Forrest Gump's story starts in his home town. He goes to regular school for a little while, and meets Jenny Curran. When it's discovered that he's slow, he's taken own and attends a school for "special students" with kids who cannot talk or go to the bathroom on their own. When Forrest is thirteen, the local high school football coach notices him (and his unusually large size) and Forrest ends up going to the regular HS to play football. Forrest has a spectacular season and goes to an all-state assembly, where his talent is recognized. During his acceptance speech says "I gotta pee" and makes a fool of himself.
Before graduation Forrest is able to go on a date with Jenny Curran. They go to the movies and while watching the film Forrest is laughing at an otherwise sad film. Jenny, out of embarrassment, sinks down in her seat. Forrest notices her sinking and offers to help her up. When he lifts here, however, her dress rips and she starts screaming. Forrest, confused and scared, kept pulling at Jenny, which only ripped her dress more. Eventually he is pulled off Jenny and taken to jail. In court he is accused to attempting to molest Jenny, but is determined to be an idiot and let go.
When HS is over Forrest faces the draft but is saved by Alabama State College. He goes to college on a football scholarship and does exceptionally well in college Football. His vulgar roommate, Curtis, eventually drives him out of their room and into the basement. Forrest meets his friend Bubba. Bubba introduces Forrest to the harmonica and Forrest proves himself to be a musical genius of sorts.
Forrest meets up with Jenny who invites him to a show her band is putting on. When Forrest goes he is impressed with the music and pulls out his harmonica. When he starts playing the band stops, listens, and then starts up again, allowing Forrest to play along. Forrest is invited to join the band. For one of the performances Jenny and the band's banjo player are late. Forrest investigates the parking lot and finds them in the back of the banjo player's car. He misinterprets their affectionate behavior and pulls the banjo player off of Jenny. She gets angry and stops talking to Forrest.
Forrest's classes are not going very well either, except for Intermediate Light. Forrest proves himself to be a mathematical genius.
After his first year in college, Forrest fails out. When he fails out of college Forrest is forced into the military. When he arrives in Vietnam Forrest is immediately pelted with bombs. He survives and meets up with Bubba. The two men make a promise to start a shrimping company when they go home. Forrest is put on a mission and his squad comes under fire. When is friends are shot Forrest picks them up and runs them back to base. He and Bubba are put on the same squad and then they go on another mission. Forrest comes under fire again and a lot of the men in his squad are shot, including Bubba. He runs out again and saves the men. Bubba, however, cannot be saved.
Forrest is put in a hospital where he writes Jenny every day and meets Lt. Dan. Dan is an introspective man who teaches Forres about philosophy. While he's staying in the hospital, Forrest gets a letter from Jenny. Forrest develops a friendship with Lt. Dan that is cut short when he's taken out of the hospital.
When Forrest is taken back to the U.S he is scheduled to meet the president. When he arrives in the states he is treated with disrespect most places he goes. He meets the president and is rewarded the congressional medal of honor. The president asks Forrest about his wounds and Forrest shows him the wound on his butt. After meeting the president, Forrest goes on tour to support the war. His tour is finished, however, when he says that the war is bad.
Once the tour disbands Forrest commences a search for Jenny Curran. He finds her in Mass. and she is in another band. Forrest is allowed to join the band and eventually Forrest and Jenny fall in love with one another. Forrest is also introduced to marijuana, and quickly looses control of his habit. Jenny disapproves but Forrest continues. During one of the shows Forrest is recognized in a back alley by a couple of girls, they flirt with Forrest and one sits on his lap. Jenny finds Forrest in this compromising situation and promptly leaves him.
Forrest, distraught by the loss of Jenny, leaves the band and follows her to Washington. When he finds her she has taken up with anti-war protesters and she tells Forrest to join her. He agrees and marches with Jenny to Washington. Once they arrive, Jenny tells Forrest that he needs to throw his congressional medal of honor. He feels conflicted, but listens to Jenny. When he throws the medal he accidentally his a congressman and is arrested on the spot.
In court, the judge declares Forrest insane and sends him to a nut house. Once in the institution, Forrest is given a series of test. When it's discovered that Forrest is a mathematical genius of sorts, Forrest is offered the opportunity to work for NASA instead of going to prison. NASA uses Forrest as a backup computer for a backup computer and sends him into space with a woman named Sgt. Fitch and a orangutan named Sue (Sue is a boy). While in space Forrest feels badly for Sue and lets him out of his seat. The orangutan, however, wreaks havoc on the ship and causes the ship to start crashing.
The space ship crash lands in New Guinea and Forrest finds himself surrounded by a village of cannibals. The leader of the cannibals, Big Sam, speaks English and saves Forrest, Fitch, and Sue from being eaten. In return for safety, however, Forrest and Fitch have to grow cotton. During their stay, Big Sam teaches Forrest how to play chess and has an unspoken deal with Forrest - if Forrest loses he will be eaten. After four years in New Guinea, Forrest actually manages to lose a game and right before he, Fitch and Sue are eaten Pygmies come and save them.
Once in the Pygmy village, Forrest entertains the village leader with his harmonica. He tricks the leader into giving him spears as instruments and runs away. While he is running he is saved by NASA and taken away on a boat. Fitch decides to stay in the jungle with a man she's fallen in love with, and Sue decides to stay in his natural habitat.
When Forrest arrives in the United States he meets the president again (Nixon), and is congratulated on his bravery in New Guinea. He is promptly dismissed and once again leaves to find Jenny. On his way to find Jenny he finds Lt. Dan living on the streets. He's an embittered man, but agrees to follow Forrest on his way to find Jenny. They find Jenny working in a tire factory and while they wait for her to get off work they find a way for Forrest to make money arm wrestling, seeing how Forrest is also exceptionally strong.
Forrest and Dan live with Jenny. Forrest and Jenny's romance is once again ignited. While living with Jenny, Forrest makes money for his shrimping business through WWE wrestling. He is a character named The Dunce and his costume consists of a dunce cap and diaper. Jenny is ashamed of Forrest's behavior, and even Forrest isn't so sure, but he enjoys the popularity and money he earns. After a slew of planned victories, Forrest is told he has to lose. Instead, Forrest and Dan plan a coo, and Forrest attempts to win. Dan and Forrest bet all of their savings on Forrest's victory, but their plans are foiled when Forrest's opponent wins the fight fair and square.
When Forrest returns home, Jenny has left him again. He finds a note from Jenny explaining that she could no longer handle his wrestling career or his dishonest activities. She persuades him to give up looking for her.
Forrest and Dan part ways and Forrest heads south to start his shrimping business. During one of his layovers Forrest comes across a chess tournament being held in a hotel, and decides to check it out. He meets a man named Mr. Tribble in the lobby of the hotel. Mr. Tribble is play a chess game against himself and dismisses Forrest's offer to play along. Instead Forrest watches the game and then gives Mr. Tribble advice on how he should move his pieces. Tribble is impressed and offers Forrest a chance to play. Forrest declines and goes to catch his bus.
When he gets to the bus station, however, he realizes that he has missed his bus and heads back to Mr. Tribble and the chess tournament. This time he takes advantage of Mr. Tribble's offer, plays the game, and ends up winning. Tribble, having been a world class chess champion, is impressed and offers to coach Forrest in the tournament so they can win the grand prize. Forrest refuses.
Forrest leaves the hotel and finds a place to sit and think. While he's sitting a police officer shows up and accuses Forrest of loitering. Forrest is arrested and taken to jail. The next morning he is bailed out of Jail by Mr. Tribble. Forrest agrees to enter the chess tournament.
The first day of the chess tournament, Forrest is greeted by a man who wants to cast Forrest in a movie. Forrest agrees and meets the man the next day. When he gets on set, Forrest is put in a monster costume and then told to abduct his favorite actress. While performing the scene the actress manages to lose her clothes and Forrest manages to walk off the set, carrying the naked actress. While he's walking, however, he runs into Sue. Sue, Forrest and the naked actress walk off the lot, down the road, and into town so they can find the actress some clothing. When they finally do find a clothing store the actress is rude and all three are arrested.
Mr. Tribble bails Forrest and Sue out of jail and they go to the tournament. Forrest does exceptionally well in the tournament and makes it to the final round. The final round is exceptionally difficult for Forrest and he ends up pulling a last resort move to win the game. While he's waiting to see if his opponent will fall for his trap, he gets nervous and farts exceptionally loud, causing his opponent to drop his piece in the desired spot. Forrest ends up winning the match. There, however, is debate about whether or not Forrest cheated by farting and in the middle of the debate Sue comes into the room, swings on the light fixtures, and lands on the board. Forrest, Sue and Mr. Tribble leave the tournament.
Mr. Tribble gives Forrest a little bit of money and says he can no longer be his coach because he causes too much trouble. Forrest agrees and goes to find his mom.
He finds his mom working at a laundry mat after having her house burn down and her boyfriend leave her. He gives her his money and promises to get her again when he's got his shrimp business going.
After seeing his mom, Forrest travels to the bayou and meets Bubba's dad. Bubba's dad takes Forrest to an abandoned shack and tells him he can live there while he starts his business. forrest gets the supplies he needs to start his business and commences to laying out nets. Soon, Forrest and Sue have hundreds of pounds of shrimp and they start making money. Forrest temporarily leaves the company to find Jenny. He finally finds her mom and learns that Jenny is married. Forrest is mortified and spends days crying. He finally gets over the trauma of losing Jenny and returns home.
Over time the business starts to grow and Forrest brings his mom in to help take care of the business. As the business grows Forrest goes from making hundreds of dollars to making millions of dollars. He hires the people who influenced him during his life including his football coach, curtis, Mr. Tribble and Bubba's dad. He even attempts running for congress, but the attempts soon fail. After creating a successful business, Forrest is no longer happy. He hates having to go to meetings and act professional, he simply wants to live his life. So he leaves the business again.
He and Sue go to a city and Forrest starts playing his harmonica in the park. People think that Forrest is homeless and start giving him money. Forrest quickly turns himself into a one man band and starts becoming quite popular. One day he's playing and Jenny Curran shows up. She has a little boy with him and she tells Forrest that the child is his. Forrest is impressed with the boy's intelligence. Jenny agrees to send Forrest pictures of little Forrest and writes often.
After she left him in the park Forrest called his company and gave away all of his money. He gave 10% to his mom, 10% to Bubba's dad, and the rest to Jenny Curran and little Forrest.
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