Good will Hunting (1997)

Review

People can’t believe in themselves until someone else believes in them first.

I expected almost nothing from Good Will Hunting at first, but it turned out to be a great movie. If you have never watched it before, I think it is worth giving a try.

The movie tells the story of Will Hunting, a janitor at MIT who has an extraordinary gift for mathematics. Buuuut the more interesting part is not Will’s intelligence. Yes, he can solve difficult complex mathematical problems and argue with almost anyone. However, when the conversation becomes personal, he runs away. In modern terms, we might call this avoidant.

Will Hunting avoids emotional closeness, especially with Skylar, his girlfriend. Even with his best friends, he hides his pain. In therapy, he’s defensive, using humor and intellect to deflect.

The most powerful part of the film for me is the relationship between Will and Sean Maguire, his therapist. Sean treats Will like a person. Their honest conversations slowly break through Will’s defensive attitude.

leaning on someone you trust doesn’t make you weak. It means you’re human.

Will Hunting shows us that we should stop being so hard on ourselves. That we’re not unworthy. That we’re just humans, deeply flawed and never perfect.

One of my favorite parts of the movie is how it handles friendship, especially through Chuckie, Will’s best friend. Chuckie is my favorite character because he gives one of the most important perspectives in the story.

Will: What do I wanna way outta here for? I’m gonna live here the rest of my fuckin’ life. We’ll be neighbors, have little kids, take ‘em to Little League up at Foley Field.

Chuckie: Look, you’re my best friend, so don’t take this the wrong way but, in 20 years if you’re still livin’ here, comin’ over to my house, watchin’ the Patriots games, workin’ construction, I’ll fuckin’ kill ya. That’s not a threat, that’s a fact, I’ll fuckin’ kill ya.

Will: What the fuck you talkin’ about?

Chuckie: You got somethin’ none of us have…

Will: Oh, come on! What? Why is it always this? I mean, I fuckin’ owe it to myself to do this or that. What if I don’t want to?

Chuckie: No. No, no no no. Fuck you, you don’t owe it to yourself man, you owe it to me. Cuz tomorrow I’m gonna wake up and I’ll be 50, and I’ll still be doin’ this shit. And that’s all right. That’s fine. I mean, you’re sittin’ on a winnin’ lottery ticket. And you’re too much of a pussy to cash it in, and that’s bullshit. ‘Cause I’d do fuckin’ anything to have what you got. So would any of these fuckin’ guys. It’d be an insult to us if you’re still here in 20 years. Hangin’ around here is a fuckin’ waste of your time.

He wants Will to use the life that he has been given. That kind of friendship feels sincere because it is supportive, even when support means letting someone go.

Overall, Good Will Hunting is a great movie. It is not only a movie about intelligence or talent. It is a movie about the difficult process of accepting that you are allowed to move forward.