american epic romantic comedy drama film based novel film directed stars field story depicts decades life slow kind hearted good man alabama witnesses cases influences defining events half 20th century united_states specifically period birth film differs substantially novel including personality events depicted principal photography took place late mainly georgia north_carolina south_carolina extensive visual effects incorporate protagonist archived footage develop scenes comprehensive soundtrack featured film music intended specific time periods portrayed screen commercial release selling soundtrack selling million copies worldwide released united_states july commercial success grossing film north_america released year major success paramount_pictures studio sale earning million worldwide theatrical run won best director best actor best adapted screenplay best film editing garnered multiple awards nominations including film release varying interpretations film protagonist political symbolism themed restaurant opened based film expanded multiple locations worldwide scene running country referred real life people attempt feat library congress selected preservation culturally historically aesthetically significant plot sits bus stop savannah georgia feather picks begins telling life story strangers sit beginning childhood town alabama 1950s child wear leg ridiculed raised single mother ran boarding house travelers despite challenged admitted public school agrees night stand school principal day school meets best friend learns mother died young father alcoholic implies father sexually abusive encourages run away gets bullied group older boys struggles leg fall able run high speed years later fleeing group runs football field game catches attention gets college football scholarship college graduation army manages drill exercises befriends fellow recruit nicknamed convinces business war sent vietnam report lieutenant platoon ambushed leaving fellow soldiers wounded killed loses legs result injuries saves members platoon including crippled wounded awarded congressional medal honour actions presented president white house anti war rally washington reunites joined movement expelled college photos experimented drugs recovering wounds discovers ability eventually gaining popularity rising celebrity status later playing chinese teams diplomacy runs wheelchair drunk receives disability pension moves dan spend holidays explaining plan business intentions fulfill dream discharged army returns alabama company makes earning uses buy boat fulfilling promise lieutenant dan joins initially little success hurricane boat area left standing begin pull huge amounts shrimp use income buy entire fleet shrimp boats lieutenant dan money apple financially secure rest lives returns home mother falls ill stays death money causes continues live house grew taking job grounds keeper lonely thinks living life substance abuse day returns alabama stays asks marry declines troubled past end making love night leaves early morning decides run turns coast coast half year journey bringing national attention present day reveals waiting bus stop received letter living savannah seen running invited visit reunited discovers young son named father reveals suffering unknown virus possibly hiv specified asks marry accepts married cares illness eventually dies devoted father film final scene waiting son school bus pick day school bus departs feather beginning film air cast early age deemed average endearing character shows devotion loved ones duties character traits bring life changing situations way encounters historical figures events life tom younger brother acting double movie scenes runs america tom daughter appears movie girl school bus refuses let young sit original choice play title role admits passing role mistake considered role revealed signed film hour half reading script initially wanted ease pronounced southern accent eventually persuaded director portray heavy accent stressed novel agreed role condition film historically accurate portrayed young revealed interviews hearing michael unique incorporated older character accent wrote original novel describes film having taken rough edges character envisioned played childhood friend immediately falls love stops loving life victim child sexual abuse hands widowed father different path leading self destructive life movement 1960s 1970s 1980s drug culture enters life times adulthood eventually savannah georgia lives apartment son eventually married soon dies unspecified illness caused kind virus illness implied hiv aids strong possibility portrayed contracting illness chance passed fall ill virus discovered long death portrayed young platoon leader vietnam war ancestors died american war regards destiny losing legs ambush rescued initially bitter antagonistic leaving denying family destiny falling deep depression later serves mate gives orders regains live ultimately thanks saving life end film engaged married sporting magic legs allow walk blue friend meets joining army originally supposed senior partner death vietnam platoon leader took place company posthumously carried dan later gave mother share business filming wore lip attachment create protruding lip ice cube offered role turned said believed film unsuccessful acknowledged regrets taking role field devoted mother raises father field reflected character woman loves son lot dialogue sounds like intends son cast film casting director noticed commercial house guest encounters uncredited provided voice scene meets played 1970s version makeup applied appear younger consequently known figure film play cameo role represented use archival footage like john_lennon president elementary school principal member group abusive boyfriend school bus driver drives later son school football coach black members organization protests vietnam war president anti black racism voice president kennedy meets white house oval office young production script film based novel center character film primarily focuses chapters novel ahead end novel founding meeting addition parts novel film adds aspects life occur novel needing leg child run united_states core character personality changed novel things film character novel playing football university fails craft gym receives perfect score advanced physics class enrolled coach satisfy college requirements novel features astronaut professional wrestler chess player directors offered opportunity direct film selected turned offer attached film left direct family values filming filming began august ended december year film set alabama filming took place mainly south_carolina parts coastal virginia north_carolina including running shot blue ridge parkway downtown portions fictional town filmed south_carolina scene running vietnam fire filmed south_carolina additional filming took place north_carolina blue ridge parkway near north_carolina notable place road named curve family home set built near south_carolina nearby land film home vietnam scenes trees planted improve vietnam scenes narrated life story savannah georgia sat bus stop bench scenes filmed savannah area including running shot interviewed press savannah college campus scenes filmed los_angeles lighthouse runs reach atlantic_ocean time maine additional scenes filmed arizona utah montana national park visual effects team responsible film visual effects cgi techniques possible depict meeting deceased shaking hands shot blue screen reference markers line archive footage record voices historical figures voice actors filmed special effects alter lip new dialogue archival footage help techniques key image integrated vietnam war scene carries away incoming attack create effect stunt actors initially purposes filmed supported cable wire ran explosion filmed actors digitally added appear explosions jet fighters added cgi cgi removal actor legs character achieved wrapping legs blue fabric later facilitated work paint team paint legs single frame point wheelchair legs support scene spots peace rally lincoln memorial reflecting pool washington required visual effects create large crowd people days filming approximately extras successive extras rearranged moved different quadrant away camera help computers extras multiplied create crowd thousand people release critical reception film received generally positive reviews review aggregator website rotten_tomatoes reported critics gave film positive review based sample reviews website metacritic film earned rating based reviews mainstream critics reported audiences gave film rare grade story commended critics roger_ebert chicago_sun-times wrote met like movie matter seen movie like attempt describe risk making movie conventional let try comedy guess maybe drama dream screenplay complexity modern fiction performance breathtaking balancing act comedy sadness story rich big laughs quiet truths magical movie variety wrote film worked levels manages difficult feat intimate delicate tale played light touch epic backdrop film receive notable major reviewers new_yorker called film warm wise hell entertainment_weekly said film reduces decades virtual reality theme park baby version disney america critics compared characters people including bill_clinton ronald_reagan writes acts social agent redemption divided times rolling_stone called admire american character honest brave loyal heart gold new_york_times reviewer called hollow man self ignorance warmly embraced embodiment absolutely called character taking pie life face fingers textbook film history notes metaphor nostalgia represented blank slate generation projected memories events film commonly seen audiences entertainment_weekly writing nearly decade earned swept ode 20th century america represents cinema clearly drawn lines sand half folks artificial piece pop melodrama sweet box box office performance produced budget million opened theaters weekend domestic release earning motion picture business consultant screenwriter suggested producer double film marketing budget based viewing early print film budget immediately increased advice film placed weekend box office narrowly beating fourth week release weeks release film held number position box office film remained theaters weeks earning million united_states canada making fourth highest grossing film time star wars new hope estimates film sold million tickets initial theatrical run film took days surpass million fastest grossing paramount film pass million million million box office receipts time release film gross receipts canada international markets total worldwide revenue film known successful failure distributors high fees paramount losses million leaving executives realizing necessity better deals associated hollywood accounting expenses inflated order minimize profit sharing highest grossing film date home media released vhs tape april disc laserdisc set april including eyes special feature released disc dvd set august special features included director producer commentaries production screen tests film released blu ray disc november accolades won best picture best actor leading role best director best visual effects best adapted screenplay best film editing academy awards film nominated seven winning best actor motion picture drama best director motion picture best motion picture drama film nominated saturn awards won best supporting actor film addition film multiple awards nominations recognized american_film_institute lists film ranks 37th years cheers years movies years movies 10th anniversary edition addition quote mama said life like box know gon ranked 40th years movie quotes film ranked number empire list greatest movies time december selected preservation registry said film honored technological innovations digital seamlessly vintage archival footage resonance culture elevated represents terms american innocence status folk hero attempt engage seriously contentious aspects era traumatic history american_film_institute lists afi years movies afi years laughs nominated afi years nominated afi years heroes villains nominated hero afi years movie quotes mama said life like box know gon mama says stupid stupid nominated afi years film scores nominated afi years cheers afi years movies 10th anniversary edition afi nominated epic film author controversy paid screenplay rights novel contracted percent share film net profits paramount film producers pay hollywood accounting blockbuster film lost money contrast contracted film gross receipts instead salary director received million additionally groom mentioned film oscar winner speeches groom dispute paramount later effectively resolved groom declared satisfied paramount explanation accounting coinciding groom receiving seven figure contract paramount film rights books symbolism feather interpretations suggested feather present opening conclusion film new_york_times noted suggestions feather white feather symbolize impaired intellect experience interpreted feather destiny defined deal chance elements life kind embodiment feather comes thing land lands feet theological implications huge field compared feather fate saying blows wind touches planned visual effects supervisor compared feather abstract painting mean things different people political interpretations words film non political non cnn debated film promoted conservative values indictment movement 1960s article called film aggressively conservative film noted follows conservative lifestyle life embrace complete drug usage rallies eventual marriage kind reconciliation argued article death unnamed virus death liberal america death protests defined decade 1960s notes film screenwriter developing screenplay novel transferred flaws committed americans 1960s 1970s commentators believe film forecast republican revolution image promote movement leader traditional conservative values observes film 1950s evident lack whites signs southern childhood revisions 1960s period social conflict confusion argues sharp contrast decades criticizes values viewed political scientist film best films time argued film republican politicians illustrate traditional version recent history gear voters ideology congressional elections addition presidential candidate cited film message influencing campaign message film hollywood time greatest box office hits matter great everybody reach included list best conservative movies time magazine ranked film number best conservative movies years list plays title character far smart embrace lethal values 1960s love life wonderfully played chooses different path drug disastrous results communication arts professor argued conservatives claimed content film historical cultural context burton claimed film content advertising campaign affected cultural climate 1990s emphasized family values american values values successful book hollywood america claimed climate influenced nature film allowed different political interpretations burton points conservative critics magazines initially criticized film praised non political elements popularity film established conservatives embrace film traditional values burton implies liberal left prevented conservatives claiming rights film chosen elements film criticism military values instead liberal left focused film omitted feminist civil rights movements commentators conservative readings death irony american culture notes film humor irony relies assumption audience historical consciousness soundtrack song soundtrack film released july exception lengthy suite score songs previously released soundtrack includes songs elvis_presley revival dog night doors brothers simon music producer reflected compiling soundtrack wanted recognizable material time periods didn want interfere happening disc album variety music 1950s 1980s performed american artists according request material american bob felt strongly felt wouldn buy american soundtrack reached peak number billboard album chart soundtrack went sell million copies selling albums united_states score film composed conducted released august proposed sequel screenplay sequel written based original novel sequel written script begins sitting bench waiting son return school september attacks decided story longer relevant march reported paramount producers took look screenplay page sequel novel tells readers don let movie life story right wrong doesn matter chapter book suggests real life events surrounding film incorporated storyline got lot media attention result film course sequel novel runs end novel film release including going david attending academy_awards
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