Not all of us are quite lucky enough to know from the start what we want to do for the rest of our life. Wouldn’t it just be easier to provide cryptic answers to the honest questions that aim at stripping our outer shells? In Good Will Hunting, main character Will Hunting does just that. He is a twenty-year-old self taught intellect that carries the burdens of being an orphan and possesses the scars of a once abused child. Residing in South Boston, Will chooses the path of being a janitor at MIT. His genius nature is discovered by Professor Gerald Lambeau of MIT when Will solves a graduate level math problem, and from here on, Professor Gerald resolves to aid the troubled juvenile to use his intelligence to his advantage. Throughout the course of the movie we see a shift in Will’s personality and get to understand him better through the persistence and understanding of his therapist, Sean Maguire. Sean Maguire presented the idea that sure it is beneficial to have knowledge by the books, but it is better to hold experiences for yourself and pave your own path instead of one that others expect of you, because that will not make you happy. Doing the things that you desire instead of saying “I wish I had … when I was younger” will leave you with no regrets. Sean opened Will’s mind to self-love and to not push away the people around him because he’s fearful of the uncertainties that the future might hold. This movie is a personal favorite of mine because of its message and I recommend it to all because I feel as though everyone can relate to it, one way or the other.
2 Responses to Good Will Hunting- Kerissa Lashley
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I recently watched this movie, and I can also agree that its one of my personal favorites. I think one major lesson that you can get out of this movie is how important loyalty is. Will’s friends were very loyal to him, which is why he could never imagine leaving them behind to create a better life. However, even though his friends enjoyed his company, they encouraged him to move on because he deserved better opportunities in life. Another major lesson is that its never too late to do something you love. Will was a janitor and never believed that he could be anything better. He didn’t set high standards for himself because he thought it was too late, but what we learn is that it’s never too late to change the direction of our lives.
I remember watching this movie during my junior year of High School and there is a specific scene where both of the main characters have like the deepest talk sitting on a bench. I agree with what you said. Everyone should watch the movie at some point. It makes you really think about what you know about life.