I'm going to start with this clip here:
This clip establishes how complex and interesting the character of Will Hunting is, the Bostonian vibe and the dialogue between two opposites. Watching this again, I paid attention to Matt Damon's character and the structure of the film as to why people including myself get hooked onto this material. Why are we following this character that has a gift for mathematics and yet, has a history of a criminal record? It is because from the first scene that is established in the opening credits, we see Will reading about complex and advanced math and attempting to solve some problems while he is living in a run-down house.
Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, unknowns at the time, collaborated on this project by writing dialogue that reflects their hometown Bostonian atmosphere: how people lived on the streets and how people hang out and talk with one another. It's like a little world within a big world. It is sort of like of an invitation to watch people from there interact with one another. It was an experience for both Damon and Affleck to get studio executives denying their script until Miramax bought it. However, when Robin Williams came along for the project, they both knew they had a movie.
Twenty-year-old Will Hunting (Matt Damon) is a self-taught intellect that works as a janitor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). At night, he spends his time drinking and going to bars with his friends: Chuckie (Ben Affleck), Billy (Cole Hauser) and Morgan (Casey Affleck). When Professor Gerald Lambeau (Stellan Skarsgård) posts a rather difficult mathematics problem in the chalkboard in the main hallway, Will attempts to solve the problem and by stunning Lambeau and other graduate students, he is correct. By not knowing who it is, Lambeau posts another but more advanced problem on the board and catches Will solving it, mistaking that he is putting graffiti on the wall. But, Lambeau is surprised that it was him.
He even surprises a British student, Skylar (Minnie Driver), at a bar when he narrates a statement from a history textbook to an arrogant MIT student who embarrasses Chuckie. She gives Will her phone number and go on dates. The next day, Will is arrested at a basketball court after fighting some punks and hitting a police officer. After Lambeau notices Will's intellect while defending himself in court, Lambeau arranges for him to forgo jail time to have him study mathematics under his supervision and to see a therapist.
After Will mocks some therapists, Lambeau, in desperation, talks to his college roommate and friend, Dr. Sean Maguire (Robin Williams). Sean actually challenges Will's motives and defense mechanisms that persuades him to open up. Their sessions parallels to many scenes regarding Will's love life and his future.
I'll bring up the last clip that is worth showing...
The clip above is the best scene of the film that demonstrates that there is finally somebody who can challenge Will after he patronized Sean by critiquing his painting in his office and establishing an allegory by saying Sean marrying the wrong woman which happened to be his deceased wife. It is a fascinating scene to watch because we can see beyond Robin Williams' talent that he is not just a comedian who has golden timing with his jokes but has the ability to have gravitas with a dramatic presence. Williams is great in this movie but this established to get him the Oscar.
Despite the arc being a bit predictable, most of the scenes are not because many people wait for the formulaic set-up. For example, when Will goes to jail, we can sense for a scene in which Skylar thinks that he is missing a date but no, it goes to a different route in which Damon and Affleck wrote the script. But, it mostly sets up the working chemistry between Lambeau and Will. However, since his defense mechanisms and hidden fear prevent him of going after success, every counterpart in Will's present life tries to help him in different scenes.
There is a riveting scene which may be a SPOILER in which Sean looked at Will's file revealing that his foster father abused him and Sean shares that he was also a victim. Sean helps Will to see that he was a victim and "it was not his fault" and they share an emotional and tearful hug. It finally reveals as to why he has a low self-esteem in his character not pursuing a great potential for his future. That powerful climactic scene is what wraps up the entire background of his character and it is disturbing because it plays like a real moment as it unfortunately happens to some people around the world.
The movie balances both rich drama and quirkiness into a sensational film filled with bitterness and friendship in Boston. Even if you set this film in another city, the atmosphere would not be the same and it would not be as interesting because Sean and Will have both the same background as they are both from Southie. In the final scene, there is a moment of laughter that sums up what Will will do next that makes Sean a bit proud as he is about to take a sabbatical. It is a great movie that took both Affleck's and in particular, Damon's careers on course with the help of director Gus Van Sant.
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