Movies like Forrest Gump have always made me realize that life is beautiful and you actually don’t need anybody to make you happy. All you need is yourself.
I mean, it is definitely true that you all need that special person who will see the good in us when we wouldn’t be able to do that. But sometimes, we just take it too far and end up hurting ourselves.
These movies teach us how to fall in love with ourselves only and then accept and acknowledge the love others give to us.
Moreover, movies like Forrest Gump are not only about self-love but several other things like romance, friendship, storytelling, and magical realism.
Those who don’t know anything about magical realism, let me explain it to you in simple words.
Magic realism is a literary device used by authors to mix dreams and reality. There is a very fine line between these two, and sometimes these two are infused.
It has a beauty of its own.
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Forrest Gump in Brief
The story starts with a man named Forrest Gump (played by Tom Hanks) sitting at a bus stop and starts telling his story to a complete stranger.
He starts from the very beginning of his childhood. Forrest couldn’t walk at that time because of his leg braces. His spine was not normal, and these braces were to treat his condition.
His classmates used to bully him, but he couldn’t do anything. But after his braces got off, the young man realized that he could run faster than the kids of his age.
He participated in several sports events and ended up winning several trophies and medals. But it wasn’t enough. Later, he joined the U.S. Army and became friends with Benjamin.
They also started doing business, but in some miss happening, he died before Forrest made a promise to him.
Later he met a girl named Jenny (played by Robin Wright), and they became best friends. After some time, he proposes to her.
But Jenny has to leave the very next day. See, it’s life. Sometimes you have to go away from the person that you love, and the reason is utterly personal. It has nothing to do with your love or your relationship.
Later, he gets busy fulfilling his dream of Benjamin with Dan. Moreover, he also participated in a three-year marathon, and in the end, he met Jenny. He got her!
The world is a circle, and if it is meant to be, it will be. They got married, but Jenny died due to an unknown disease.
We see Forrest dropping his son at school.
So what happened to the bus stop guy? He met Jenny right after he finished telling the story. Yes, you will be confused about what happened in the past and what is happening now.
So, let’s see, what are the movies that have the same magic as Forrest Gump?
Catch Me If you Can (2002)
A typical thief and police story has a shocking and heartwarming climax. You must have seen Mr. & Mrs. Smith. Yes, the story is not about romance but a friendly bond.
They are not secret agents but fraud and FBI agents. Directed by Steven Spielberg, who recently won a Golden Globe Award the movie stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks, the never retiring actor. Yes, Tom Hanks is everywhere.
So, the story starts with Frank and his childhood. He grew up in a family where he had seen his father committing forgery and her mother cheating on his father.
He kind of fled from his house, but by then, he had mastered the art of forgery, and he decided to pursue it further.
The FBI got to know about it, and an agent named Carl was appointed to find him. He started searching for him. He found it, but Carl was successful in fooling him.
Later, he went to Spain and started a new life there and, after that, to his motherland.
This time Carl was determined to find him, and he did it! But the encounter was pretty different. He peacefully took him to his ancestral house.
Moreover, he informed me that his father had died. Frank was devastated. It was the very first time we saw him being emotional and seeing the normal and good side of a criminal.
He entered his house and saw that his mother was a married woman. Yes, it was the same man she was cheating on with.
After that, he surprisingly surrendered to Carl, and he was sentenced to prison. But his health started declining.
Carl became a regular visitor. He discussed a case with Frank and realized that Frank had tremendous knowledge about fraud and could help the FBI.
He got him a job in the FBI. But soon, Frank started feeling the pressure, but later, everything finally fell into place, and they started living a peaceful life.
Places in the Heart (1984)
This movie had a deep impact on my heart. I cannot even think how cruel life can sometimes be and how we sometimes become so strong that we just handle it one by one. The actors are Sally Field, Lindsay Crouse, Ed Harris, etc.
The story starts with a fine morning when Royce is out on an investigation. But unfortunately, he was killed by a young boy named Wylie. It was just an accident.
But people were furious, and they dragged him to death. The funeral of these two people was held on the very same day.
Royce’s wife, Edna, was confused. Thinking about how she will be able to handle everything. They had a cotton farm, and now she needed to take off everything, her kid, the finances, the loans, etc.
The bank gave her notice and advised her to sell the farm, which she refused. Several people came to help her, and some to disturb her, like Moze, who stole silver from her house.
However, he stuck to her until he realized that his life was in danger. The movie ends with people praying in a church.
The camera rolls, and we get to see each character in their pain, praying to god for peace.
The movie is about how that young lady, who was shivering to punish her child, overcame everything, and that is the beauty of movies like Forrest Gump.
It makes you realize your powers.
Good Morning Vietnam (1987)
“Good Morning Vietnam” is about a brave heart. It teaches us the very important lesson of how you should be brave enough to handle a larger criticism or resistance.
The movie is a war comedy and stars Robin Williams, whose career didn’t end on a good note. The story begins with Adrian, a DJ, appointed for a radio show in Vietnam.
On the first day at his work, he started the show by saying, “Good Morning, Vietnam.” Soon, his seniors notice that Adrian is making humorous comments on war and some controversial things.
They tried resisting him, but he continued. Later, he met a girl named Trinh, who was going to English class, and they developed a good friendship.
But some terrible incident happened to us. It was humiliating and racist. Adrian tried addressing this incident in his show, but his seniors denied it.
He did it anyway and got suspended. After that, several upsetting incidents took place, and they were forced to leave the country. Before leaving, he handed over a tape to one of his colleagues to be aired the next day.
It said, “Goodbye, Vietnam!
Life is Beautiful (1997)
I never thought that while talking about movies like Forrest Gump, I would come across this movie which is not at all happy but has a very spiritual meaning.
The director, Roberto Benigni, also acted in “Life is Beautiful.”
The story starts with a young man named Guido in Italy. He was out at work when he saw a beautiful girl named Dora.
Guido followed her and found that she was already engaged to a rich man that didn’t deserve her.
He promised her and kidnapped her from her wedding. Later, Guido and her beloved Dora got married and gave birth to her son.
Life was beautiful back then. But the Nazis took over the town, and all were arrested. The family was separated.
But Guido managed to inform her wife that everything was okay. It seemed that they would be leaving a happy ever after very soon.
But Guido was shot dead! His son was working hard to win a tank and to be free! He wasn’t aware of the death.
He came to his mother, happy to let her know that he had won a tank. The movie ends here!
Eternity & A Day (1998)
Movies similar to Forrest Gump also do one thing, and that is to remind us that we have only one life, and each person gets to make his own definition of their life.
The story of “Eternity & A Day” starts with an old poet named Alexandros. He is old and alone. His wife is dead, his daughter lives away, and he needs someone to take care of his dog before he leaves.
The best thing that happened to him is that while finding people who would love him, like his wife, he found himself.
Moreover, Alexandros was diagnosed with a disease that would soon take his life if he didn’t take care of it.
He went to visit his daughter and found out that she was not that attached to him. Later, he went on a journey to save the immigrant child he was raising.
It was this child who made him remind the young Alexandros and his ambitions in happy days.
In the end, he saw his dead wife and asked how long it would be, in reply to which she said that tomorrow would be an eternity and a day.
The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)
This is my favorite when it comes to movies similar to Forrest Gump. Yes, your favorite Will Smith, who is again a hot topic because of a joke, played the leading role with his own son Jaden Smith, the fashion icon. This movie was also nominated for Academy Awards and Golden Globe Awards.
The best thing about this movie is that you will learn the actual meaning of life, and that is to never give up and to just ride the ups and downs.
Chris is a poor salesman who is struggling to make his ends. His financial condition was also damaging his marital relationship.
His wife told him she would no longer be able to handle all these and left for New York to make money.
Yes, she left her son with her husband and eventually forgot about them. Meanwhile, Chris met with a businessman and eventually landed a million-dollar contract.
The movie ends with the father-son duo walking on the road laughing.
Eat, Pray, Love (2010)
This movie talked about the existential crisis at the time when we didn’t even know what it was.
The story begins with a beautiful young woman who has everything, a glamorous career, a loving husband, and a beautiful house.
But all these things weren’t enough to bring her that peace of mind she was craving. Sooner, she divorced her husband and went on a trip to Italy, India, and Bali.
In these three places, she gets to discover three aspects of herself that are the food lover in Italy, the spiritual self in India, and finding love in Bali.
The movie ends with her gathering courage and doing something that she was afraid of doing, and that is falling in love.
Into The Wild (2007)
“Into the Wild” shows that you just need one thought to get out of your comfort zone and discover your deeper and more peaceful self.
He gets out of the house, forgetting everything, and spends the rest of his life in the wild. Taking pictures of animals and being friends with them.
He meets people, too, who consider him mad. When asked about why he does that, he says it gives him peace.
You just have to watch this movie.
The Bucket List (2007)
A friend who understands his friend’s needs and emotions is priceless. “The Bucket List” is about people who belong to different financial backgrounds. But they biome friends and make a list of things they want to do before death.
Knowing that one friend has less than a year to live, the other one does everything to fulfill his dreams.
The reason I’m not describing these movies is that I really want you to see them. My explanation might spill the tea.
Wrapping Up
Some movies just give us peace, and some increase our heartbeat. I love both. Movies like Escape Room made me realize how some movies can actually make you feel that you are also a part of it.
Got boring weekends? Dive into the movie world and see the amazing human work.
