Forrest Gump (1994)

Forrest Gump, while not intelligent, has accidentally been present at many historic moments, but his true love, Jenny Curran, eludes him.

Director:

Robert Zemeckis

Writers:

Winston Groom (novel), Eric Roth (screenplay)

Stars:

Tom Hanks, Sally Field, Robin Wright

Top 250 #18 | Won 6 Oscars. Another 38 wins & 44 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tom Hanks	...	Forrest Gump
Rebecca Williams	...	Nurse at Park Bench
Sally Field	...	Mrs. Gump
Michael Conner Humphreys	...	Young Forrest
Harold G. Herthum	...	Doctor (as Harold Herthum)
George Kelly	...	Barber
Bob Penny	...	Crony
John Randall	...	Crony
Sam Anderson	...	Principal
Margo Moorer	...	Louise
Ione M. Telech	...	Elderly Woman
Christine Seabrook	...	Elderly Woman's Daughter
John Worsham	...	Southern Gentleman / Landowner
Peter Dobson	...	Young Elvis Presley
Siobhan Fallon	...	School Bus Driver (as Siobhan J. Fallon)

Storyline

Forrest Gump is a simple man with a low I.Q. but good intentions. He is running through childhood with his best and only friend Jenny. His 'mama' teaches him the ways of life and leaves him to choose his destiny. Forrest joins the army for service in Vietnam, finding new friends called Dan and Bubba, he wins medals, creates a famous shrimp fishing fleet, inspires people to jog, starts a ping-pong craze, create the smiley, write bumper stickers and songs, donating to people and meeting the president several times. However, this is all irrelevant to Forrest who can only think of his childhood sweetheart Jenny Curran. Who has messed up her life. Although in the end all he wants to prove is that anyone can love anyone.

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Plot Keywords:

love | bus stop | running | bus | simple man | 

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Taglines:

Life is like a box of chocolates...you never know what you're gonna get.

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for drug content, some sensuality and war violence

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 July 1994 (USA)

Also Known As:

Форрест Гамп

Filming Locations:

Ambassador Hotel - 3400 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$55,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£11,302,303 (UK) (11 November 1994)

Gross:

£15,803,823 (UK) (14 April 1995)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

142 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In Vietnam, Forrest was assigned to 4th Platoon (LT. Dan welcomes him and Bubba), Alpha Company, 2nd Battalion, 47th Infantry Regiment (as seen in the wooden sign by the tent), 9th Infantry Division (shoulder patch).

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Goofs

When Forrest is in the hospital with a butt injury, he is given back all the letters he wrote to Jenny. On the first envelope, the zip code of her address is 39902. On the second envelope, the zip code is 96602. The third and remaining zip codes are again 39902.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Forrest Gump: Hello. My name's Forrest, Forrest Gump. You want a chocolate?

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Connections

Referenced in Saturday Night Live: Scarlett Johansson/Arcade Fire (2010)

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Soundtracks

"Sweet Home Alabama"
(1974)
by Ronnie Van Zant, Edward King (as Ed King) & Gary Rossington
Performed by Lynyrd Skynyrd
Courtesy of MCA Records

User Reviews

The zen of Forrest Gump.

This is a powerful yet charming movie; fun for its special effects and profound in how it keeps you thinking long after it's over. Like others, I've seen this movie more than once. One comment I've never heard is that Forrest's simplicity is almost zen-like. I should read the novel to get the author's intention (I remember some people preferring the book and complaining that no one at the Academy Awards gave him any credit.) But rather than an implication that you should do what you're supposed to do and believe in God and you'll win in the end, I see it as zen-like, i.e., living in the moment and not having expectations or particular cravings (other than his loving Jenny.) So he ends up just stumbling into all the major historical events of the time. Granted, he achieves this only because he doesn't have the brains to think otherwise and actually have expectations, but so many of our problems are because we do have higher intellect and desires, which ironically makes us unhappy because we know what we are missing. We love our cats and dogs for the same simplicity and always being in the moment. There's a line in the movie wondering if everything is predestined or happens randomly or it's a combination of both. It is something to mull over for a long time.