On the similarities between Benjamin Button and Forrest Gump
I’ll admit that it was with great excitement that I entered the theater to see Benjamin Button last night. However, over the course of the film I began to suspect that someone somewhere was hoping this could be Forrest Gump – the sequel. I later learned that the same screenwriter wrote both films! And so, the pieces began to fit. As an exercise I decided I would write down all the similarities I could find in the story/characters of both films. I invite you to read through the below and then share any that I may have missed (I will incorporate into later versions of this post).
- Both Benjamin and Forrest have some deficiency that society rejects.
- Both Benjamin and Forrest have strong mother figures, and both are Southern
- Both mothers offer nebulous wisdom about the uncertainty of the future (“You never know what you’re going to get” and “You never know what’s coming for you”)
- Both Benjamin and Forrest have an unrequited love affair with a childhood female friend who is too much of a free spirit to be loved, until life teaches them a hard lesson, and they finally settle down, and end up geting pregnant by Benjamin or Forrest respectively.
- Both Benjamin and Forrest go on adventures that lead them far from home, including seeing a war firsthand.
- Both end up on a boat for work (tug or shrimp).
- Both have a vitriolic male friend in their lives who drinks too much and curses god (Captain Dan and Captain Mike).
- Both end up not having to worry about money (Benjamin through inheritance and Forrest through Apple stock).
- Both are worried that their baby will share their deficiency (and neither does).
- Both stories use a flying object as a metaphor (a hummingbird and a feather).
More to come, hopefully from you fine readers!
