Forrest Gump

Forrest Gump is the lead character of the eponymous 1985 novel by Winston Groom, and of the 1994 Paramount Pictures film based on the novel. The film was a huge commercial success, although Paramount, in line with Hollywood accounting, claimed it was a commercial failure, and did not pay Groom his share of the profits. As such, Groom has refused to allow the novel's sequel, Gump and Co., to be filmed, stating that he could not in good conscience sell the rights to film the sequel to a failure. The film garnered a total of 13 Academy Award nominations, of which it won 6, including Best Picture and Best Director. The film differs substantially from the book on which it was based.

Divergence from the novel

Much of the beginning of the film is the same in the book, albeit Zemeckis's Gump is far more placid and naïve than Groom's abrasive, judgmental cynic; the film's quote of "Life is like a box of chocolates" wholly reverses the novel's sentiment of "Being an idiot is no box of chocolates".

Related Topics:
Judgment - Cynic

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While Forrest's father is described as "going on vacation" in the movie, it is revealed near the beginning of the book that his father was actually killed by a falling crate of bananas.

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Unlike in the movie, Forrest is described as an idiot savant and has extraordinary talent in numerical calculation. One memorable example of this is in college, when Forrest receives an "A" in his physics course and an "F" in physical education.

Related Topics:
Idiot savant - Physics - Physical education

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Gump does not marry Jenny in the book. He does, however, form a band called Cracked Eggs with her at one point.

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Gump never meets Lt. Dan until he is in the hospital in Vietnam. In the novel, Lt. Dan is not a professional soldier, but a drafted teacher. He had no wish to die in combat and is more of a philosopher. Bubba is white and was previously on the football team with Forrest.

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Forrest does not actively sell shrimp; rather, he has a small shrimp hatchery and builds success upon that. Bubba's father helps him get started.

Related Topics:
Shrimp - Hatchery

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Forrest also has many other adventures in the book that are not mentioned in the movie. During his trip to China, he rescues Chairman Mao from drowning in the Yangtze River. Later in the book, Forrest becomes an astronaut and crash-lands on a small jungle island in New Guinea with his crew. He also becomes a wrestler, a champion chess player, and even stars in a movie with Raquel Welch.

Related Topics:
Chairman Mao - Yangtze River - Astronaut - Jungle - Island - New Guinea - Wrestler - Chess - Raquel Welch

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Jenny does not get AIDS in the book, and does not die, either.

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