Movies often live or die by how compelling their characters are. While likeable characters are an easy sell, sometimes a film can succeed with despicable, deplorable, or downright hateable people on the screen.
Some characters are hated because of how evil they are, a la Hannibal Lecter or Col. Hans Landa. Then there are characters whose basic entities are so annoying that they can only inspire hatred. Think of Jar Jar Binks or that lady Indiana Jones romances in The Temple of Doom.
But there is a special type of hated character, one who we desperately want to root for despite the God-awful choices they continually make. We watch and hope that they’ll get a chance to do the right thing, but when the moment comes, they fail again, enraging us for even bothering to care. In this instance, I’m talking about Jenny (Robin Wright) from Robert Zemeckis' Oscar winning film, Forrest Gump (1994).
Perhaps the most disliked character in all of cinema history, Jenny Curran is Forrest’s (Tom Hanks) friend and love interest who constantly finds herself in and out of his life. Some of Jenny’s notable offenses include getting mad at Forrest when he defends her, constantly dating toxic men, taking dangerous drugs, leading Forrest on, abandoning him, having his child without telling him, and only returning when she is dying.
Couple that with the fact that Forrest is both mentally challenged and one of the kindest protagonists you’ll ever root for, and it’s easy to see why Jenny is still passionately despised by audiences nearly thirty years later.
On the other hand, this distaste has become so strong that she has perhaps gotten far more hatred than she deserves. Admittedly, many of her offenses would be awful for any person to make, much less a supposed friend. She’ll also always fall morally short when compared to Forrest himself. However, the same could be said for nearly every character in the film, save maybe Mrs. Gump (Sally Field) or Bubba (Mykelti Williamson).
If you pick apart Jenny as a character, you’ll find that she’s not just flawed, but struggling to discern her own identity like so many other young people of the time. While nowhere near the best character, Jenny is human and does not deserve the copious amount of animosity she always seems to receive.
To understand Jenny, one must start with the tragic upbringing that would dictate her course throughout life. When she’s only five years old, her mother dies, leaving her alone with her father. But unlike Forrest, who's left to a caring single parent, Jenny’s dad (Kevin Mangan) is an awful man. He abuses his daughter in multiple ways and provides a horrific upbringing that would leave anyone traumatized.
His violence eventually boils over, leading to the famous scene where young Jenny and Forrest hide in a nearby field. As she kneels in the grass, Jenny begs God to turn her into a bird so that she can fly away from her awful life. In doing so, she not only pleads for peace but for the chance to experience an outside world that must be better than her own.
Unsurprisingly then, Jenny becomes enthralled with the secular world that’s far broader than her hometown in Alabama. The endless possibilities and blossoming culture create a wonderland for Jenny to get lost in, which she soon does.
Yet, Jenny’s traumatic past causes her to keep searching in that outside world, even when she should just return to the safety of Forrest. Abandoning him is an awful act, but Jenny’s decision is understandable given how her past molded her into a wandering spirit.
Also, Jenny’s exit from Alabama instills her with the aspiration to find her place in a world that's wider than it has ever been. Both Jenny and Forrest find themselves growing up in one of the most complex times in American history. Popular culture has surged since the 50’s, as exemplified by the film’s musical cameos.
Politics are also complicated, as America embarks on several wars that its citizens don’t understand. The ensuing mix of entertainment, radical changes, and political movements becomes something nobody had quite seen before, while Forrest and Jenny get to wander the front lines.
To Jenny, and most of America, this seems like a land of unlimited opportunities. As she goes to college and expands her worldview, she becomes an idealist, dreaming of the difference she can make in the world. Taking inspiration from Joan Baez, she tries to become a folk singer, but fails, compromising her integrity and body at the same time.
Afterwards, she joins several movements and travels the country, but never quite fits in anywhere. She continues to personify that bird that she prayed to be, flocking from job to job and group to group, but never making the impact that she dreamt she would.
This search culminates in the infamous “Free Bird” hotel scene. After becoming addicted to drugs, Jenny’s unfulfilled dreams finally sink in.
At a hotel, she gets out of bed, which she shares with an unnamed lover, and walks to her outdoor patio. As wind ensnarls her hair, she steps up to the railing and looks out on the world that has treated her so poorly. Tempted to finally become that bird, Jenny considers jumping before backing down.
Ultimately, Jenny represents many youthful dreamers of the time who eventually compromised with drugs and alcohol before fizzling into nothing. She is no worse than the thousands of other idealists who saw an opportunity to make a difference before being swallowed by the unfurling culture that inspired them.
Ironically, Forrest’s life becomes the exact opposite of Jenny’s. He has no interest in affecting pop culture or history, yet unknowingly plays an enormous role throughout both over the next few decades. He meets stars and presidents, plays football and ping pong, and saves the lives of multiple people. Because of the values his mom instilled in him, he’s never sucked into the swarm around him and becomes one of the most influential people of all time.
Yet, Forrest doesn’t do this alone. Although Jenny leaves him repeatedly, it’s her friendship with Forrest that fosters many of his great achievements. Early in the film, when young Forrest takes the school bus for the first time, he’s rejected by every kid for his glaring disabilities.
However, Jenny eagerly befriends him and later offers the best advice he’ll ever receive: “Run Forrest, Run!”
It’s been quoted endlessly since, but Jenny’s simple advice plays an integral part in Forrest’s life. Through running, Forrest not only breaks out of his awkward braces, but also establishes a solid future. He earns a scholarship, something he would never have received otherwise, and becomes a college sports icon soon after.
But Jenny never stops helping Forrest, even if she only appears sporadically. When she meets Forrest before he ships out for Vietnam, she repeats her advice, showing that she never ceased to care for her friend.
Sure enough, Forrest keeps running and becomes a national hero due to Jenny’s advice. He partakes in other adventures on his own but would never have reached those opportunities without his childhood friend.
Now, Jenny’s advice does not equate to everything Forrest does for her. But remember, Forrest is a person of unbridled kindness and almost no one can match his great deeds. What her advice does though, is show that Jenny never stops caring about her best friend.
As Jenny grows up, her heart becomes filled with dreams and hopes for all that her life could be. While she never reaches those heights, Forrest does, just not alone. When Jenny lays in her bed dying, she tells Forrest that she wishes she could’ve been with him on his adventures. He responds, “You were.”
And he’s right. No matter where he goes, Forrest always thinks about Jenny, even writing to her in Vietnam and hoping that she’s okay.
Sadly, she often isn’t. Jenny never quite finds her place in the world, but she does seem to find peace by marrying Forrest before her death. While Jenny lives a tragic life, her reunion with her friend is nothing short of cathartic. Yet through her friendly advice, she inadvertently changes the world in ways she couldn’t imagine.
Jenny’s character certainly isn’t the most likeable on screen heroine. But she is extremely human, chasing dreams and constantly falling short. Further, her advice helps Forrest lead an amazing life.
Her tragic past dictates so much of her life, but her choices are still her own, leading to her downfall. Jenny’s not only more sympathetic than you might realize, but she’s also more relatable than you might even admit.
Her mistakes are frustratingly superfluous, but there’s an inspiration to her character as well. Despite all her flaws, she has a tantalizing appetite for big dreams, something so few people can match.
Her free spirit and kind soul propel Forrest to become an iconic figure in a multitude of ways. She’s not perfect, but Jenny is the freewheeling embodiment of the 20th century’s second half, which she soars through like the bird she is.
