Film Review: Everything Must Go

Overall rating: ★★★☆☆

  Nick is a hopeless, incompetent, lazy, jobless alcoholic. I wouldn't even want to imagine living with such a father or a husband. While Nick does show some transitions throughout the movie, still, I don't like the character that much. How he is depicted in the film arouses more of sympathy and pity than of repulsion, but however cold-hearted I may sound, I think he deserves to be punished by being fired, divorced, or betrayed by his friend. To me, it just seemed that he didn't try hard enough to fight alcoholism. He was in a favourable circumstance in which his friend offered help, and yet, he merely expresses irritation and annoyance at disasters that suddenly fall upon him. Does Nick overcome his challenge in the end? Does he have hope? Well, I still doubt whether he had entirely fought off his difficulty.

  About the film, I think Ferrell's acting was mediocre. His acting wasn't fabulous, I would say, as it gets somewhat boring in the middle, but he succeeded in conveying Nick's character through his lukewarm attitude or manner of speech. One drawback regarding the casting was the black boy. Not only was his acting clumsy, but his character still remains oblivious until the end. The black boy could definitely have added more spark to the film with better acting or more distinct character.
  In overall, it was an okay film! 

Forrest Gump (1)

It was a light, enjoyable reading so far. Looking at things from the unique perspective was fresh in itself. The part that drew my attention was Forrest’s going to the movies with Jenny Curran. While watching a movie that involved a lot of killing scenes, Forrest laughs because he thinks it is silly to shoot and kill each other in such a way:

  It is a movie about two people, a man an a lady called Bonnie an Clyde that robbed 

banks an they was some interestin other people in it also. But it was a lot of killin an 

shootin an shit like that, too. It seemed to me funny that folks would be shootin an killin 

one another that way, so's I laughed a lot when that went on, an whenever I did, Jenny 

Curran seemed to squnch down in her seat a lot.

If there was such a person, my immediate reaction would also be, “Is he out of his mind? How can he laugh at this point?” But reading this paragraph, I paused for a while because it seemed that indeed, killing and shooting each other is unbelievably ridiculous. This laugh also reminded me of my own experience of volunteering for mentally weak people. One thing I noticed about them is that they laugh very often, even at things that others normally take for granted. Maybe those people just habitually laugh, but there’s also a chance that there are reasons for why they are laughing just like Forrest Gump.

And also, Forrest’s naïve reaction when he accidentally rips Jenny’s dress and tries to manage the situation which freaks Jenny out also reminded me of what happened to me before. It was some several years ago, so it has become a faint memory, but there was one particular person at the center for disabled people that made me feel uncomfortable. At first, when he kept trying to touch me, I didn’t avoid him. But I began to feel uncomfortable and I suspected him of intentionally trying to touch me. But now that I look from Forrest’s perspective, his actions are that of very natural, childlike reactions in hope of giving a hand. Although my situation doesn’t fit exactly with this episode, perhaps it was only I who felt awkward at that moment.

Although not my favorite way of narration, Forrest Gump is surely an enjoyable, relaxing book. I don’t know if it would be “enlightening” in any way, but all books aren’t meant to convey a lesson! = )

* short note: Frankly speaking, if I were a girl, I wouldn't hang out with someone like Forrest Gump. I'd be too embarrassed! Unbelievable how a beautiful girl like Jenny so kindly befriends Forrest...