Reflections
on “Good Will Hunting”
Directed
by Gus Van Sant
Written
by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck
Starring
Matt Damon, Robin Williams, Stellan Skarsgard and Minnie Driver
“Good Will Hunting” has
something of a European feel about it in that it is primarily a character piece
about personal growth, but its pace and entertainment value highlight its
American pedigree.
The story is fairly
predictable but the film delivers in a highly engaging, touching and at times
amusing way. How it arrives at its conclusion is perhaps more important than
the conclusion itself.
Friendship,
relationships, education and personal development are among the themes that are
explored, but underpinning everything is a debate about what constitutes
success in life.
Will is a 20-year-old
self-taught genius who displays talent in a number of fields as he appears to
possess a photographic memory, allowing him to retain facts and text with
remarkable clarity. However, his talent goes beyond mere memory recall as he
sees connections between things and passes reasoned judgments, revealing a
sharp intelligence and “soul” or compassion.
Will is also socially
damaged. He is an orphan who has been passed from pillar to post when growing
up and who has suffered physical and emotional abuse and neglect, the result of
which is a difficulty in forming and maintaining relationships. This is
accentuated, perhaps, by his wit and intelligence which propel his willingness
to speak up and criticise. He has by-passed the traditional norms in terms of
family, education and career yet he has satisfied a seemingly voracious
appetite for knowledge and understanding by reading prodigiously in a local
library. He is also quite lacking in a sense of self-worth, undoubtedly due to
the effects of the abuse and neglect he endured in his formative years.
He has a group of poorly
educated and unsophisticated but faithful and sincere friends who all support
one another despite regular bickering and teasing. When Will and his friend
Chuckie first meet student Skylar in a bar in Harvard, her fellow student,
Clark, attempts to belittle the open and friendly Chuckie with a display of
confidence and knowledge about economic factors in American southern society
prior to the Civil War. Will is able to challenge not just the historical
perspective offered by Clark but, more importantly, his mindless regurgitation
of facts and text gleaned from others’ work. Will accuses Clark of
unoriginality of thought and wasting large amounts of money on an education
that could be gained simply by reading books freely available in a public
library, implying that society values a costly certificate more highly than
knowledge and education itself. Clark replies that even if that is so, he,
Clark, will remain superior as he will have a degree and a good job while Will
may end up serving Clark’s kids in a fast-food restaurant.
Will is left quite
unperturbed by Clark’s assertion, going on to suggest that even if that were
the case, he would rather be original, and perhaps by implication remain true
to himself, than pursue Clark’s traditional and uninspiring means of measuring
achievement.
This is the film’s first
allusion to an apparent predilection for the value of personal fulfilment over academic
or social success. The juxtaposition and possible opposition of these two
outcomes or pursuits is hinted at or alluded to at various other points in the
film and, indeed, the choice between the two may even be viewed as the very
crux of the film around which the several other themes and issues turn.
Professor Gerry Lambeau
and Sean Maguire were roommates at university and were very close, though life
choices have since separated them. Both work in the field of education, with
Gerry winning the illustrious Fields Medal and achieving a professorship at the
prestigious and costly M.I.T., while Sean teaches psychology in a local
reasonably-priced Community College. Gerry has pursued a high-flown career in
academia working with the elite in students and Sean works quietly and
unceremoniously helping ordinary students make educational progress.
When Will gets himself
into trouble with the courts, he is released on two conditions, that he should be
supervised by Gerry (who is dazzled by Will’s mathematical prowess and who will
go to considerable lengths to help Will develop and apply his abilities) and
that he should undergo therapy, for which Gerry eventually turns to his old but
estranged friend Sean.
Gerry appears to have
devoted himself to academia and his career. No mention is made of personal
relationships, though he flirts occasionally with young students in a somewhat
furtive and perhaps duplicitous manner which suggests a lack of relational experience
and emotional depth.
Sean, on the other hand,
was married to the love of his life and is still in mourning after her recent
death. Pursuing a career was certainly subordinate to the personal joy and
satisfaction of being with his love as the happiness and fulfilment he gained
from his relationship appears to have transcended any career-orientated
gratification.
Gerry cannot see beyond
(or behind) Will’s mathematical genius and all he could accomplish in academic
and social terms if he were employed by any one of a number of interested
parties who could put his talents to good use.
Sean is concerned with
the impact Will’s history of abuse may have on his character, disposition and
especially the choices he will make for his future.
In a scene vaguely
reminiscent of Will’s encounter with Harvard student Clark, these two friends
argue in a bar over which direction Will should take and at one point Gerry
suggests, in frustration at Sean’s refusal to concede to his view, that Sean is
driven by jealousy of his awards and success, thus emphasising Gerry’s lack of
emotional intelligence and his failure to truly understand his friend’s point
of view. Gerry even goes so far as to denigrate Sean’s choice of direction in
life, implying he is a failure. Sean angrily refutes Gerry’s judgment and
accuses him of arrogance but he makes no attempt to defend his life choices,
perhaps because he knows Gerry could never understand or concede to his
viewpoint but also, perhaps, because he is entirely happy with the choices he
has made.
Despite infrequent
meetings and clearly differing priorities in life, these two men have remained
good friends and shortly after their argument, both demonstrate the esteem in
which they hold their friendship by opting to ignore their disagreement and the
cutting personal remarks each made to the other. The dichotomy between social
and academic achievement and personal fulfilment is encapsulated and embodied
by these two well-intentioned but very different men. Perhaps we need both
these perspectives if we are to make anything of our lives and these two
characters reflect the conflict within each of us when we consider choices we
must make and directions to follow.
Will and Gerry’s
relationship may be characterised as that of a proud mentor and a gifted
student. Gerry displays pride, respect, some envy and perhaps a degree of
reflected glory as he is dazzled by Will’s brilliance and potential. However,
it boils down to plundering his talent for the benefit of others in return for
position, plaudits, accolades and money – all goals Gerry aspires to and
towards which he will guide Will. Their relationship is not based on emotional
attachment, holistic interest or nurturing of character. It is about social and
academic success.
The relationship between
Will and Sean is more akin to that of father and son, indeed by the end of
their time together Sean refers to him as “son” and at one point when Will
wonders if Sean is mocking him, Will says he can’t take that, not from him,
suggesting Sean has come to hold a special and hallowed place in Will’s heart.
From the outset, Sean is
interested in Will the man, not Will the mathematician. They come to share
intimate thoughts, experiences and feelings, helping Will evolve and deal with
issues that have long since troubled him and have been a source of pain and
problems with social integration. It is not easy at first and Sean shows
deep-felt anger when Will tries to manipulate him and pushes him too far on
personal issues. This display of humanity and hurt touches Will to some degree
and eventually he participates in conversation which leads to discussion and
friendship, and friendship is what they both need at this point in their lives.
Will needs a father-figure with whom he can discuss matters of emotional depth
and Sean needs to talk out his grief and feelings of self-imposed isolation and
solitude. Each challenges the other to open up and discover possibilities life
has in store for them.
Will tires of Gerry’s
monotonous insistence on logical and mathematical puzzles which are, by dint of
his extraordinary gifts, far less taxing and compelling to Will than they are
to Gerry. Throughout the film, when Will solves a problem it gives him some
satisfaction, perhaps explaining why he took a job at M.I.T., but it does not
provide the same joy and excitement it may give to someone with less ability.
Academic success means less to Will, exactly because there is little challenge.
Will is far more
intrigued by relationships, perhaps because he has not yet learned, due to his
tragic history of neglect and abuse, how to initiate and maintain a lasting
relationship. He can learn nothing from Gerry, either mathematically or
emotionally, but he sees possibilities in his association with Sean. And
Skylar.
When Will meets Skylar, who
is a well-balanced, thoughtful and caring individual, his life starts to change
as he learns he can respect and develop feelings for another, but he must share
thoughts, feelings and truth if he is going to make it work and allow her to
reciprocate his feelings. At first, due to issues arising from his low self-esteem
and thinking the relationship will be short-lived, Will concocts a familial
background (which is somewhat exaggerated) in keeping with traditional and
successful family situations and values in order to fit in and to impress
Skylar. Eventually, he comes to realise that in so doing he is actually
jeopardising his chances of success in the relationship and also that true
happiness and fulfilment can only be realised if he changes and comes to terms
with his past.
In the end, change or evolution
require challenge and Sean and Skylar prompt development in Will while his
friends, however touchingly and blindly supportive they may be, cannot elicit
the change required for him to evolve. Chuckie recognises this when he tells
Will that the best part of his day is when he approaches Will’s home in the
morning and he hopes that Will will no longer be there. He recognises the need
for Will to escape their circle, though he and Will’s other friends really
can’t point him in the right direction. They can, however, continue to support
their friend and provide him with the physical means of achieving escape by
gifting him a car for his birthday.
Both Sean and Skylar
(eventually) recognise the inhibiting effects of Will’s past and the emotional
and psychological issues it has engendered, and they are willing to help Will
overcome them and allow him to fulfil his potential as a fully-functioning and
well-adjusted human being.
By abandoning a steady
company position in favour of seeking out Skylar in California in the vehicle
provided by his friends, Will is taking the first step on his way to investing
in himself and achieving personal fulfilment.
The script and direction
allow individual characters to develop in their own right while contributing to
our understanding of the main character, his issues and the reasons for his
choice at the end of the film.
While all the actors play
well, special credit must go to Matt Damon and Robin Williams. Damon incites compassion
for Will and he imbues Will with just the right degree of vulnerability,
thought and challenge to make him interesting as well as emotionally engaging.
Robin Williams is simply
masterful in his role, making Sean broken, defiant, human, vulnerable and real.
I’ve often marvelled at the way comedians can transform into great actors and I
think Robin Williams proved that point here as he gives a controlled, touching
and towering performance.
My thanks for taking the
time to read this article. I hope you found it of some value.
Stuart Fernie (stuartfernie@yahoo.co.uk)
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