That was a pretty accurate, if cynical, read of Jenny's role in the story. But that's definitely not a good summation of the story as a whole. Forrest is the protagonist and his relationship with Jenny is more a recurring blip on the plot than the actual plot itself. Forrest's story is fantastic and and compelling independent of Jenny. It's still worth a watch, I promise. Can't speak on the book, but I've heard it's good too.