Good Will Hunting

We talked about stories this week, what makes a good story, what intrigues us as human beings. We talked about characters, plots, etc. What we didn't talk about is one of the elements of a story that intrigues me most, contrasts and compromises. And that, I think, is what Good Will Hunting is all about, the contrast between Will's amazingly vast genious, and his inability to participate in the most basic of human relations most of us take for granted. Will can recite, remember, extrapolate, and prove anything academic, things most would deem very difficult. But when it comes to loving someone, trusting someone, or believing in himself, he's crippled.

I think the characters in Will's life represent his future:

Professor Lambeau is Will's easy path. The academic future is obviously easy for Will, it requires no extra effort, provides a path to fame, financial security, and success. But more importantly, to boredom, to self-loathing. Professor Lambeau seems to have some of the same issues Will has. His relationships with women are at best short-lived, his relationships with his friends and colleagues are less than desireable, he seems to be just what Will hopes not to become.

Chuckie Sullivan is Will's current path. He's stuck in a dead end job where it's not WHAT you know, it's WHO you know. This is no advantage to Will. He lives where he's always been comfortable, welcome, safe both physically and emotionally. There is nowhere to go, but at least he won't be bored. He could stay in Boston the rest of his life and never want for anything emotionally.

Skylar is the emotionally capable path. She represents both what Will truly wants, and what Will truly wants to be. This path is the only path that makes Will grow, and thus, the path that is the hardest.

Sean is the path of a failed attempt. The articles talk about Sean as a flawed soul, a lost man who needs Will's help as much as Will truly needs his, but I disaggree slightly. In one scene, Sean scolds Will for being too scared to try, too afraid to let something besides his intelligence take over for a while, and Will fires back, saying Sean is afraid to try again, incapable of picking up the pieces and eventually finding peace. This is what really scares Will. This is why he doesn't want to ty in the first place. If he tries and fails he'll be just like Sean; incapable of trying again, of making something better when it fails. Will can't move on until he realizes that there is redemption after failure. Therefore I believe Sean is the ultimate hero of the movie. He must save Will, but in order to save Will, he must save himself. Will's "it's not your fault" breakthrough is visually and emotionally powerful; he's finally let go of the circumstances that put him where he is, but that only allows him to be ok with the easy path. It's not until Sean overcomes his own inabilities that Will has the courage to go after what he really wants.

In the Ziewacz article, Will's Coming of age is highlighted and I'm less than taken in. I think this is a bit of stretch, but perhaps that's due to my relative unfamiliarity with Catcher in the Rye and Portnoy's Complaint. There may be elements of social growth, and they may or may not relate to archetypal stories, but I think we need to keep in mind that this was written by college students. This kind of inherent "growing up" feeling seems natural in a story written by, and for a twenty something.

---

Jesse's Movie's of the Week



Lucky Number Slevin - This is a murder mystery-mystery-ish movie. Stylish and fun to watch, though maybe a little over-budgeted in the cast. I would've liked to have seen Hartnett be the big name. Freeman and Willis are just a little over-kill I thought.


The Usual Suspects - If you noticed, this was supposed to be in my list last week, but I must've forgotten the picture and thoughts. This is a thinking man's movie, don't blink, you'll miss the plot.


What Dreams May Come - Robin Williams is amazing in this visually stunning answer to the question "what is heaven like?" This could be dismissed as "panty remover," and it's definitely better when watched with a member of the feminine persuasion, but there's so much more. This is my feel-gooder for the week.