The Adventures of a Winsome Idiot

Winston Groom will turn 71 on March 23. The author of "Forrest Gump" may not a ring a bell to the current generation of moviegoers, unless they're fans of Tom Hanks. At the 67th Academy Awards, the film version received thirteen nominations. It went on to win an Oscar for Best Picture, Best Director for Robert Zemeckis, Best Actor for Hanks, and Best Screenplay for Eric Roth.

Roth's screenplay was different from the book, prompting some to wonder if the producers weren't mindful of Groom. It took readers six years to know the answer, after the publication of "Gump and Co.".

"Let me say this: being an idiot is no box of chocolates."

Forrest Gump is no Lennie Small, and Groom didn't pen a searing portrait of American society, which John Steinbeck did in "Of Mice and Men". But this fellow, almost two meters tall and one hundred ten kilos heavier, lived during a tumultuous period. The US wasn't the same after JFK was gone.

Fun with Gump and company

Forrest would admit, right away, that he was an idiot. And it was said it in a matter-of-fact manner. If not for football, he might not have got his high school diploma. He flunked after one semester at the University of Alabama, but it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. He was a Vietnam War veteran, an astronaut, and a stunt man in Hollywood. He became a table tennis player too.

If readers are too jaded from reading about America during the 1960s and 1970s, then they must give Groom's book a chance. It will be a pleasant surprise.

It's not hard to guess that Gump's lack of intelligence provides a different outlook at these events. Readers won't be cynical (after they finish reading the novel). Laughing is no guilty pleasure. After all, it happened decades ago. The transformations in American society left many with lots of issues, but not Forrest.

The big man met some people who would make him a better person. Lieutenant Dan, who lost both legs during one battle in Vietnam, gave Forrest something to live. Then there was Jenny, the love of his life. Let's not forget Raquel Welch. (Forrest's encounter with this bombshell is arguably the most hilarious chapter in the novel.) It will take some time to include the school bullies and the distinguished individuals who didn't take Forrest seriously. No kidding.

Here's a million dollar question

Why did the producers of "Forrest Gump" changed the tone of the book? Hollywood often took liberties whenever it adapt a written material to the big screen, and there have been worse cases. The fairy-tale approach (that Zemeckis employed) clicked, as the movie became a commercial hit and award-winning picture. How would moviegoers react if it was a faithful treatment?

It won't be hard to figure out the answer. Take a hard look at the viewers. Forrest would have something to say - and it might startle you.