GOOD WILL HUNTING

 

THREE STARS – Thought-provoking

 

 

       Does a person have a moral obligation to use the abilities God has given  if the individual is unusually gifted,  unusually brilliant or talented?

        Or is the question just more obvious when we see such potential “wasted”?

       In a fascinating film about the burden and opportunities of giftedness, “Good Will Hunting” explores our gifts and the dynamics of our lives which often keep us from using them.

       Written by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck while attending college, this film has the feeling of simplicity which gives it both its charm and its impact.

       There are four central characters of the film, each struggling in their own way with their unique giftedness.

       The central character, Will Hunting (Matt Damon), is an intellectually gifted person who can not only remember every page of every book he reads, but is also a mathematical genius capable of solving problems only a “handful” of others in the world could master.

       The problem is that he is an orphan who was raised in an abusive foster home which so damaged him that he would rather street fight and work construction than use his mind.

       This is the first and primary deterrent to using our unique gifts:  our brokenness.  In this instance, the abandonment of losing his parents and the abuse of the foster home has broken Hunting’s emotional and relational stability.  He is in need of psychological healing.

       Motivated by subliminal desires to use his mind, Hunting commutes across Boston to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where he works as a custodian.  It is here that he meets Professor Lambeau (Stellan Skarsgard).

       Lambeau is ambitious and uses his skills for personal fame and glory to become a “medal winning” mathematician.

       This prideful accomplishment pales with inherent dissatisfaction when Lambeau meets true mathematical genius in Hunting and is overwhelmed with jealousy.

       This is the second most common deterrent to using our gifts:   we see others with greater ability and we compare ourselves to them, seeing ourselves as inferior.

       Rather than finding fulfillment in his own unique ability to teach mathematics, Lambeau is both captivated and devastated by the genius of Hunting.

       Due to some fortunate coincidences, Lambeau rescues Hunting from being sentenced to jail for street fighting and manipulates him into both using his mathematical gifts and getting him into psychological counseling.

       The counselor is Sean McGuire (Robin Williams).  McGuire is a grieving, gifted psychologist who has been teaching rather than counseling clients since the loss of his wife several years earlier.

       This is the third reason many of us do not use our gifts:  we are devastated by loss.   Although grief is a natural part of loss, McGuire’s grief has degenerated into self-pity and has driven him into an isolation in which he feels like a lone oarsman fighting against a storm.

       The fourth example of how we use our gifts is shown in Hunting's best friend, Chuckie (Ben Affleck).  Chuckie is a construction worker who only uses his ability to communicate to smooth talk women in bars.

       Sadly, this too is a common misuse of our gifts:  using gifts suited for a far greater pupose for only temporary or even degrading purposes.

       The power of the film is when each of these characters comes to grips with the dynamics in their own lives which keep them from becoming the persons God gifted them to be.

       Out of love for his friend, Chuckie uses his communication skills to convince Hunting to choose a life more suited to his abilities.

       Lambeau realizes that his academic medal means nothing and offers it up as a sacrifice to his growth.

       Hunting and McGuire challenge one another in their self-protective isolation and mutually step out into the world to risk both love and fulfillment.  It is the richness of their interaction which gives this film its depth and power.

       Finding the “good will” of others is a “hunt” that this film achieves for all of us.

 

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