Forrest Gump: Philip Carruso

Forrest Gump

Nearly a decade after it earned gazillions and swept the Oscars, Robert Zemeckis' ode to 20th-century America still represents one of cinema's most clearly drawn lines in the sand. One half of folks see it as an artificial piece of pop melodrama, while everyone else raves that it's sweet as a box of chocolates. Really, though, it doesn't matter what you think when Alan Silvestri's score swells with a stringy sentiment that screams ''Try not to cry now, pal!''

KLEENEX MOMENT Forrest visits Jenny's grave underneath their tree in Greenbow, Ala. ''I miss you, Jenny,'' he says. ''If there's anything you need, I won't be far away.'' (Cue: sobbing jag…or mocking gag.)

WHY WE TEAR-JERKED IT In the spirit of the tearjerker -- the most manipulative of film genres -- we did it to provoke a response. We knew its absence would elicit letters. Lo and behold, it worked.