Maguire’s best observation is undoubtedly “Maybe you’re perfect,” an unexpected body blow to the perceptions we all seem to have, on some level, of the admirable people we meet who somehow make us uncomfortable. The film struggles mightily to sort out these sentiments, unlike its polar opposite, “Patton,” which is also reviewed on this site. People disagree—even when they do so in the most agreeable terms. To complicate matters, several strangers enter the equation: a brilliant math professor who discovers, even envies, Will's gifts, an empathetic shrink who identifies with Will's blue-collar roots, and a beautiful, gifted pre-med student who shows him, for the first time in his life, the possibility of love. But to what extent is it a liberating one? Good Will Hunting tells the poignant story of Will and Sean's coming to terms with the blows life has dealt them and with the questions that lie in the future. In Existential Psychotherapy (1980), Irvin Yalom presents the difference between Buber’s ‘I-It’ and ‘I-Thou’ ways of relating: “The ‘I’ is profoundly influenced by the relationship with the ‘Thou’. He battles the invisible enemy that geniuses like Lambeau can’t detect. Over the sessions Sean creates an alliance with Will’s innermost being – the part of him that had secretly desired to be discovered. | Editing: Pietro Scalia Lambeau notes that only a handful of people in the world could tell the difference between him and Will. One wonders if these sessions should be viewed as serendipity rather than therapy – an encounter in a special situation between two men with similar roots. There would be another arrest and Lambeau and Skylar would give up. Showing that difference is a problem. Good Will Hunting, the movie, is about a young man, Will, who is a gifted mathematician, be it unrecognized by his peers, growing up in a rather low economic social class. It may forever be debated whose project this was. Good Will Hunting Film Analysis 808 Words | 4 Pages. Will’s points are overly long and clunky. Could it also be seen as Sean’s swan song? She makes a long-sought breakthrough, immediately realizes its consequences, and sensing the make-or-break nature of this moment, fights valiantly, unsuccessfully, without self-pity. It’s been a great story since “Hunting” debuted, these two pals from Boston, acting together, writing screenplays together, including their circle of friends such as Affleck’s brother Casey and Driver (for a time), then J. The heart of the movie Good Will Hunting (1997) is an encounter between Will (Matt Damon), a twenty-year-old working class prodigy, and an apparently burnt-out middle-aged therapist, Sean (Robin Williams). When Will is almost sent to jail, a professor at MIT decides to bail him out under the condition that he works with him for math every week and that he visits a therapist. Will is quite possibly his last case ever – so intuitively feeling the looming life change and existential challenge that this encounter poses, he breaks all the rules. Therapist movies tend to be well-received. There is nothing noteworthy about the cinematography. Although it is not entirely clear which school Sean follows, we can safely say that this therapy bears many marks of an existentialist-humanistic treatment. Why doesn’t he trust anybody? Confidential,” “Boogie Nights” and “As Good as it Gets.” The erratic portrayal of Will, by Damon, is a bigger problem. Lambeau’s MIT classrooms are informal, unthreatening. Taglines Parents Guide. Co-executive producer: Kevin Smith But Damon is well aware of his mainstream box office potential and generally keeps his semi-polarizing political viewpoints under the radar, unlike Sean Penn. He cared, took a chance, was patient, found Sean. We soon come to understand that the average working class lifestyle Will leads is in stark contrast with the brilliant intellect he possesses: in a break from mopping the floor, he sketches the solution to an extremely difficult mathematical problem left on a university chalkboard. After several failed attempts with various therapists, Will finally accepts the authority of Sean, a childhood friend of Lambeau. However, he has an amazing talent in Mathematics. The filmmakers were either so self-conscious of this angle — or just wanted to keep everyone hanging for as long as possible — that they didn’t even give Will the opportunity to say “thanks,” merely having Sean cut him off with “You’re welcome.” He brutally attacks a kindergarten rival for no reason, other than the fact he saw him on the street (after seeing him at a baseball game and doing nothing). (August 2008) The feeling here is that “Hunting” will gradually be forgotten. This is the moment where Will has a realisation that he can be in the world with other humans as he is, and still be accepted. He ‘withholds nothing’, not even his anger and frustration. All rights reserved. That was the year of “Titanic” as well as a host of other excellent movies such as “L.A. The therapist is the hero. Is Damon himself a closet genius? As Sean points out in a memorable conversation during the fifth session, no matter how hard Will is trying to make everybody believe he’s satisfied with his life, it’s actually Will himself who took the first step towards something new. Damon, a great student of acting, is a prized mainstream commodity, in the bankable sweet spot of being very well-liked by women as well as acceptable to male viewers (unlike, say, Jude Law). So although I just characterised the therapist’s physical assault on the client as a breach of professional ethics, from a Buberian perspective we can reexamine it as a sign of deepest respect: by losing his presence, the therapist exposes himself to the patient and becomes extremely vulnerable. Director Gus Van Sant uses a memorable bar scene, where Will dresses down a boorish Harvard student with factual recall that is completely impossible yet highly entertaining, and a more poignant scene where a jaded Will burns a proof he’s done, only to have Lambeau stumble to extinguish the fire and save the pieces. The opening shots show Will in a shabby, bare house on the outskirts of Boston, sitting on a chair speed-reading a book in the midst of other carelessly scattered books. He spends his nights at bars and batting cages with his best friends. Following the loss of his wife he needs to face the inevitability of his own death, and he needs to find meaning. ), we decided to evaluate Will for antisocial personality disorder and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In real life, we know that Will, a very troubled and violent person who has met dozens of therapists in his young life and treated all with disdain, would likely tear Maguire to shreds. “Ordinary People” won some Oscars; “The Prince of Tides” and “Regarding Henry” were popular and are good movies. This is why “Hunting” is not a great movie, though highly watchable. The encounter between Will and Sean is passionate and disturbing for both parties. “Good Will Hunting” feels like instant therapy. But when one relates to a ‘Thou’, one's whole being is involved; nothing can be withheld” (p.365). Perhaps an equally bad moment is in another job interview, this one actually attended by Will, where shadowy government insiders ask him why he wouldn’t want to work for the National Security Agency. The film is overly reliant on dialogue. Because the first thing that ever happened to him on God’s green earth was that he was abandoned by the two people [who] were supposed to love him the most!” Of the four big existentialist themes – the inevitability of death, the need for meaning, the fear of isolation, and the need for liberty – the two main issues for Will at this stage in his life are isolation and liberty. Once Will’s aggravated assault is in the books, that option’s done here; he moves on to more genteel problems, like insecurity, lack of focus and fear of rejection. Will Hunting is a genius who's living a rough life in South Boston, while being employed at a prestigious college in Boston, he's discovered by a Fields Medal winning Professor who eventually tries to get Will to turn his life around with the help of Sean Maguire, as Will begins to realize that there's more to himself then he thinks there is.

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