Growing up, my mother always used to quote the 1994 film “Forrest Gump” to me, saying, “Life is like a box of chocolates … you never know what you’re gonna get.” Even though I had watched the film several times, I never fully understood what it meant until life started throwing a few punches my way. Tom Hanks and his role as Forrest Gump have come to have a profound impact on me and many others in the United States. So let’s dive into the origins of the movie and the pop culture that has come from it.
The movie is based on the book, “Forrest Gump,” written by Winston Groom and published in 1986. The book follows Gump as he navigates through life as someone with below-average intelligence but an extremely big heart.
The 1994 film, starring Hanks, seeks to bring Gump to life while adding its own twist as Gump achieves several extraordinary accolades that one could only dream of attaining. He becomes a member of the All-American Football Team after earning a spot on the University of Alabama’s roster. He then goes on to join the Army and receives the Congressional Medal of Honor after his heroic and selfless actions that saved the lives of several American soldiers during the Vietnam War. In addition, he goes on to found his own shrimping company, which he names “Bubba Gump,” in order to fulfill his promise to his late friend, Benjamin Buford “Bubba” Blue, who died in his arms in Vietnam.
The restaurant “Bubba Gump Shrimp Company” became a real establishment when it opened its first location in 1996, in an effort to capitalize on the movie’s popularity. The restaurant boasts its own selection of “Forrest Gump” inspired apparel. This includes hats, shirts and several other trinkets that have quotes from the movie. Some of these notable quotes include: “Stupid is as stupid does,” “I just felt like running,” and “Run Forrest run.” These phrases have become an integral part of many people’s vocabularies and are commonly used as motivators when life gets tough.
“Run Jacob run,” is what my mother says to me when I have a hard week or a pile of work I need to finish. It reminds me to just keep going when I get stressed, and it never fails to make me laugh as I remember Gump’s nonchalant attitude and ability to block out drama and outside noise to focus on the task at hand. “Stupid is as stupid does” is what I say to myself when I’m upset about a silly mistake I might have made on a paper or a test, and it reminds me that nobody’s perfect and that we are all human and make mistakes. “I just felt like running” is what plays in my head when I get an impulse to go explore or get a late workout in.
These phrases may seem insignificant to people unfamiliar with the film, but for me and many others, they have become a way to embrace the struggles life throws at us and remind us that life can be simple and beautiful if we let it be. Perhaps the world would be a better place if we could all go through life like Forrest, if we could love like him, care for others like he did and take life in strides as it comes at us.
Nevertheless, the cultural impacts and famous phrases that Hanks delivered in this film have endured for a generation and will hopefully stay with us for many more to come.
