The Rewatchables: ‘Forrest Gump’ With Bill Simmons and Sean Fennessey

Published 2018-06-21; 1:08:43 by the feed.

Awards and segments (72)

Most rewatchable scene

  1. pick Forrest playing football for Alabama, including the kick return past Bear Bryant
    “Here's... Forrest playing football.”
    Bill Simmons · 0:17:56
  2. pick Forrest's first sexual encounter and the 'Forrest blows his first load' bit
    “Forrest blows his 1st load.”
    Bill Simmons · 0:19:23
  3. pick The Vietnam rally, with the fake Abbie Hoffman and Forrest and Jenny running through the reflecting pool
    “I think the best scene is the Vietnam rally.”
    Bill Simmons · 0:21:45
  4. pick Forrest gets rich and Jenny comes back, the montage
    “Forrest gets rich and Jenny comes back.”
    Bill Simmons · 0:20:31
  5. pick Forrest meeting his son, followed by the wedding and Lieutenant Dan showing up
    “And then the last one, Forrest meeting his son.”
    Bill Simmons · 0:21:15
  6. pick The Vietnam rally
    “I'm going to go with the rally.”
    Sean Fennessey · 0:22:07
  7. floated The running sequence, praised for its music choices
    “The running scene, which is appalling.”
    Sean Fennessey · 0:20:48
  8. floated The hurricane, with Lieutenant Dan going to war on top of the mast
    “One potential candidate that I thought was a fun scene watching it again was, um, the, the hurricane.”
    Sean Fennessey · 0:21:49
  9. floated Young Forrest breaking out of his leg braces: Run, Forrest, run
    “Run Forest Run is a candidate too.”
    Sean Fennessey · 0:22:37
  10. floated The school principal sleeping with Sally Field so Forrest can stay in school
    “You know what scene is funny too, is the principal of the school sleeping with Sally Field so that he can stay in school.”
    Bill Simmons · 0:22:52

Aged the Best · What about the movie has held up best.

  1. pick Robin Wright as Jenny Curran: Still looks great now; he is on her corner for life.
    “I'm on her corner and I'm on Michelle Pfeiffer's corner for life.”
    Bill Simmons · 0:23:22
  2. pick The soundtrack and its music choices, such as Midnight Cowboy over Lieutenant Dan in New York: Called incredible, though Sean found the Midnight Cowboy cue too on the nose.
    “Incredible music soundtrack.”
    Bill Simmons · 0:23:28
  3. pick The gimmick of Forrest intersecting with 50 years of American history: It shouldn't have worked but he enjoys it.
    “The gimmick of forest intersecting with 50 years of American history.”
    Bill Simmons · 0:24:39
  4. pick Lieutenant Dan's redemption: Praised along with Gary Sinise's performance.
    “The redemption of Lieutenant Dan has aged really nicely.”
    unknown · 0:26:29

Aged the Worst · What about the movie has held up worst.

  1. pick The soundtrack: The most obvious soundtrack of all time, which set off a run of movies using the same classic rock.
    “It did identify a lot of really cool songs for a lot of young people, but it's the most obvious soundtrack of all time, and I don't know if it's aged the best.”
    Sean Fennessey · 0:25:08
  2. pick The CGI, such as the John Lennon scene: Groundbreaking then, dated now; the ping pong ball looks good though.
    “The CGI was groundbreaking in 1994 and it's like we could do better stuff in the ringer office now.”
    Sean Fennessey · 0:27:01
  3. pick Forrest's mom sleeping with the school principal: A delightful scene that has aged badly in some corners.
    “Forrest Moms, Forrest Moms sleeping with the school principal, which is a delightful scene, has probably aged badly in certain corners.”
    Sean Fennessey · 0:28:31
  4. pick Forrest running across the country for 3.5 years: Illogical and absurd on screen, even as a parable.
    “That scene is absolutely idiotic.”
    Sean Fennessey · 0:29:31
  5. pick Bubba: Too broad a performance and character; a second 'superhero' with the same power.
    “Just too broad the performance, too broad the character.”
    Sean Fennessey · 0:31:13
  6. pick Jenny Gump's journey: A rough stretch of bad choices, with every bad thing traced to her childhood; one host says it did not age poorly.
    “Jenny Gump's journey.”
    unknown · 0:31:35
  7. pick Sally Field as Mrs. Gump: Only about 10 years older than Hanks, which is obvious on screen.
    “Sally Field's only 10 years older than Tom Hanks?”
    Sean Fennessey · 0:32:44

Casting What Ifs · Who else was cast, offered, or turned the part down.

  1. pick Harry Anderson as Forrest Gump: Zemeckis's first choice, unavailable because of Dave's World on CBS.
    “Robert Smeck is his 1st choice for the title role was Harry Anderson.”
    Sean Fennessey · 0:34:00
  2. pick Bill Murray as Forrest Gump: Turned the role down; the hosts don't think it would work.
    “Bill Murray.”
    Sean Fennessey · 0:34:31
  3. pick John Travolta as Forrest Gump: Turned it down and reportedly regrets it; the hosts say he'd have been terrible.
    “John Travolta and Chevy Chase.”
    Sean Fennessey · 0:34:32
  4. pick Chevy Chase as Forrest Gump: Turned the role down.
    “John Travolta and Chevy Chase.”
    Sean Fennessey · 0:34:32
  5. pick David Alan Grier as Bubba: Turned down Bubba.
    “David Allen Greer.”
    Sean Fennessey · 0:35:00
  6. pick Dave Chappelle as Bubba: Thought the movie would bomb and regretted it.
    “Dave Chappelle.”
    Sean Fennessey · 0:35:03
  7. pick Ice Cube as Bubba: Refused to play an idiot.
    “Ice Cube refused to play an idiot.”
    Sean Fennessey · 0:35:11
  8. pick Tupac Shakur as Bubba: Auditioned and didn't get it.
    “Tupac auditioned for Bubba.”
    Sean Fennessey · 0:35:32
  9. pick Jodie Foster as Jenny: Turned down Jenny.
    “Jody Foster turned it down.”
    Sean Fennessey · 0:35:54
  10. pick Nicole Kidman as Jenny: Turned down Jenny.
    “So did Nicole Kidman.”
    Sean Fennessey · 0:35:56
  11. pick Demi Moore as Jenny: Turned it down; the hosts think she'd have been too old for the part.
    “So did Demi Moore.”
    Sean Fennessey · 0:36:00
  12. pick Terry Gilliam as director: Turned down directing; the hosts say that would have been amazing and very different.
    “Terry Gilliam and Barry Seinenfield.”
    Sean Fennessey · 0:36:25
  13. pick Barry Sonnenfeld as director: Turned down directing.
    “Terry Gilliam and Barry Seinenfield.”
    Sean Fennessey · 0:36:25

The Dion Waiters Award · A small role that made a big impact.

  1. winner Dick Cavett as himself: Wore a wig to age himself back 20 years; the hosts agree he wins for aging backwards.
    “How about Dick Cabot aging himself back 20 years?”
    unknown · 0:37:18
  2. nominee Mykelti Williamson as Bubba
    “It's basically Michael T. Williamson, Sally Field and Haley Joe Osmond, unless you can come up with anyone else.”
    unknown · 0:37:05
  3. nominee Sally Field as Mrs. Gump
    “It's basically Michael T. Williamson, Sally Field and Haley Joe Osmond, unless you can come up with anyone else.”
    unknown · 0:37:05
  4. nominee Haley Joel Osment as Forrest Jr.
    “It's basically Michael T. Williamson, Sally Field and Haley Joe Osmond, unless you can come up with anyone else.”
    unknown · 0:37:05
  5. nominee The school principal who sleeps with Sally Field
    “Unless you want to go with the guy who sleeps with Sally Field to let Forrest into public schools.”
    unknown · 0:37:14

The Joey Pants Award · The best 'that guy' in the movie; here, someone who eventually stopped being a that guy.

  1. winner Gary Sinise as Lieutenant Dan Taylor: There was no obvious that guy, so they give it to Sinise, who had done little in movies before this and may have become Gary Sinise through it.
    “I give it to Gary Snakes.”
    unknown · 0:38:17

Half-assed internet research · Production trivia the host dug up online.

  1. pick Tom Hanks took points instead of a salary and made over $40 million
    “Took percentage points, made over 40000000 bucks.”
    Sean Fennessey · 0:38:25
  2. pick Jim Hanks doubled for Tom in the running scenes
    “Tom Hanks' younger brother, Jim Hanks, doubled for him in the numerous running scenes.”
    Sean Fennessey · 0:38:34
  3. pick A sequel script was written, then dropped after September 11
    “And then after the September 11 attacks, Roth, Zameckis, and Hanks all decided the story was no longer relevant.”
    Sean Fennessey · 0:39:07
  4. pick Jenny's tombstone date matches the Trinity Test
    “Jenny's birthday and her tombstone, which you see at the end, was July 16th, 1945, which was the same day as the Trinity Test, the 1st the 1st atomic bomb detonation.”
    Sean Fennessey · 0:39:53
  5. pick Warner Brothers gave up the rights in exchange for the rights to Executive Decision
    “Warner Brothers in 1988 gave up the rights to this film in exchange for the rights to executive decision.”
    Sean Fennessey · 0:41:09
  6. pick A cut scene of Forrest distracting attack dogs from Martin Luther King by playing fetch
    “Forrest distracts several dogs trying to attack King and his supporters by playing fetch with them and rendering them harmless, the king and himself as well as his supporters.”
    Sean Fennessey · 0:41:56

Apex Mountain · Where this performance or filmmaker's career sits on the mountain.

  1. winner Tom Hanks as Forrest Gump: His most commercial movie, a second Oscar, and the point where he became the alpha dog in Hollywood.
    “This is the most commercial movie he ever made.”
    Sean Fennessey · 0:43:51
  2. winner Gary Sinise as Lieutenant Dan Taylor: Few great Sinise performances compare; this is his peak.
    “This is definitely Apex Mountain.”
    unknown · 0:45:13
  3. winner Robert Zemeckis: His peak is Back to the Future, not Forrest Gump.
    “No, back to the future.”
    Sean Fennessey · 0:45:16
  4. winner Robin Wright as Jenny Curran: Her most complete performance, with the most to do.
    “It's, I think it's her most complete performance.”
    unknown · 0:45:55
  5. winner Mykelti Williamson as Bubba
    “Michael T. Williamson absolutely.”
    unknown · 0:46:09

Danny Trejo category · Whether Danny Trejo could have fit in the movie, and where.

  1. pick Danny Trejo: The hosts decide he'd fit in the military scenes, maybe as Lieutenant Dan or the drill sergeant, not as Forrest's mom or the principal.
    “Could Danny Trey have been in this movie?”
    Bill Simmons · 0:46:21

The Mark Ruffalo Award · Best overacting.

  1. nominee Gary Sinise as Lieutenant Dan Taylor: Screaming at the storm on the boat in the hurricane; possibly the precursor to a famous Ruffalo moment.
    “I think Sydney styles it up a couple times in this movie.”
    unknown · 0:47:05
  2. winner Wesley, Jenny's abusive boyfriend: Went full villain, compared to Billy Zane in Titanic.
    “The other nominee is Wesley, Jenny's abusive boyfriend, who gets the shit kicked out of my forest at the Black Panther party.”
    unknown · 0:47:52

Picking Nits · Nitpicks of a movie they like.

  1. pick Forrest's bus stop wait and not reading the map
    “How long was Forrest at that bus stop?”
    unknown · 0:48:22
  2. pick What Forrest did from 1970 to 1974: The movie skips ahead; the answer seems to be ping pong.
    “What did Forrest do from 1970 to 1974?”
    unknown · 0:48:56
  3. pick Why Jenny never found the right guy
    “Why didn't Jenny ever find the right guy?”
    unknown · 0:50:52
  4. pick Jenny leaving the morning after she sleeps with Forrest: The biggest nit; the hosts float theories (he was bad, she was pregnant, or it is just poorly written) and settle on poor writing.
    “And it's why she, and my biggest nit to pick in the whole movie, is like, don't fully understand why after she finally sleeps with Forrest.”
    unknown · 0:51:26

Best Quotes · The best quotes in the movie.

  1. pick Life is like a box of chocolates: The signature quote, though pop culture made it a cliche.
    “Life is like a box of chocolates is the signature quote of this movie.”
    unknown · 0:56:32
  2. pick Forrest, you don't know what love is: A really mean thing to say to someone.
    “Forrest, you don't know what love is.”
    unknown · 0:56:12
  3. pick Stupid is as stupid does
    “Stupid is as stupid does.”
    unknown · 0:56:19
  4. pick I'm not a smart man, but I know what love is
    “I'm not a smart man, but I know what love is.”
    unknown · 0:56:21

Unanswerable questions · Questions the movie leaves open.

  1. pick Why didn't Forrest go pro in football
    “Well, I didn't Forrest Gump go pro?”
    unknown · 0:56:45
  2. pick What Jenny died of: The movie never says; one host argues it was probably hepatitis, not AIDS, and that the timeline was fudged.
    “That leads us because she, we assume that she contracted HIV.”
    unknown · 0:58:24
  3. pick Where everyone went after Forrest stopped running
    “Where did everyone go after Forrest stopped running?”
    unknown · 1:01:26

The Feather · What the feather means.

  1. pick The feather as the randomness of life and fate: He reads the 'unbearable lightness of being' reading as overreading; both hosts favor randomness and chance.
    “Here's some thoughts on the feather.”
    Sean Fennessey · 1:02:02

Would This Have Been a Netflix Series · The prestige TV series they would make from the movie.

  1. pick A 10-episode Jenny Gump series covering 1968 to 1980: Described as raunchy and maybe more Amazon; the hosts agree the movie is still better as a movie.
    “I'm saying I'm in for Jenny Gump 10 episode Netflix series.”
    unknown · 1:03:30

Who Won the Movie · Who won the movie.

  1. winner Tom Hanks as Forrest Gump: In nearly every scene, plays a dim wit in a manipulative movie without becoming Robin Williams, and has to sell a 70 IQ throughout.
    “Tom Hanks.”
    unknown · 1:03:53

What If It Were Made Today · Who would play Forrest if the movie were cast 10 years later.

  1. pick Matt Damon as Forrest Gump: Too smart; wouldn't work.
    “I think Matt Damon goes for it.”
    unknown · 1:05:55
  2. pick Brad Pitt as Forrest Gump: Maybe too handsome; would need a bad haircut.
    “Brad Pitt is Forrest Gump, but I think I kind of like that.”
    unknown · 1:06:08
  3. pick Ryan Reynolds as Forrest Gump: Too handsome.
    “Ryan Reynolds?”
    unknown · 1:06:31
  4. pick Chris Pratt as Forrest Gump: Non-jacked Chris Pratt would work for the regular-guy appeal.
    “Chris Pratt, non-Jack, Chris Pratt would work.”
    unknown · 1:06:49

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