Good Will Hunting is a 1997 drama directed by Gus Van Sany and written by Ben Affleck and Matt Damon. It stars Robin Williams, Damon, Affleck, and Minnie Driver. The film tells the story of janitor Will Hunting, a mathematical genius discovered by an MIT professor while doing a problem that was left on the board after the building had been shut down for the day. Will Hunting is from the south side of Boston and grew up in foster homes throughout his life due to his father being abusive. The MIT Professor, Gerald Lambeau, finds Will after going to his court hearing following legal trouble that he found himself in. Lambeau arranges for Will to avoid jail time If he agrees to study mathematics under Lambeau’s supervision ad undergo psychotherapy sessions. After will hesitantly agrees, he goes through multiple therapists until eventually finding Dr. Sean Maguire, played by Robin Williams. Sean, who grew up in the same part of Boston that will did, challenges him to look at himself, his traumas, and what he wants out of life.
While in therapy, Will meets a girl at a bar after defending his friend from a man who has been trying to call him stupid for growing up in South Boston. The girl, named Skylar, and Will start to form a relationship, which is encouraged by Dr. Maguire after Will hears the story of how he fell in love with his wife, who later died of cancer. While Will and Skylar’s relationship grows, so does Will’s discomfort to being in one. Throughout his traumatic life, Will has grown to develop issues of trust, commitment, and communication. This all becomes apparent after Will and Skylar fight when she asks him to move to California with her. Will eventually is faced with the question of “What he wants to do” by Dr Maguire. He is forced to look at his trauma deeper and figure out why exactly he is so scared to be in a deeper relationship. Eventually, he will throw away his opportunity at an excellent job for Skylar, leaving a note for Dr. Maguire saying that he “had to go see about a girl”.
So why would this resonate with college men?
I would like to preface by saying I am a man, and no, I don’t have a long history of trauma that would leave me with severe mental health problems as Will Hunting does. I can say that many college men are scared of being in a deeper relationship. This may have to do with simply not wanting to be in one, or feeling like they may be trapped, or maybe they do have trust issues or commitment issues. It is easy to go through your life and college, especially floating through different relationships with different people and never taking anything too seriously. What is difficult and scary to do as a man is to try to say, “You know what, fuck it let’s see where this goes.”
For these same reasons, this is why I believe that every man in college should watch Good Will Hunting. It is a perfect mix of a young man trying to answer the questions I found myself asking throughout my time thus far in college. What is the point of me doing this? What do I want to see myself doing in the future? Why am I scared of relationships that will be good for me? And finally, What do I want to do?
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ShoutOut! James Madison University 