There’s a quote from the Perks of Being a Wallflower that I think applies to Jenny’s character: “sometimes we accept the love we think we deserve”. Her past is tragic and she doesn’t think she deserves any better than that. She cares for Forrest but doesn’t know how to accept the goodness in the world. She also didn’t want to drag Forrest into her messed up reality. Once she was ready to get past her trauma, she wasn’t afforded much time left with Forrest or her baby boy.
It’s so refreshing to watch someone who understands all the meaning and psychological contexts, as well as all the historic references from this movie. TBH I’m getting sick of so many people reacting to this movie but I’m glad I took a chance and watched yours. I’m looking forward to other top quality movies you might try out.
the mic cut out but from what hanks said it was "According to Tom Hanks he said, "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."
Forrest Gump is in my top three movie list for sure. (Coincidentally Hayley Joel Osmond is in two of those three. 😄) I'm so incredibly happy you recognised why Jenny acted the way she did. You'd be surprised just how many don't make that connection, sadly. (And I'm sorry to say but it's genuinely mostly men watching it now who completely misunderstand her which says a lot about society today because there was way less confusion about her character back then. A sad realisation I got from watching a ton of reactions to the film. 🥺) The thing is she thinks she doesn't deserve him, that she's "tainted." At the same time physical love is the only way she knows to express love (hence the night of the conception) and she was brought up thinking that being used/abused was all she was good for. When she finally turned it around and asked him to marry her, not only had she made peace with herself and her past but she also knew she was dying. Back then there's absolutely no way a judge would've granted custody of Forrest Jr. to a single man, especially one with Forrest's challenges. Since Forrest didn't know of the kid's existence, he wouldn't have been on the birth certificate or he would've been paying child support. By her marrying Forrest, he was able to adopt him. At the end of her life she essentially gave the greatest gift she knew to the two people who, to her, represented everything that's good and loving: Each other. ❤❤
With Lt. Dan I almost feel like it’s like my friend group. The whole “we insult each other but we love each other, but you’re a stranger so I’ll fight you if you say a wrong word.”
Also, so many people miss this point but the growth of Dan being in Vietnam and likely barely recognising them as people like many soldiers did yet ending up marrying an Asian woman is beautiful too.
18:23 I always thought that Charlie stood for Cong, as in Viet Cong, I may have misheard you as "code"? Let me just repeat what others have written, it's SO great to watch someone who gets the historical references! I've seen reactors (from the US too) who didn't get the Watergate reference or didn't know who John Lennon was. I also appreciate your understanding of Jenny. The channel Cinema Therapy did a video on her just recently, it's worth watching. Anyway, I just glanced at your channel and I saw Firefly and a Ghibli movie, so I had to subscribe 🙂 I wish you all the best and many new subscribers! I have yet to delve into your channel further, but have you seen Jojo Rabbit? It's also a comedy that takes place during the Second World War, may be a good thing to react to.
Forrest was clearly an example of someone who "benefitted" from the 1960s Pentagon program officially known as Project 100,000 initiated by Defense Secretary Robert McNamara...which was often referred to as McNamara's Morons. The purpose of the project was to recruit volunteers and draftees that were below the normal standard for physical, mental, or intellectual fitness for military service...the end goal was to increase the pool of manpower that the military could draw upon. The US was having a tough time keeping up its manpower for our global defense commitments during the ever growing buildup of troops in Vietnam, and the thought was that modern training techniques would allow the various services to find ways for a wider range of men to be useful soldiers, sailors, airmen, or Marines. As a college graduate, Forrest would normally be recruited as an officer, but his low score on the military's ASVAB would keep that from happening. In reality, his low IQ/ASVAB scores would normally make him ineligible for military recruitment, but Project 100,000 was what allowed Forrest to get in. Another very famous example of Project 100,000 seen in cinema is in Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket. Which would make an excellent first time reaction, assuming you have not seen it already. If you have seen it, then you know the character to which I am referring. 👍
Hey Ax, I really enjoyed your reaction to Forrest Gump. I don't know if you've seen other movies with Tom Hanks like Saving Private Ryan, The Green Mile, Cast Away or Captain Phillips, but if not I'd like to see your reactions to those movies. Other GREAT movies I'd like to see you react to is Only The Brave with Josh Brolin and Miles Teller, a GREAT movie most reactors overlook. Jojo Rabbit is a funny dark comedy and that's just to name a few. Keep up the good work.
For so long the Bubba Gump restaurants didn’t have a deal to sell Dr Pepper in their establishments. That’s the *one* drink they absolutely should have. They’ve remedied that though. The last couple of times I visited I was finally able to order a Dr Pepper and I felt balanced again 😂
I just stumbled across your channel because Forrest Gump is one of my favorite movies, and I love watching other people experience this beautiful film for the first time. I appreciated your knowledge of the music and historical references, as well as your view of Jenny. So many want to see her as the ultimate villain, when nothing could be further than the truth. While she obviously hurt Forrest sometimes, she remained his only, faithful friend throughout their childhood and, as an adult, wanted nothing more than to protect Forrest from herself and her destructive choices. She warned him to stay away from her because she was afraid of ruining something truly beautiful. They both spent their lives running, for very different reasons. And, it was only after they both stopped running that they ended up together. This movie came out while I was in high school. I saw it on a date with my now husband. I remember crying my eyes out in the theater through most of the movie and raving, later, about how good it was to anyone who would listen. All these years later, I still cry like a baby, every time. ❤
In my Top 5 all Time movie list ( in no particular order) I saw it in the Theater 3 times !! ( check out the competition it had for Best film that yr 😮)
There’s a quote from the Perks of Being a Wallflower that I think applies to Jenny’s character: “sometimes we accept the love we think we deserve”.
Her past is tragic and she doesn’t think she deserves any better than that. She cares for Forrest but doesn’t know how to accept the goodness in the world. She also didn’t want to drag Forrest into her messed up reality. Once she was ready to get past her trauma, she wasn’t afforded much time left with Forrest or her baby boy.
It’s so refreshing to watch someone who understands all the meaning and psychological contexts, as well as all the historic references from this movie. TBH I’m getting sick of so many people reacting to this movie but I’m glad I took a chance and watched yours. I’m looking forward to other top quality movies you might try out.
In my opinion, it's one of the best movies of all time!
Same⭐️☑️
the mic cut out but from what hanks said it was "According to Tom Hanks he said, "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."
Forrest Gump is in my top three movie list for sure. (Coincidentally Hayley Joel Osmond is in two of those three. 😄)
I'm so incredibly happy you recognised why Jenny acted the way she did. You'd be surprised just how many don't make that connection, sadly. (And I'm sorry to say but it's genuinely mostly men watching it now who completely misunderstand her which says a lot about society today because there was way less confusion about her character back then. A sad realisation I got from watching a ton of reactions to the film. 🥺) The thing is she thinks she doesn't deserve him, that she's "tainted." At the same time physical love is the only way she knows to express love (hence the night of the conception) and she was brought up thinking that being used/abused was all she was good for.
When she finally turned it around and asked him to marry her, not only had she made peace with herself and her past but she also knew she was dying.
Back then there's absolutely no way a judge would've granted custody of Forrest Jr. to a single man, especially one with Forrest's challenges. Since Forrest didn't know of the kid's existence, he wouldn't have been on the birth certificate or he would've been paying child support. By her marrying Forrest, he was able to adopt him.
At the end of her life she essentially gave the greatest gift she knew to the two people who, to her, represented everything that's good and loving: Each other. ❤❤
With Lt. Dan I almost feel like it’s like my friend group. The whole “we insult each other but we love each other, but you’re a stranger so I’ll fight you if you say a wrong word.”
Also, so many people miss this point but the growth of Dan being in Vietnam and likely barely recognising them as people like many soldiers did yet ending up marrying an Asian woman is beautiful too.
18:23 I always thought that Charlie stood for Cong, as in Viet Cong, I may have misheard you as "code"?
Let me just repeat what others have written, it's SO great to watch someone who gets the historical references! I've seen reactors (from the US too) who didn't get the Watergate reference or didn't know who John Lennon was.
I also appreciate your understanding of Jenny. The channel Cinema Therapy did a video on her just recently, it's worth watching.
Anyway, I just glanced at your channel and I saw Firefly and a Ghibli movie, so I had to subscribe 🙂 I wish you all the best and many new subscribers!
I have yet to delve into your channel further, but have you seen Jojo Rabbit? It's also a comedy that takes place during the Second World War, may be a good thing to react to.
Forrest was clearly an example of someone who "benefitted" from the 1960s Pentagon program officially known as Project 100,000 initiated by Defense Secretary Robert McNamara...which was often referred to as McNamara's Morons. The purpose of the project was to recruit volunteers and draftees that were below the normal standard for physical, mental, or intellectual fitness for military service...the end goal was to increase the pool of manpower that the military could draw upon. The US was having a tough time keeping up its manpower for our global defense commitments during the ever growing buildup of troops in Vietnam, and the thought was that modern training techniques would allow the various services to find ways for a wider range of men to be useful soldiers, sailors, airmen, or Marines.
As a college graduate, Forrest would normally be recruited as an officer, but his low score on the military's ASVAB would keep that from happening. In reality, his low IQ/ASVAB scores would normally make him ineligible for military recruitment, but Project 100,000 was what allowed Forrest to get in. Another very famous example of Project 100,000 seen in cinema is in Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket. Which would make an excellent first time reaction, assuming you have not seen it already. If you have seen it, then you know the character to which I am referring. 👍
Hey Ax, I really enjoyed your reaction to Forrest Gump. I don't know if you've seen other movies with Tom Hanks like Saving Private Ryan, The Green Mile, Cast Away or Captain Phillips, but if not I'd like to see your reactions to those movies. Other GREAT movies I'd like to see you react to is Only The Brave with Josh Brolin and Miles Teller, a GREAT movie most reactors overlook. Jojo Rabbit is a funny dark comedy and that's just to name a few. Keep up the good work.
For so long the Bubba Gump restaurants didn’t have a deal to sell Dr Pepper in their establishments. That’s the *one* drink they absolutely should have. They’ve remedied that though. The last couple of times I visited I was finally able to order a Dr Pepper and I felt balanced again 😂
Good movie 🎉
I just stumbled across your channel because Forrest Gump is one of my favorite movies, and I love watching other people experience this beautiful film for the first time.
I appreciated your knowledge of the music and historical references, as well as your view of Jenny. So many want to see her as the ultimate villain, when nothing could be further than the truth. While she obviously hurt Forrest sometimes, she remained his only, faithful friend throughout their childhood and, as an adult, wanted nothing more than to protect Forrest from herself and her destructive choices. She warned him to stay away from her because she was afraid of ruining something truly beautiful. They both spent their lives running, for very different reasons. And, it was only after they both stopped running that they ended up together.
This movie came out while I was in high school. I saw it on a date with my now husband. I remember crying my eyes out in the theater through most of the movie and raving, later, about how good it was to anyone who would listen. All these years later, I still cry like a baby, every time. ❤
In my Top 5 all Time movie list ( in no particular order) I saw it in the Theater 3 times !! ( check out the competition it had for Best film that yr 😮)