It’s hard to believe, but it’s been more than 30 years since moviegoers first watched Forrest Gump sit down on that Georgia bus stop bench and utter a phrase that would go on to become one of the most iconic lines in cinema history. You know the one. Say it with us now:
“My momma always said, ‘Life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.'”
Audiences immediately fell in love with Tom Hanks‘ Forrest as they watched his fantastical life unspool in the Robert Zemeckis-directed flick, taking him from one incredible moment in history (the desegregation of the University of Alabama) to the next (inadvertently uncovering the break-in at the Watergate Hotel).
The film, released on July 6, 1994, was the first to come along and unseat The Lion King from No. 1, where the Disney hit had reigned for three weeks, and stayed there for 10 straight weeks. Basically, it went on a run almost as impressive as Forrest’s cross-country jaunt.
