Monday, June 13, 2011

Good Will Hunting

Good Will Hunting
                I really enjoyed this film because of the plot, the character relationships and the acting. When I think of a kid genius, I imagine a child who is obsessed with books, dedicates their lives to continuing their education and goes on to change the world by using all they have to offer. Will Hunting was the complete opposite of what I expected. Will was very interested in books and he learned everything he knew through the library. However, he was not interested in an education and in the end he chose taking a chance, over having a secure future. Will did not associate with other intelligent individuals, he did not participate in activities that challenged him intellectually, and he had little self control. I enjoyed the relationship between Will and Sean because it was dynamic and it continually evolved. I thought that Sean would never see Will again after their first session, but Sean showed great qualities and he was willing to take on the challenges presented to him. I also really enjoyed the acting and the actors. There are some very famous actors in this film; I was most impressed with Robin Williams because he is amazing at truly encompassing his character.
                This film was intriguing because it used internal truths of human nature and allowed things to play out the way they were supposed to. Will could have chose to live his life as Lambeau wanted him to, but instead Will chose to follow his heart and take a risk. I wanted Will to improve his quality of life, but I also wanted him to do what he felt was right. The actions were not completely realistic, but how everything worked out was exactly how I wanted it to. Of course, I wanted Will to learn about himself, emotionally grow, and find love that he never had. The ending did not reveal what happened, but it set up a scenario where I was able to allow it to end as I wished. Will left to pursue Skylar and I imagine that when he found her, they lived happily ever after.
                This film also incorporated suspense, by withholding information, but this is what kept my interest. First, after Will answered the mathematical equation I had to know what he was going to do. Would he take credit for his actions or would he continue to live his normal life. Once he met Skylar, I wanted to know if he would open up to her, be honest, and truly let her into his life. After going through a series of counselors, I wondered if Lambeau would turn him in or really dedicate himself to helping Will. Once Sean had a session with Will, I wanted to know if he would continue to see him or shut him out. Lastly, at the end of the film, I needed to know what Will was going to do because it helped me to realize what type of person he was and what was important to him in life.
                In this film, characterization was accomplished through several different techniques. Will’s character was developed through external actions and reactions to other characters. For example, Will spent his time working as a janitor; he enjoyed getting drunk and instigating fights. This made Will appear to be a simple guy, with little care about consequences. When Will met all of his counselors, throughout the film, he was able to read them and break them down. Will was also able to do this with Sean. When he refused to speak with Sean, it proved that he was self centered and dedicated to being difficult. He was not willing to allow others into his mind and he was very stubborn.
                Overall, I was impressed with this film. It really made me rethink my previous ideas about being a genius. Before this film I would have told anyone, in a heartbeat, that I would do anything to be a genius because it would mean endless opportunities with minimal work. After watching this film, I have changed my view. Will struggled to build strong relationships with other people and I believe that his intelligence contributed to that. He was so smart that it was difficult for him to find someone stimulating. After his genius was revealed, he had a difficult time living his life normally. He was pressured into doing different work and he almost gave up his life for something he wasn’t passionate about. I now think that being a genius would be much more difficult than it sounds.  

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