67th Academy Awards · 1995
Forrest Gump
Directed byCooked up by Robert Zemeckis
“The world will never be the same once you've seen it through the eyes of Forrest Gump.”
“Life is like a box of chocolates. Run, Forrest, run! 🍫”
The storyThe lore 📖
A man with a low IQ has accomplished great things in his life and been present during significant historic events—in each case, far exceeding what anyone imagined he could do. But despite all he has achieved, his one true love eludes him.
Forrest Gump is a kind guy from Alabama who somehow pops up at EVERY big moment in American history, like a walking side quest generator. He plays football, goes to war, starts a shrimp business, and runs across the country for years just because. But his main quest is his lifelong crush on his bestie Jenny. Pure heart, zero cringe, all aura. 🍫🏃
What critics & audiences sayThe receipts 🧾
Tomatometer
75%
Fresh
#88 of 98 winnersFamous linesLines living rent free
My Momma always said life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get.
Run, Forrest! Run!
Momma says stupid is as stupid does.
From that day on, we was always together. Jenny and me was like peas and carrots.
She had got the cancer and died on a Tuesday. I bought her a new hat with little flowers on it. And that's all I have to say about that.
You'll never sink this boat! … Come on! You call this a storm?! Come on, you son of a bitch! Blow! It's time for a showdown: You and me!
Lt. Dan Taylor: Have you found Jesus yet, Gump?
Forrest Gump: Uh, I didn't know I was supposed to be looking for him.
Mama always said, dying was a part of life. I sure wish it wasn't.
Well, I happened to believe you make your own destiny. You have to do the best with what God gave you.
They said it was a million-dollar wound, but the army must keep that money cuz I ain't seen a nickel of that million dollars.
Quotes via Wikiquote
Filming locationsWhere they shot it 📍
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Chippewa Square
Savannah, Georgia
Forrest's bus stop bench, where he narrates his life story, was set up at the square's northern edge.
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Beaufort
South Carolina
Though the story is set in Alabama, filming took place mainly in and around Beaufort.
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Combahee River
near Yemassee, South Carolina
The Gump family home set was built along the river, and nearby land served for Curran's home and Vietnam.
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Varnville
South Carolina
Downtown scenes of the fictional town of Greenbow, Alabama, were filmed here.
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Hunting Island State Park
South Carolina
Forrest running through Vietnam under fire was filmed here and on nearby Fripp Island.
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Monument Valley
Utah
Forrest ends his cross-country run on U.S. Route 163 in the valley.
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Blue Ridge Parkway
near Grandfather Mountain, North Carolina
A running shot here gave a stretch of road the nickname "Forrest Gump Curve".
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Marshall Point Light
Port Clyde, Maine
Forrest runs across to this lighthouse when he reaches the Atlantic Ocean for the first time.
Fun factsFacts that go hard 🤓
- John Travolta was the original choice to play Forrest Gump and later called passing on it a mistake; he made Pulp Fiction instead, while Bill Murray, Chevy Chase and Matthew Broderick were also considered.Wikipedia · Casting
- With the budget exhausted and the studio about to pull the plug, Robert Zemeckis and Tom Hanks paid for Forrest's cross-country running sequence with their own money.Wikipedia · Filming
- Tom Hanks's younger brother Jim Hanks served as his double in Forrest's running scenes, and his daughter Elizabeth Hanks plays the girl on the school bus who won't let young Forrest sit beside her.Wikipedia · Casting
- Despite grossing about $678 million, the film was called a "successful failure": Paramount claimed it had shown no net profit, so novelist Winston Groom got nothing from his 3 percent share, while Hanks and Zemeckis, paid from the gross, each took home $40 million.Wikipedia · Author payment
- Dave Chappelle turned down the role of Bubba, believing the film would flop, and reportedly regrets it; Hanks later promised to work with him, which led to You've Got Mail. Ice Cube and David Alan Grier also passed, and Tupac Shakur auditioned.Wikipedia · Casting
- Gary Sinise's legs were wrapped in blue fabric so a "roto-paint" team could erase them frame by frame, creating Lieutenant Dan's amputation.Wikipedia · Visual effects
- Tom Hanks dropped out of the role of Andy Dufresne in The Shawshank Redemption to play Forrest, and in a 2015 re-vote academy members said they would now give that year's Best Picture to Shawshank.Wikipedia · Casting
- For the Lincoln Memorial rally, about 1,500 extras were rearranged between takes and multiplied by computer into a crowd of several hundred thousand.Wikipedia · Visual effects
- A stretch of the Blue Ridge Parkway near Grandfather Mountain where Forrest was filmed running became known as "Forrest Gump Curve."Wikipedia · Filming
- Robert Zemeckis insisted the soundtrack contain only American music because he felt Forrest "wouldn't buy anything but American"; the album went on to sell twelve million copies.Wikipedia · Soundtrack