried with you, laughed with you, got mad with you, was inspired with you, and bopped along to the sound track with you. Thank you so much for taking your time with it. Have been a long time subscriber to your music channel so, very proud of you for your musical knowledge and appreciation. Keep up the good work. Take care.
Hey Rod Squad, I was 32 years old when I saw Forrest Gump. Thirty years later I continue to have the same reaction whenever I see it. Appreciate that people still get emotional and empathize with the character. I enjoy your channel immensely. Big fan.....
Jimmy Hendrix singing
He made so much impact on so many peoples lives from his heart. I'm also happy that Gary Sinese is such a big supporter of the The Wounded Warrior project. So many military veterans and active duty military have not been given the support and respect they deserve.Sgt.Dan learned he could still have a happy, positive life.
He was made an honourary lieutenant of the armed forces for all the work he has done for the military.
Iraq vet here, I cannot imagine Vietnam at all and they have my 100% respect but I get Lt. Dan. Also, you two are the cutest damn couple and this video was exactly what i needed tonight!! Thank-you both!
DZL-J. Agree with you 100%!
I've always thought when the Army recruiter asks him "Have you thought about your future?" Forrest's response of "Thought?" really explains the entire premise of his movie. The normal focus would have been on "future" for most people. Forrest just does the right thing because it's the right thing without considering any consequences for himself, good or bad.
Basically, what you’re saying is Forrest lives in the moment and remembers the past. Forrest is basically a loyal dog who gives unconditional love in human form. He’s literally man’s best friend.
Thank you both for loving this film. You really can't miss with any Tom Hanks movie. What a talent!
I think the mixture of Jenny realizing her own mortality along with genuinely loving her son made her realize how she really wanted to spend the rest of her life
She knew that she had to find Forrest Jr. a good home since her time was limited. And she was still working as a waitress when Forrest came to visit her but that sooner or later she wouldn't be able to support herself and little Forrest much longer.
That and she had Aids percolating through her blood stream.
@twizzm Jenny with her troubled childhood was basically a broken person. She would always run away because she didn't think she deserved love.
He saved her life
You can see in that clip where she is waitressing, she got her life together for her son. It probably changed her perspective.
Your reaction to this film was incredible. Often people will lie about not having seen a film and put on some fake reaction for views, but we can all see your reaction is genuine, to this incredible film. Jay and Amber, you're amazing. Love watching you guys.
Agreed!
It's OK to cry Jay
I hate it when ppl do that lame stuff
@@requiem19
she said in the beginning that she had actually seen this one years before. This was the first time for the guy.
She gets over it all real quick when Forrest becomes a millionaire.
Sorry I can only like this once. One of the most PERFECT movies ever made. I'm 52 and still tear up watching this great movie! Absolutely enjoyed your reaction!!
And the look Rob gave Amber when she started crying when Jenny came back was magic...just magic.
Jay
funfact: what Forrest said during his speech about Vietnam at the protest was "Sometimes when people go to Vietnam, they go home to their mommas without any legs. Sometimes they don't go home at all. That's a bad thing. That's all I have to say about that."
this movie always makes me cry, especially at the end.
Wow! That perfectly seems like what Forrest would say! How do you know this? And... Why did they not leave that in the movie? Was it suppose to be in it... and some how end up on the cutting room floor?
In every U.S. theater when this was released there were standing ovations from the movie audiences. I will never forget that moment. Just like old songs.....the best movies have already been written and seen. Another masterpiece from the past.
Had to pause and comment when you said you don't like Jenny anymore. She was like that because of the emotional trauma she suffered from the abuse by her father. Actually a very good representation of the damage that type of abuse does to a child
Amber's reaction to the loss of Bubba at 27:29 is an absolute show of raw emotion and compassion. Never have i seen such an honest movie reaction such as the one displayed her by Rob and Jay. I am a permanent subscriber from now on. Great job guys. Keep it up ( i also love your music reaction videos too)
One of the greatest and most memorable performances in movie history. No one else could have pulled this off like Tom Hanks did.
You are right about that! What an incredible job he did with this role. So good, in fact, that after seeing it, it's hard to believe he's not REALLY Forrest Gump. There are only a handful of performances that make me identify an actor so strongly with their role.
The story of forest and Jenny is showing what love is when it's unconditional. Forest saw Jenny for the beautiful angel he always believed her to be. Thing is he is so pure part he didn't understand all the anguish you would want to use of abuse from her father and neglect from her grandmother. Then when she tried to escape everything she just emotionally kept looking for the same kind of abuse. Happens to too many when they start believing that they're meant to be treated that way. And even though she deep down loved for us and wanted what the offered she never believed herself worthy so she always pushed him away in the end of the film of course he gets the chance to love her and take care of her like he always would have through their entire life if he had the opportunity. And they have a beautiful little boy to cherish that love
I honestly love the Jenny storyline more than anything else in this movie. The way that childhood physical and, more importantly, sexual abuse has on a person throughout their life is so important. Especially in the 60s/70s, when people weren’t openly talking about their trauma and weren’t getting any psychological help for it. I felt for her character so much.
A lot of people still don't open up about those things unfortunately. Especially men, it's seen as weak, and men are supposed to be strong in societies eyes.
Jenny’s character was so underrated… it was so complex and diverse ❤ she was a traumatized child.
Watched this film so many times but still left here with tears running down my face. A pain in my heart. I just wish we could all live with this amount of love and understanding for people.
Tell someone you love them as you never know when they or you will be gone .
The 1990s was absolutely the greatest decade for films. From Forrest Gump to Shawshank Redemption to about a hundred others, I am so grateful I grew up during this generation. Thanks for sharing yet another amazing film.
It's always great to see some one watch these classic movies for the first time like Jay but it's just as great to see someone like Amber rewatch movies as a parent. The scene's with his son hit so much harder when you have kids of your own.
Heart broken that they didn’t recognize Jenny was also buttercup from the princess bride.
It is, in fact, a gem of a movie. I couldn’t help but notice your reaction to the violent nature of the Vietnam battle scenes. The special affects were superb. If done correctly, your reaction is what the filmmakers are trying to achieve. I believe they hit their mark.
I didn't have special effects in Vietnam I had the real thing
I’ve seen this many so many times I could probably re-write half the script from memory, and I, as a vet, as a dude who does “macho” stuff. Every single time, without fail, the scene where little Forrest is introduced, and Jenny’s passing where Forrest is talking about their child, breaks me down. Every time. I know what’s coming, I know the lines, I know what tone it’s said in, but every single time, the tears start welling up, my throat gets tight and on comes the stream of tears. No other movie can I think of that invokes that feeling for me. It’s the only one where the moment it starts, my immediate thought is, “not this time” and by the end of it I’m thumbing the tears away.
I hear ya Tex! There are a few movies that give me that same reaction and coincidentally, they're all Tom Hanks movies! LOL. The ending of Apollo 13 and Saving Private Ryan, the scene when Wade dies always gets me!
My brother says that anyone who _doesn't_ cry watching this movie needs to be checked out to make sure they still have a heart.
Totally agree. The teary eyed scene is the "is he smart?" Line when he meets jr. The way Tom Hanks acts in that scene is amazing.
@@MaxPower-kb4ke Tom Hanks IS a national treasure
I am a fellow vet myself and I know what you mean this movie made laugh and cry so I’m with ya partner
Thanks for reacting to this one. Great movie! Jay, Jenny obviously had a rough childhood but it wasn't just tough breaks after that. Her behavior followed the same pattern of her abusive childhood. She kept putting herself in abusive situations and learned substance abuse from her father. She always told Forrest to "RUN" because that was how she dealt with things in her life. Forrest ran but never from his problems. Also, Jenny didn't actually try to show up in Forrest's life until the end probably because she didn't think she deserved Forrest. All the other encounters with each other, other than their childhood, were by chance. So she was on her path and never really strayed from it. If you look at it from that perspective, even though she would have been better off with Forrest, she wasn't really toying with him on purpose. Just my opinion, of course. You guys are awesome! I love your music reactions also!
Yep! Agreed!
Perfectly put
You are absolutely right on about everything you said. She was following the pattern that was established in her childhood, as probably most of us do to one extent or another.
Exactly this! I’m always surprised how many people are hating on Jenny in the comments.
My favorite movie of all. I identify with Jenny. I had the same things happen to me when young before getting it together. I was given 3 years to live in 1991 while in the navy for the same disease Jenny died from. Chronic hep C. I'm still here after it eventually went into remission after experimental treatment, thankfully, and think of Forrest and Jenny often.
Jay, your reaction to this was PRICELESS!!!! I loved watching you two watch this so much!
“But you ain’t got no legs, Lieutenant Dan” Gets Me. Every. Time. 😂
How can it be MORE emotional watching you two watch Forrest Gump than it was when watching it all those years ago? Wow. Thank you.
I totally agree!
You brought a genuine tear to my eye. People say reaction videos a fake or corny, but I love seeing people enjoy movies I love. And if you are faking it, you both deserve Oscars
Everybody’s life was made better by knowing Forrest, and we are all blessed seeing this film.