Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, two struggling actors, wrote the script for “Good Will Hunting” in the 1990s and sold it to Miramax for more than a million dollars. Along with acting in the 1997 movie, where they also co-wrote the script, Robin Williams, and Stellan Skarsgard showed that they could compete with the big names. Nine Oscars were nominated for the film, and it received two wins for Best Original Screenplay (Damon and Affleck) and Best Supporting Actor (Robin Williams). Not bad given that it was up against “Titanic,” which received 14 Oscar nominations in the same year.
The movie had an abundance of talented actors, but Affleck and Damon’s narrative carried the day. “Good Will Hunting” appears to be the story of a mathematical prodigy with a huge chip on his shoulder who wastes his ability by drinking in bars and fighting in the streets. Under the surface, the movie is about trauma and how it impacts survivors’ lives.
Will Hunting
Despite having an IQ of a genius, Will Hunting (Damon) works as a janitor at M.I.T. Professor Lambeau (Skarsgard), a mathematician, wants to hire him after seeing him use his mathematical skills to solve a challenging equation, but Will says he has no interest in academia. He agrees to work with Lambeau and visit a psychiatrist in order to avoid going to jail after sparking a street brawl with his boisterous companions. Will assists with the math, but he laughs at the treatment.
He teases and mocks his first two assigned psychiatrists so severely that they won’t work with him, but he finally finds a match with Dr. Sean Maguire, a lecturer at a community college (Williams). They had a rocky beginning that ends with Sean putting his hand around Will’s throat, but with time, they warm up to one another. At Harvard, Will also runs into Skylar (Minnie Driver), a pre-med student, and develops feelings for her. However, he pushes her away when she tries to get too close.
Through Will’s more candid therapy sessions, we learn that he was frequently struck with a wrench while growing up in very harsh foster homes. His low self-esteem and fear of desertion as a result of this tragedy have an impact on every facet of his adult life. He rejects every professional opportunity because he thinks he is unworthy of achievement. When things get tough, he pushes Skylar away because he believes he can never be loved and that people would always betray and forsake him.
Will discovers that he and Sean have a lot in common, including being stuck in the past, during their conversations. Will avoids any possibility of failure because of his childhood traumas, while Sean avoids prospective relationships because of the death of his wife. But they support one another in overcoming these phobias.
‘I gotta go see about a girl’
Will calls Sean out for being a hypocrite who refuses to move on with his life after the death of his wife when he encourages him to pursue a job using his abilities, which ultimately causes a significant transformation in his life.
Sean talks about skipping a historic Red Sox World Series game with his pals to have a drink with a woman who would later become his wife during one of Will’s sessions. “Sorry, fellas, I must go see about a female,” he recalled saying to them. Will mockingly laughs when he hears this tale, but Sean says he doesn’t regret his choice:
“I don’t regret the 18 years I was married to Nancy. I don’t regret the 6 years I had to give up counseling when she got sick, and I don’t regret the last years when she got really sick. I sure as hell don’t regret missing the damn game.”
It’s a crucial incident for Will, who is scared of being abandoned by Skylar, and it has a profound impact on his life.
Sean makes the decision to tour the globe in pursuit of new happiness at the film’s conclusion, while Will moves out of South Boston for the first time in his life to live with Skylar in California. He informs Sean in a note that he has to “go see about a girl.” Will had the guts to pursue love because to Sean’s tale.
When Will and Sean first met, they were both mired in the past and unwilling to take any risks that might lead to suffering or failure. Both of these characters ultimately overcome their concerns and traumatic pasts to feel confident enough to seek fulfilling futures.
