Will is now pushing 40. Is he still with Skyler? Did they have kids? Did his life work out? Is he in jail? Did he go to college, if so, what do you think he would be doing?
shareWill travels back in time and is Robin Williams. Minnie Driver is his wife. That's what the whole movie is about, you didn't get it?
shareWell he did go to California, married Skylar, and went to work for some prestigious research firm. He earned a Doctorates degree in Mathematics but soon discovered that California's Universities were awash with liberal, lefty pinko's like himself and so he came to the conclusion that he had finally found his home.
He pretty much abandoned the field of mathematics to pursue his new interest in political science and politics.
It didn't matter so much to the world of mathematics that he left; even the best mathematical minds had tremendous difficulty even beginning to understand new areas and fields of mathematics that he developed. They will spend the next 1,000 years trying to decipher that work.
Will is now the department head of political science at UCLA.
Think he ended up a lot like Sean. Since they were very similar. Both came from abusive homes, both were the smartest out of their friends, & both were alone. So, think he married his soul mate & settled down to a small life working at a University. Will the smartest one in the movie, would have probably made the same decision, love over money & recognition. He wanted intimacy more than anything.
shareProbably either in jail or dead. The guy is simply a walking wreck looking for a place to happen.
- Working for the NSA or other government agency? Think again. After pissing in the NSA recruiter's eye with his "why I wouldn't want to work for the NSA" you think he's not blacklisted from even collecting welfare? It's not like the NSA and other agencies aren't spoiled for top candidates to have to grovel for Mr Genius.
- Working in math? Thing again. The guy doesn't have the discipline and self-control required to finish college, never mind graduate school. And after burning Jerry and his contacts by playing them for suckers at the interviews, you think anyone will give him a chance to get into academia like Jerry did?
- Married to Skylar and living off her? Maybe. That is if she puts up with his crybaby BS after the allure and mystique of the dating/falling in love period ends and routine sets in.
- Pumping gas and serving food to Michael Bolton? Most likely.
- Turning into another Unabom? Most likely.
I don't know if you're trolling or not but I think thats a load of *beep*
He was just a kid after all, he would have grown up and changed, he would have matured and found his way, with Skylar or without. Most people would want to see a positive future for Will, and I think he has the audacity to find it.
Although being a genius would surely have its pros and cons.
"He was just a kid after all, he would have grown up and changed"
MAYBE, but guess what?
- Burned bridges tent to remain burned, "I was a kid" doesn't usually cut it to make amends.
- Jail is full of people who made mistakes in their youth yet get thrown the book anyway (you can tell them by the colour of their skin)
- "found his way, with Skylar or without." Probably, however opportunities and youth don't usually wait for anyone to mature and find their way...
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Probably either in jail or dead. The guy is simply a walking wreck looking for a place to happen.
Back to being a janitor, but at Cal Tech this time.
share[deleted]
He's watching The Patriots game on Chuck's couch. In 3 years Chuck's patience will run out and he'll remind will of that conversation they had 20 years ago at the construction site and then Chuck makes good on his promise.
shareSome reflective perspective:
Sean got Will on the road to a "recovery" or to put it differently on a path of his own self-discovery. His actions at the end of the film indicate a desire to change, and, to me, Sean, getting him to open the emotional blocks he had spent his life building was a Rubicon that could never again be recrossed. Will was not dumb; uneducated, yes, book smart, yes, but as a 20 year old his life experiences were minute, compartmentalized and limited. His desire to change, indicated by both why he was leaving (a desire for a life mate re: as exampled by Sean's late wife), finding a form of trust in Sean's ability to see the person behind the armor and the way he left (giving his friend the fantasy he had regarding no one being at home) but not cutting all ties (the note to Sean and having Sean's number). This is all reflective of a young mind beginning to "mature" as opposed to getting "smart".
If Will continued to mature, and there is every reason to suspect he would, his relationship with Skylar would grow if both of them experienced patience and an ability to understand their differences (note that Skylar, though prep educated was not beyond getting down and dirty with Will's friends) and work through the challenges the relationship would most likely bring. Skylar was loving Will knowing full well the kind of person he was (she knew he didn't have the 12 brothers he claimed and also knew he was intelligent beyond her experiences but socially awkward and purposely working a menial job). Will was beginning to see Skylar as that person who would indeed see him as he was.
So what did the future hold? As noted by others in different ways, Will was not one to fit into the larger realm of societal "normalcy". He did, however, have a talent that would allow him to be successful. I believe it was possible for him to become the next Einstein or other "eccentric" genius. With the help of Skylar and Gerald, he would begin writing books that would revolutionize both mathematics and physics. As much about his abilities was stated by Gerald and shown by his light years ahead of the other professors who saw his work. This would give him purpose and financial stability not in competition with Skylar's money.
That is not to say it would be easy. He would always be somewhat "gun shy" of the greater population. But then again look at some of the other people who have contributed to human kind. Stephen Hawkings lives in a body most people would find impossible to accept. Einstein was famously eccentric and was noted by Robert Oppenheimer (another genius with his own quirks) as "There was always with him a wonderful purity at once childlike and profoundly stubborn." Will was beginning a life of optimism at the end of the film. I am left with the belief he continue along that path.
It's just television, get over it! - David Letterman
Best answer
shareWill finds Skylar and they move in together for a while. The relationship fizzles after 6 months to 1 year. Will gets a menial job to support himself in the meantime while waiting for something better to come around.
Will has trouble getting a job at one of the firms previously looking for him, following his escapade to California. He either does or doesn't attempt to obtain a degree at university, but either way he cannot adapt to the environment and conditions in order to obtain one.
The rest is foggy.
He's like the on-screen version of himself, of Matt Damon. So he's an actor, director, producer. Now just don't ask us where we'd think Sean would be.
shareThere sure is a lot of pessimism on this thread. It's as if people just don't want this character to heal and be happy. Sean got him started on the path to growth, helping get past some of the emotional baggage of his abusive childhood. Using Sean's line about going to see about a girl indicates that he's finally recognized that Skylar is someone he can love, who can love him as he really is. Soul mates for life is what that line means.
As for his professional life, well, he's a mathematical genius heading out to California in the mid nineties. Can you say internet billionaire? Who then retires to a life of intellectual curiosity, maybe working on some of those advanced math challenges, taking them past the point where they're easy for him. Probably staying in touch with Sean, maybe even reconnecting with that math professor, once he is emotionally mature enough to deal with him. Maybe, after Skylar finishes med school, internship, residency, etc., moving back to Boston so he and Chuck can watch the Patriots together on Sundays. The ending of this movie is hopeful, optimistic, even. I'm quite happy to go with that direction.
We provide ... Leverage.
That is a nice optimistic view, but the fact remains Will was not interested in using his skills to make money in his youth. Why would he take a 180 degree turn and be interested in the almighty dollar for the rest of his life. The difference between people that make big money and those that just get by is not intelligence. It is a combination of initiative, drive, brown nosing the right people and willing to take a chance. Will doesn't seem like that kind of person.
shareConsidering the time and the place, it would be possible for Will to just "fall into it." He's a math genius with wide ranging intellectual curiosity and knowledge. He might start a web site just for the hell of it, and find himself sitting on a gold mine. And I didn't say that he'd be chasing dollars the rest of his life, I suggested that if he did hit it rich he'd then use the money to sit back and just pursue his own interests going forward, maybe reconnecting with some of the formative people in his life. And if that doesn't happen, well, he'll most likely be married to a doctor, so he won't be living in the poor house anyway.
We provide ... Leverage.