Critical Reflection - Good Will Hunting

Essay by ranga356 June 2014

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The film "Good Will Hunting" is the journey and story of a young man from South Boston, his troubled life and his opening up. Like Will Hunting (main character played by Matt Damon), many of us including myself have gone through stages in our life where we can relate to the emotions he felt in this film in some way.

There are many key points in this film which show extremely important stages in Will Hunting's development. Such as when Will working as a janitor at the MIT College in South Boston, answers a near impossible Mathematic equation and whilst working on another runs away when he is caught. On another occasion, he and his friends attend a "Harvard Bar" where he shows off his intellect and wit in the defence of his best friend Chuckie (Ben Affleck) by talking down an arrogant student. And meets a girl named Skyla (Minnie Driver), a rich British exchange student attending Harvard University.

On their way back from a local baseball game Will and his friends pass a group of men harassing a young woman. They are infuriated and a brawl ensues. When the police show up Will is the only one who continues to fight and is arrested.

During his trial, a result of the earlier brawl, Will once again displays his intelligence representing himself in court. This is where we discover his extensive criminal record. Gerald Lambo (Stellan Skarsgard), the professor who caught Will completing the equation verifies that it is correct and makes a deal with the judge, keeping Will out of prison on the condition that he works for Professor Lambo and sees a Psychologist. Will agrees but instead of letting the Psychologists help him, he ridicules them. Eventually Professor Lambo asks an old friend...