From the point of view that this is the first time that I have watched this movie, it takes me through a myriad of history, and Tom Hanks played the role of a veteran/ex-pro ping pong player/national icon. Not only was this movie a great presentation of lots of U.S. history, but it keeps the watchers laughing with Tom Hanks and his deep south accent. Despite all the troubles “Forest Gump” has to deal with in his lifetime, his relationship with Jenny is heart breaking, how she leaves him time and time again, and chooses the wrong path too many times. If Forest was smart in the movie, it would have made it much harder to deal with, so keeping Forest dimwitted was a smart move on the directors part. All in all, I loved the movie. It cut to the core of me and moved me. It even made my brother cry. I would recommend this movie to anyone 13 and up, just because seeing the effects of the movie on my brother, you would have to understand more about that time in history and the more adult-sided topics and drug references are meant for older ages. I would rate this movie 4 and 1/2 stars.