5. Forrest Gump
Watching Forrest Gump is the perfect way to experience all the major events of the second half of the twentieth century. Through the eyes of an earnest, special needs man from the South we see the Vietnam War, Watergate, and a number of other significant times in American history. While Forrest isn't a real person, his story is historical fiction at its best, turning the past into a living breathing tapestry of human emotion. Sure, it's a little hard to swallow that this one guy was present for most of the major events of the 60s, 70s, and 80s, but it almost doesn't matter. It's a great way to remember all the incredible things (both good and bad) that have happened over the past fifty years.