Forrest & Jenny's Dysfunctional Relationship
Forrest Gump is a classic movie , which many have fallen in love with. It tells a story of an autistic boy with a crooked spine and how his low I.Q. and appearance affect his way of life. He sees the good in everyone, has a big heart, yet he is naïve to the reality of how others see him. His low I.Q. hinders him from seeing how everyone around him constantly takes advantage of him as well. He gets rocks thrown at him, called stupid, and lives a pretty isolated childhood.
Then, one day while running from some bullies, his speed is noticed by some football scouts and he received a full ride to play college football at the University of Alabama. He graduates from college goes on to join the military, plays ping pong for the USA team, becomes a shrimp boat captain, and eventually becomes a father and husband. This movie shows how even though Forrest's I.Q. and leg braces were where he started out in life, he went on to do some amazing things.
The messed up part about this movie is how he is constantly taken advantage of by the people that surround him. In particular, a blonde haired promiscuous hippie named Jennie, constantly took full advantage of Forrest. His never failing love for her after everything she does to him makes you want to reach in the screen and slap the girl for the way she treats him through out the movie.
Jenny and Forrest's first encounter is on the school bus for the first day of school. While everyone else teased and stared at Forrest's appearance and dumb founded sense of being, Jenny offered him a seat next to her. Even though she wasn't quite sure of him at first, asking if he was stupid and what was wrong with his legs, she still befriended him anyways. As they went through school, their friendship remained. Jenny and Forrest spent most of the their time together because Jenny never wanted to go home. She lived a tough childhood which involved being molested and abused by her father. Naturally, Forrest became her escape and person to confide in. She felt safe with him and always went to him when she was scared.
After high school their friendship changed drastically. Jenny went on to an all girls school and Forrest went to a university to play ball. Forrest's loyalty and love still remained for Jenny, but who she was started to change. She became sexually active with several men, posed for playboy, got kicked out of school, and started working at a strip club where she was degraded by men. Although Forrest kept showing up trying to rescue her from this wreck less lifestyle but she refused his help. Things just kept getting worse for Jenny, she started dating abusive men, doing drugs, and became more and more promiscuous. She eventually became so depressed she almost took her on life by jumping off a balcony. It was then she decided to go home to Forrest. While there, he took a great deal of care for her. Their friendship was mended, but it didn't last ling. After rejecting Forrest's proposal and having a one night stand with him, she bolted. Leaving Forrest heartbroken and confused, she didn't seem to care.
It wasn't until one day he received a letter from her asking him to come visit that he would see her again. Once he arrived he got news that from their one night stand they had a son, and that Jenny was very sick. With no hesitation Forrest offers to take care of Jenny and their child. After moving back home with Forrest, Jenny asks him to marry her. Shortly after their wedding, Jenny dies from a disease, portrayed to be HIV. It was frustrating to watch his loyalty to such a self destructive person. Seeing her turn down his love and affection for her so many times, only to come back after she's dying infuriated me!
The movie was great to watch. It drug me into his life and made me have an emotional connection to the movie. I loved to see Forrest accomplish so many things with the odds totally against him. I was just disgusted by his relationship with Jenny and how she continually took advantage of him. I would recommend this movie to anyone . If you want a lot of laughs and something real that will draw you in this is the movie for you.
