Good Will Hunting

            Good Will Hunting was a movie about a man that was a mathematical and book genius that was in bad situations and never really full-filled his potential. In this blog I am going to address the story, symbolism, and title of the movie. Good Will Hunting was a movie that can reach each person. There I untapped potential in all of us. We just need to have the right person or people to push us to find that potential. This movie also shows us the dangers of not living life and becoming so caught up in ourselves we end up lost.

Story

            Good Will Hunting follows a linear storyline. The characters live in the present and talk a lot about the past. The story is credible because we can see the objective truth to it. The director and actors portray what is a believable South Boston environment and society. The audience buys in because of this believability factor. We know that MIT is a place for the brightest people, so why wouldn’t a closet genius work there? The film shows its complexity with the way the characters interact. Will is withdrawn from anyone outside his friends, even his girlfriend. It’s not until late in the show that the simple truth of his abusive foster parents comes out. The complexities of the math and the simplistic nature of his friends show the depth of the film

Symbolism

            There is a painting in the office of Robin Williams’s character. The painting shows a man rowing a boat in what looks like to be a storm. This futile act of going against the storm is personified in both Will, the math professor, and the psychiatrist. Each of these characters has inner turmoil that they are struggling against. In the end of the movie, Will is given a car by his friends. This happens after his realization with the psychiatrist that the abuse of his childhood was not his fault. This car symbolizes his new found freedom from this burden. In the end we see a fuller version of this with him leaving everything behind to chase after a girl in California.

Title

             The title Good Will Hunting is symbolic itself. Obviously there is the name of the primary character, Will. The good part is misleading at first. We see a troubled kid who is violent but gifted. There are glimpses of the “Good” within him throughout the movie. In the end, we see a transformation to the good person that was in there all along. To me, the Hunting part is directed at the realization of two characters. Both Will and Robin Williams’ characters find themselves looking into their own lives and finding something better. Each of them ends the movie by leaving and going on a new Hunt to define and explore their new found freedom

            All-in-all, Good Will Hunting is a good movie. There is a riveting story that tells the reader what is happening within the lives of the characters. The story maintains a concise balance by not being overburdened with flashbacks while dealing with past issues. Symbolism is seen with the gifting of a car and the painting on the wall. There are other examples scattered through the movie as well. The title does a good job of conveying the over-all meaning of the story. This is a movie that I am glad I watched. It was not action packed, but it still was able to keep me riveted.