Hunting is a believable character

Rating: Null/10 (31 May 1999)

I did not think this movie was great, but I did like it. However, I do not feel the characters in this movie are unrealistic, as some have complained. I felt the character of Will Hunting, who seems to be the most maligned, was very real. Maybe the problem is that people have gotten so used to seeing characters who are one-dimensional and non-contradictory, even though this is not what people are like in real life. Will Hunting is a mathematical genius, but this in no way means that he should behave intelligently in all domains of his life. Hence, it is not unrealistic for him to behave stupidly when it comes to women. Nor is it unrealistic for him to work as a janitor. In my experience, people often do things that could not be predicted from their intelligence or abilities alone. I myself have done things that I intellectually knew were stupid or detrimental; I'm sure most people have, and a mathematical genius should be no exception. The character of Hunting struck me very much as a guy who has a problem with sabotaging his own happiness and success, maybe out of fear of greater failure should he put himself on the line. His amazing abilities do not necessitate that he have a good job and a university degree, because it is not just intelligence that determines these things. In school, perhaps he skipped all his classes and never did his assignments, and thus got poor grades. That being the case, he would not have been accepted to a prestigious university, and in fact no one might have noticed his affinity for math. It is also possible he simply didn't apply to university, even though he might have been accepted, either to stay with his friends or to prevent academic failure. I think one of the points of this movie is that being gifted does not by itself make you happy and successful. Being gifted does not make you immune to psychological problems, or make you behave in an intelligent manner in all situations. If his character had been written this way- well, first off, there wouldn't be a movie. Secondly, that would have made his character completely unbelievable. I do concede that the likelihood of a genius being a janitor is not that great, but it is not impossible, and I'm sure it happens. There are historical figures that we now recognise as great, even though in their time they were ignored or ridiculed for their beliefs. There are also nutty geniuses, who cut off their ears and what not. In light of such things and of my own personal experiences, I don't see any reason why Hunting can't be as screwed up as the rest of us.