good movie, but different from the book

Rating: 7/10 (8 January 2007)

As a fan of the novelist Winston Groom, I looked forward to the theatrical adaption of his great novel, "Forrest Gump" (a 20th century "Huck Finn".) Much to my surprise, the movie was 180 degrees from the book. The best example of the difference in tone between the movie and book is the now famous "chocolate" line. In the movie, Forrest often says; "Life is like a box of chocolates; you never know what you're going to get." The only reference to chocolate in the book (which is written in the first person) is the very first line: "Let me tell you, being an idiot is no box of chocolates."
The theatrical Forrest is a dim-wit who keeps falling into dung heaps and comes out smelling like roses. In the book, Forrest is a dim-wit who keeps falling into dung heaps and comes out smelling like a dung heap. But both Forrests keep on plowing ahead; which is the saving grace of the movie. While the book is much darker and satirical than the movie, the movie does capture Forrest's ability to dust himself off and keep going. And it captures the feel of the 50's, 60's and 70's as Forrest stumbles from one adventure to the next, accidentally inserting himself into historical events.
But what really saves the movie is the performances by Tom Hanks, Robin Wright and Gary Sinise. While I wish some things from the book hadn't been changed (Jenny and Mrs Gump don't die, Forrest acts in a movie with Raquel Welch, Forrest becomes a famous blues harmonica player, etc) the "movie" version ends up telling it's own story. It may be a completely different story than the book, but it is a story worth seeing. If you love the book, be prepared to separate the movie completely from the book. If you love the movie and haven't read the book, I highly recommend you do so.