Really similar movies

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, or so says an old adage. You could also put it that there are just so many ideas out there. Whatever the case, movies pushed out by the Hollywood factory often are quite similar. I'm not talking about direct sequels/series or remakes or movies made by the same director, but completely separate films. A lot was said about the dueling volcano movies of Dante's Peak and Volcano or the dueling CGI kids movies about ants, A Bug's Life and Antz. Less was said about the "What is reality" concepts behind the Matrix and Existenz or the dueling brother cop movies We Own the Night and Pride and Glory. Anyhow, I saw a movie last week that, as I watched it, reminded me of a blockbuster from the 1990s. Here's a plot synopsis for you...

A caucasian boy is born in the south with birth defects that impair not only his ability to walk but his quality of life in general. With the support of his mother, he learns to walk and dramatically sheds his walking aids. He meets the love of his life at a very young age who then leaves him all alone. As the boy becomes an adolescent, he decides to join the military, going from a Meanwhile, the man reaches adulthood, and puts in a wartime stint in the U.S. military. During this stint, the man proves at first an indifferent asset, but during his one firefight, he turns out to be very valuable, saving the day singlehandedly, while also witnessing the death of one of his best friends. The man also spends much time on a small ocean vessel, serving alongside a rowdy, grizzled, hard-drinking man of the sea. This salty sailor serves as one of our man’s two best male friends; the other is a black man who first teaches our man the lessons of friendship before departing forever.

Our man wanders all around the world, his life brushing up against key historical moments of the 20th century. At some point he returns to his childhood home, and his mother dies. The man comes into considerable wealth through blind luck. Around this time, his lifelong love returns from her adventures, ready to commit to him. During their brief time together, they conceive a child. The couple part ways, due to the woman’s perceived inability to take care of the man. He does not raise the child through its early years but later makes an appearance in its life. The woman eventually dies in bed from illness. The man’s later years are hardly touched on, even though the movie has lavished much attention on his early and middle years.

The entire story dwells repeatedly on the theme of life’s uncertainty and, in contrast, on the notion of fate or coincidence. The film’s symbol for these themes is a small object seen hovering improbably in the air. A narrative frame scene punctuates the story, as does the main character’s drawling first person narration.

So I'll ask you, what movie is this??

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