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The Vietnam rally

It was hard to come up with more than three candidates. The first is Forrest playing football, with a clip, and a tangent on Forrest as a kick returner against Devin Hester and Desmond Howard: he has no escapability, runs in a straight line and turns left like a car, so Alabama's blocking schemes deserve credit, and he is dubbed the best white kick returner ever.

There are only two football scenes and a host could have watched a hundred; Bear Bryant's reaction when Forrest breaks one is loved. One host did not know the coach was meant to be Bear Bryant on first viewing, the hat now gives it away; Alabama football was down when the film came out and is back, and the school was a smart choice because it carried Bear Bryant and the integration material.

"life is like a box of chocolates you never know what you're going to get"

The nominated lines are the box of chocolates line, 'you don't know what love is', which is a really mean thing to say to somebody, 'sorry i had a fight at your black panther rally', 'stupid is as stupid does' and 'I'm not a smart man but I know what love is'. Both hosts agree the box of chocolates line is the signature quote of the movie, though pop culture instantly made it a cliche. Nearly an hour in, the hosts are proud that neither has done a Forrest Gump accent.

The film

Forrest Gump (1994)

Directed by Robert Zemeckis · Comedy / Drama

142 minutes

Cast

Selected cast credits · Film reference

Tom Hanks Forrest Gump
Michael Conner Humphreys young Forrest Gump
Robin Wright Jenny Curran
Hanna R. Hall young Jenny Curran
Gary Sinise Lieutenant Dan Taylor
Mykelti Williamson Benjamin Buford "Bubba" Blue
Sally Field Mrs. Gump
Haley Joel Osment Forrest Gump Jr
Peter Dobson Elvis Presley
Dick Cavett himself

Everything from the episode

In the order the hosts got to it. Open a row for the discussion.

Sources

The episode

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Movie facts

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Mentions across The Rewatchables

Recorded movie reference

Apollo 13

The Rewatchables · aired August 25, 2026

Forrest Gump is listed in the sourced research for this episode. The precise discussion has not been linked yet.