Great Will Hunting

Rating: 10/10 (17 October 2017)

Written by the young minds of Matt Damon and Ben Affleck in 1997, Good Will Hunting was a burst of genius that took the country by storm. With over 225 million dollars grossed in the box office, and only a 10 million dollar budget, the film was a massive financial success. Also, with a 97% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, one of the most trusted movie review websites, the movie's story line and acting were essentially flawless. The movie follows the fictional life of Will Hunting, played by Matt Damon, who is a dirt poor 20 year- old unrecognized genius who does not get along with the law. His genius is noticed by a world renowned math professor, Gerald Lambeau, but Will is forced to go to therapy with therapist Sean Maguire in order to study with Mr. Lambeau. The greatness of the film sourced from the constant witty banter, the extreme nature of the relationship between Will and Sean, and the overall lesson of following one's heart.
Throughout the movie, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck intelligently placed humorous comments, mainly spoken by Will, to provide comic relief to serious situations or to show the comedic side of Will Hunting. These comments, such as the "how bout them apples" scene, add to the overall character of Will Hunting, creating a more complete main character. The humor in the movie brightens the overall mood of the movie, allowing for a more pleasant experience while watching. The serious tones in the movie, when Will was lying down and talking to the second therapist about his childhood, were instantly uprooted when he began to sing "Afternoon Delight". This was a unexpected twist, but a pleasant surprise providing great comic relief and being one of the funniest scenes in the entire movie. Comedy, in most cases, assists a movie, and in this case, comedy held a big part. But besides comedy, the new relationships that Will was able to make, especially the one with Sean, evolved the story line further.
The dynamic relationship between Will and Sean created a tension and relief in multiple parts of the movie that enhanced what would have been a simple plot. The performances of both Matt Damon and Robin Williams were so phenomenal, especially in the scene where Sean strangled Will, it was as if it was their raw emotion. This tension in their relationship exposes the truths and secrets from both characters, adding to the drama and revealing necessary backstory to connect with the characters even more. Sean is able to finally connect with Will's soft side, he is truly exposed and no longer seen as this tough and care free person. This allows for sympathy for Will's character, and an appeal to everyone's pathos. This strong relationship exposed the final side of Will's character, while adding to the greatness of the story by creating new problems and solutions. These problems only occur because Sean is trying to find out what Will wants to do with his life, and he only wishes that Will loves the life of his own choosing.
From the constant bickering between Professor Lambeau and Sean over Will's life to Will's own nature of sabotaging relationships because he is a afraid of things going astray, Will is unsure what to do with his life. The theme of following one's heart is a classic, that creates a deeper meaning to the story by enhancing the story line and creating a reason for Will leave and to follow the love of his life, Skylar. From Sean's story to this, they are both very appealing in pathos, allowing for more relation with the characters.
Good Will Hunting had the perfect mix of seriousness, banter, and life lessons. From the arguments to the crying and hugging, these added new levels to the characters development, and overall made it more interesting. The banter allowed for multiple laughs, which relaxed and eased the seriousness of certain situations, and it the perfect amount to balance everything. Good Will Hunting will forever be the greatest movie of all time, and it will be a movie that will live on through many generations.