Forrest Gump 2

The world has changed a lot since 1986. That was the year that the novel Forrest Gump was published. The story, made more famous by the 1994 film of the same name, which retells American history in the 20th century through the eyes of the title character who lived through it all. For years, I thought it would be good, even though I do not usually like sequels, to bring back Tom Hanks for a follow up of what has happened to Forrest since the first movie ended, and now could be a good time to do it.

Forrest was there for all the big events since the 50s. He inspired Elvis' dance moves as a kid, he met the president, he served in Vietnam, he met the president again, he went to China for a ping-pong tournament, he met the president again, he exposed the Watergate scandal to the hotel staff, he was there for it all. From civil rights, to AIDS, Forrest Gump was a part of every significant event in those years, coincidentally. With a coincidental life like that, I can't help but wonder if that fate continues with the other historical events that happened since.

Lieutenant Dan was smart to invest in "some fruit company" as Apple continued to innovate in the 21st century. With the release of iPods and, more recently iPads, they will not have to worry about money for a long time. This is good for them because Bubba-Gump Shrimp Company is not doing so hot. Their business took a hit with hurricane Katrina, and is virtually wiped out by the gulf coast oil spill.

There are many other important events that his life will be intertwined with since then as well. Did he do something to expose Bill Clinton's affair? Did he expose O.J. Simpson? Did he have a chance encounter with a young Barack Obama that influenced the future president's life? Where was he when Kurt Cobain died? Did he cast a hanging-chad ballot in Florida in 2000? Where was he on the morning of September 11, 2001? Did he go back to China to play ping-pong in the Bejing Olympics? Where was he when America elected its first black president? Did he ever meet the King of Pop?

As history keeps going on, there will always be ups and downs, but the first Forrest Gump movie provided a good retrospective to help us remember both the good and the bad. I am not a fan of sequels or making more movies with familiar characters to milk as much money out of a franchise as possible, but I would like to see America's leading man come back as the man who lived through more of America than he can fathom, once again, but this time look back on things that I happened in my life time and that I remember. Momma always said life is like a box of chocolates, and this past couple decades have provided more than anyone could possibly know they would get.