13 Movies That Contradict Their Own Message
7. Forrest Gump
The Intended Message: Optimism and hard work will ensure a happy life.
The Real Message: Never question anything and have an easy life.
If you grew up on Forrest Gump, you probably figured it was simply a sweet, charming movie about a slow-witted yet charming man whose optimistic outlook and steadfast work ethic allowed him to live a fulfilling life.
And then you watched it as an adult.
Viewed with a wiser mind, a more insidious message emerges, that Robert Zemeckis' Best Picture Oscar winner isn't so much a paean to Forrest's hard graft, but rather a tribute to the merits of being blindly loyal and questioning nothing.
Forrest does what he's told without protest and stumbles from success to success, which some have interpreted as representing a Conservative political agenda, juxtaposed against the tragic downfall of his more liberal-leaning childhood friend Jenny (Robin Wright).
It's still a charming-as-hell movie if you can temporarily forget that convincing interpretation, which rather flies in the face of the more quaint and earnest message that was clearly intended.