Good Will Hunting

Good Will Hunting is a movie about character. The main character, Will Hunting is a genius of sorts, in which comes from the most opposing background to his intellectual capacity. This movie captivates it’s audience through irony, emotional attachment to the character, as well as the overall theme. It demonstrates a good story as well as good, unique characterization. As Will continuously finds himself in trouble, he is put in the hands of a renowned math professor, who tries to “tame” him. Through this professor he also meets a well known psychiatrist, who teaches Will a lot about life that you can’t study or read about. These life lessons he takes away from Sean the psychiatrist, are ones that come hard, but are more rewarding than any genius in the world.

Irony, as defined in the book the Art of Film Watching as “a linking of opposites”(pg.80), is demonstrated heavily in this movie. Although Will is a genius by far, his background is none to pleasing. The movie does well of demonstrating this character. It shows his poverty by his language, clothing, and general attitude in life. He does what he wants when he wants. Cursing amongst him and his friends is commonly shown in the movie, in which becomes somewhat exhausting; however, it shows a great deal of culture and character of Will Hunting. As he is dumped into the hands of Professor Lambeau, he becomes somewhat resistant. It is later revealed that Will resents being smart as he says “I don’t want to spend the rest of my life explaining things to people”. People Like professor Lambeau just wanted to use him. On the others side though, the character Sean, the psychiatrist, becomes a close friend as he teaches Will about love and life, and how to overcome his past. He helps will essentially figure out what it truly is that he wants in his life. As the psychiatrist later explains it to Lambeau “this boy has the gift, just not the direction”. As the article Too Smart for Their Own Good states in the US Catholic “Matt Damon's genius janitor in Good Will Hunting can humiliate MIT professors, but he's about as grown up as the average schoolyard bully.” The Irony is displayed between his upbringing, and social status versus his gift of an almost photographic memory that make him a genius of sorts.

By placing all of these characters in the movie from the professor, who’s smart and well off, to Will’s best friend Chuckie who lives in poverty and always will, the movie demonstrates a good variety of character. The book The Art of Film Watching describes a good story to have good characterization in which includes a variety of characters. Chuckie and Lambeau’s character would be considered stock characters as their actions throughout the movie are predictable, and are a neutral part of the story. However, Will could be considered a developing character as he undergoes a change in character as the story develops. Professor Lambeau could also be considered a foil, as described in the book as “contrasting characters whose behavior, attitudes, opinions, lifestyles, physical appearance and so on are the opposite of the main characters” (pg. 63) Also there is the matter of Skyla, his love interest who is also in fact opposite of Will, being smart, pretty, well educated, and well off.

The title of the movie, Good Will Hunting, symbolizes the fact that the main character Will is searching/hunting for good will in life. He wants to strive to do the right things in life, but isn't necessarily sure how to; therefore, he is searching for the good will. You don't however know what the title fully means until the end of the movie. The book talks about the significance of titles, and why they are chosen. The book says: " in most films, we can understand the full significance of the title only after seeing the film" (pg. 53) Good Will Hunting's title reveals the theme of the movie, but it is not until the end that one can understand this.

The story keeps you interested as the main character is surely unpredictable. You become drawn to him by his ingenious character, emotionally attached by his sad background, but negative to his attitude and behavior. It is only natural that the viewer wishes the character to become something great, to truly change, and do something with his gift. However, you see his character as blunt, angered, and spur-of-the moment type, and you wonder which path he will choose. The story has you guessing and curious until the end when he remembers the story of his new life time friend, Sean. “I have to go see about a girl”. Even the end shows him driving off into the sunset, and still you are left to guess what he decided to do with his life, and the unanswered question by Sean “do you have any honor?...what do you really want to do with the rest of your life?”



Boggs, Joseph, & Petrie, Dennis. (2008). The Art of watching films. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill College.

Good will hunting. DVD. Dir. Gus Van Sant. Perf. Matt Damon, Robin Williams, Ben Affleck, Stellan Skarsgård, Minnie Driver. Miramax Films, 1997. [1997]

Too smart for their own good? By: McCormick, Patrick, U.S. Catholic, 00417548, Feb2003, Vol. 68, Issue 2