Forrest Gump (Comedy/Drama) (1994)

"Life is like a box of chocolates: You never know what you're going to get."

Main Characters
Forrest Gump..........Tom Hanks
He is not particularly smart but is, however, incredibly kind, decent, and over the course of his life, quite lucky.

Jenny..........................Robin Wright
Forrest's most important friend from early childhood. She remains his friend for over 35 years even if they lead
very different lives.

Mama Gump............Sally Field

Forrest's loving mother who will do everything she can to give Forrest a good life.

Lieutenant Dan........Gary Siniese

An army officer that Forrest meets while he is serving in the Vietnam war. Dan becomes a loyal friend of Forrest.

Bubba.........................Mykelti Williamson
A poor fisherman and another friend that Forrest makes in Vietnam.

Plot Summary
Forrest Gump is the story of an incredibly kind and gentle person. It is true that he is not too smart, but this does
not stop him from having a rich and fulfilling life, thanks to the relationships he builds and to a bit of…luck. Forrest
is born and raised in rural Alabama, in the Southern United States in the 1950s. He grows up with his mother, who
rents out rooms in the family house to people travelling through the area.
Despite the fact that he grows up far from any major cities, Forrest manages to become personally involved in
most of the major events that take place in American History from the late 1950s until the early 1980s. This includes
the Vietnam War, the Watergate Scandal, the Civil Rights and Anti-Vietnam War protest movements, and the
Computer Revolution. Forrest even meets three American Presidents as well as Elvis Presley and John Lennon. In a
way, this movie is a look at a period of American history through the eyes of a gentle soul.

It is also about the relationships that Forrest develops through his life. With his mother, who will do anything for
him, with his two best friends from his days in the army, Bubba and Lieutenant Dan, and most of all, with Jenny, his
first and only love. Jenny experiences the changes in American culture from a totally different point of view than
Forrest. She joins the various protest movements and subcultures of the 1960s and 70s, but she never forgets her
childhood friend, whose sincerity, kindness and loyalty are truly unique.

Part 1
While you watch, take note of the following historical events that Forrest mentions. Choose the correct
alternative
1) Forrest got his name from a man called Nathan Bedford Forrest, who was:
 a general of the Civil War  a leader of the Ku Klux Klan

2) When he was a boy, a famous guest stays at their house. Who was it?
 Elvis Presley  Frank Sinatra

3) In 1963, when Forrest goes to the University of Alabama:

 the first African-American students can enter the university
 the first European students can enter the university
4) As part of the All-American Football Team, which President of the USA does Forrest meet?
 Lyndon Johnson  John Fitzgerald Kennedy

5) After the assassination of J.F. Kennedy, Forrest mentions the assassination of another person.
Who?
 Martin Luther King  J.F. Kennedy’s brother Robert

6) After college, Forrest enrols in the army and is sent to fight:

 in the Korean War  in the Vietnam War

After you watch, put the following events in Forrest’s life in the right order:

 During his military training, Forrest and Jenny don’t see each other very often. Jenny wants to become a famous
singer and she travels around the USA. Forrest loves Jenny but she is not in love with him. The army sends Forrest
and Bubba to Vietnam to fight in the war. Here, they meet their commander Lieutenant Dan, who will also play a
very important part in Forrest’s life.

 On the first day of school, on the bus, he meets a girl called Jenny, who quickly becomes his best friend. (He says
that they go together “like peas and carrots”). Forrest is often bullied by some boys. To escape from the bullies,
he follows Jenny’s advice to “Run, Forrest! Run!”. He discovers that he can run very fast!

 After college, some army officers invite him to join the army. On the army bus, he meets a man called “Bubba”.
Bubba is an African-American of poor origins (his family are fishermen). They immediately become very good
friends. In the army, Forrest is an excellent soldier.

 Forrest Gump begins his story in a doctor’s office. He is getting a new pair of “shoes” - leg braces, because he
has a problem with his back. We also learn that he has some learning difficulties but his mother doesn’t want him
to go to a ‘special’ school, she wants to make sure he goes to a regular school to allow him to have the same
opportunities as everyone else.

 Because he can run very fast, after High School he wins a Football scholarship and becomes a member of the
All-American Football Team. This gives him the opportunity to meet the president of the United States! Jenny is
still a very important part of Forrest’s life although she goes to a different university.

A – What do you think “like peas and carrots” means. Is there a similar expression in your language?
B – Do children with special needs go to ‘special’ schools or regular schools in your country?
Have things changed in the USA since Forrest Gump was a child? Find out in the first paragraph of this article:
https://commons.trincoll.edu/edreform/2012/05/the-education-for-all-handicapped-children-act-a-faltering-step-
towards-integration/
C – What is a ‘scholarship’? Do they exist in your country?

PART 2
1. Before you watch: Here are some other historical events that are mentioned in the film. Match the pictures to
the events.

1. 2. 3.
4. 5. 6.

2. While you watch: Number the events in the order in which they appear in the film:

A. President Johnson gives a medal of honour to Vietnam veterans.

B. President Nixon resigns after the Watergate Scandal.
C. Hippies travel around the United States spreading their message of love “Make Love, not War”
D. Thousands of people gather in Washington to protest against the Vietnam war.
E. Neil Armstrong lands on the moon.
F. The Black Panthers, a political movement which fights against racial
segregation and oppression.

After you watch: Fill in the blanks with the words in the boxes to complete a summary of the most important
events in Forrest’s life in this part of the film.

ATTACK – BULLET – DIES - SAVES - LEGS – MEDAL- PING PONG- PROTEST

In Vietnam, during an ....................... to his platoon, he ..................... a lot of men, including Lieutenant Dan.
Unfortunately, he is not able to save his good friend Bubba, who .......................

Forrest is wounded, too: a ...................... hits him in his buttocks so he must spend time in hospital to recover.

In hospital, he discovers that Lieutenant Dan has lost both his ......................... and is not happy that Forrest saved
him. To while away the time, he starts playing ................................. and he becomes an excellent player.

Forrest then goes to Washington where he receives a ........................... of Honour from President Johnson. In
Washington, thousands of people have organised a .............................. against the Vietnam war.

CRAZY - FURIOUS – INTERVIEW - PARTY – PROMISE

Here, he meets Jenny again. She is with her boyfriend who is an activist in the war. Jenny takes Forrest to
a ............................ where there are also some members of the Black Panthers. Her boyfriend is very violent and
hits her and this makes Forrest ................................. In the end, Jenny goes back to Berkley with her boyfriend and
Forrest goes back to playing table-tennis.

He is so good at the sport, that he is sent to China to play against the Chinese team. He becomes very popular and
when he returns, he goes to New York for an ............................ on a TV show. Sitting next to him is the famous
songwriter John Lennon who is inspired by Forrest’s words to write the song “Imagine”.

After the show, he meets Lieutenant Dan, who is not doing very well. He is disabled, not happy with his life and has
become an alcoholic. They spend New Year’s Eve together. Forrest tells Lieutenant Dan that he is going to keep
the ........................ he made to Bubba to go to Bayou La Batre and buy a shrimp boat. Lieutenant Dan thinks
he’s ....................., but as Forrest says: “A promise is a promise, Lieutenant Dan”.
PART 3
After you watch: For numbers 1-10, circle the right option A or B to complete a timeline of what happens to Forrest
in this part of the film.

Forrest is discharged from the army.

1 A. He buys a shrimping boat. B. He goes to work for Bubba’s

family.

2 A. Lieutenant Dan goes back to the B. Lieutenant Dan helps Forrest

army. on his boat.

3 A. Their boat survives a hurricane. B. Their boat is destroyed in a

hurricane.

4 A. They lose all their money. B. They open “Bubba Gump Shrimp”
and become billionaires.

5 A. Forrest goes home because his B. Forrest goes home because

mum is sick. Jenny is sick.

6 A. He gets a job in a restaurant. B. He gets a job cutting grass.

7 A. Lieutenant Dan invests Forrest’s B. Lieutenant Dan invests Forrest’s

money in a computer company. money in a fruit company.

8 A. Lieutenant Dan steals all of B. Forrest is very generous and

Forrest’s money. donates a lot of money.

9 A. Jenny comes home to stay with B. Jenny gets married to another man.
Forrest.

10 A. One day, Jenny has an accident B. One day, Jenny leaves Forrest
and dies. without saying anything.

Forrest is devastated....

PART 4
While you watch: Number (1-6) the quotes from the film in the order in which you hear them.

Forrest: You could come home with me, to my house in Greenbow, Jenny. You and
little Forrest. I'll take care of you if you're sick.
Jenny: Will you marry me, Forrest?
Forrest: [long pause] Okay.

Forrest: I'm pretty tired... I think I'll go home now.

 Jenny: His name's Forrest.
Forrest: Like me.
Jenny: I named him after his daddy.
Forrest: He got a daddy named Forrest, too?
Jenny: You're his daddy, Forrest.

Forrest: “That day, for no particular reason, I decided to go for a little run. So I ran to the end of
the road. And when I got there, I thought maybe I'd run to the end of town. And when I got
there, I thought maybe I'd just run across Greenbow County. And I figured, since I run this far,
maybe I'd just run across the great state of Alabama. And that's what I did. I ran clear across
Alabama. For no particular reason I just kept on going. I ran clear to the ocean. And when I got
there, I figured, since I'd gone this far, I might as well turn around, just keep on going. When I
got to another ocean, I figured, since I'd gone this far, I might as well just turn back, keep right
on going.”

Jenny: Were you scared in Vietnam?

Forrest: Yes. Well, I-I don't know. Sometimes it would stop raining long enough for the stars to
come out... and then it was nice. It was like just before the sun goes to bed down on the bayou.
There was always a million sparkles on the water... like that mountain lake. It was so clear, Jenny, it
looked like there were two skies one on top of the other. And then in the desert, when the sun
comes up, I couldn't tell where heaven stopped and the earth began. It's so beautiful.
Jenny: I wish I could've been there with you.
Forrest: You were.

Forrest: You died on a Saturday morning. And I had you placed here under our tree. And I had
that house of your father's bulldozed to the ground. Momma always said dying was a part of
life. I sure wish it wasn't.[…] Jenny, I don't know if Momma was right or if, if it's Lieutenant
Dan. I don't know if we each have a destiny, or if we're all just floating around accidental-like
on a breeze, but I, I think maybe it's both. Maybe both is happening at the same time. I miss
you, Jenny. If there's anything you need, I won't be far away.

After you watch:

A) Match the sentences (a-f) with one of the quotes (1-6):

a) …….. Forrest learns that he has a son.

b) …….. Forrest tells Jenny about some of the beautiful moments in his life.
c) …….. Jenny asks Forrest to marry him.
d) …….. Forrest decides to run around the country
e) …….. Forrest decides to stop running around the country
f) ……… Forrest talks to Jenny on her grave.

B) Which is your favourite quote from the film? Translate it into your language.