Do not tell Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan that "life is like a box of chocolates." He might be liable to snap about it. There's a massive legion of Forrest Gump fans out there in the world and he's not one of them. All the stuff about Jenny or Lieutenant Dan or Bubba, can't stand it. I've certainly grown weary of it over the years, partially because of the likelihood I'll be stuck with it on cable. The other half is that the more movies I watched in my life, the more it lost its luster in my eyes. But Sheridan really seems to hate it. How come?
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Back in 2024, he went on the Joe Rogan Experience for a lengthy 3+ hour conversation. One of the many topics they touch on sees the Landman creator admit that he can't stand Forrest Gump. Ultimately, his argument lies in a fundamental issue he has as a filmmaker.
"For me, the holy grail as a storyteller is entertain, educate, and enlighten. Don't give anybody answers, just lots of questions to think about - that's my job. Because I can't stand to pay money to have someone preach to me their ideas," Sheridan explains.
Taylor Sheridan Loathes Forrest Gump
Consequently, Forrest Gump rubs him the wrong way. Moreover, he argues that it's pretty demeaning to its audience too.
"That's the reason I hated Forrest Gump... this doddering f**king idiot is the only guy who can figure out the world? Everybody else around him... he's just gonna go on a f**king run across America and everyone's gonna follow him and that's gonna heal the country? I just was like, 'What is this sh*t?'" Sheridan says.
When he puts it like that, I can't necessarily argue with him. That doesn't even account for the shoddy characterization of Jenny or its insidious portrayal of the Black Panther party. Sheridan makes a pretty good point, it makes the audience seem like a bunch of goobers too. All I know for certain is that Pulp Fiction and Shawshank Redemption are far superior films.
