MovieChat Forums > Good Will Hunting (1998) Discussion > Two observations regarding specific situ...

Two observations regarding specific situations in the movie

posted 10 years ago by Ernest_Hero
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I thoroughly enjoyed this clever and entertaining film, as I liked the plot and found myself relating to the characters. It reminded me of my own trepidations when I was about to start my first year of university studies.

There are just two things I have been wondering about.

1) How come Will’s giftedness was not discovered earlier? I may be mistaken, but in the United States it’s compulsory to attend high school until grade 10, so it’s quite surprising that none of the teachers picked up on his math genius. Also, he had a way with words and a very rich vocabulary, so he must have displayed a lot of potential as a humanities’ student as well. Is it possible that Will was a late bloomer and did not appear as smart to the teachers when he was in his early to mid teens?

2) What are your thoughts regarding Will’s attitude when it came to violence? During his faceoff with the university student who was being condescending towards Chuckie, Will showed patience and while he uttered a thinly veiled threat (“Wanna step outside?”), he never resorted to violence. Will managed to school the bookish student by beating him at his own game. Given Will’s ability to show restraint in this (and other situations – e.g. he did not attempt to retaliate when Sean had him in a headlock), I am surprised that he wasn’t able to suppress a violent urge and assaulted the young guys on the basketball court (with the help of Chuckie and his other pals). I also never understood why Will and his mates decided to attack the basketballers.

Also, I have a related question that someone could probably shed light on. Chuckie seemed on the defensive and was almost apprehensive (totally lacking bravado) during his conversation with the arrogant history student. Why was Will’s mate (he is a guy from a tough neighbourhood who presumably doesn’t care whether he is seen as an intellectual or not) worried about how the other guy would perceive him? Why did he show embarrassment? One would think that Chuckie’s natural reaction would be to try to intimidate his opponent and mock the history guy’s use of flowery language, but it almost seems as if Chuckie would have simply backed down and allowed the university student to have his victory in front of the ladies if Will had not intervened (the “have you got a problem” remark notwithstanding).

Be aware of your own inner ideology!

[–] planetmutty 10 years ago

OK, I'll have a go at answering...

1) Excellent question and I don't have the answer as I am not familiar with the US education system. So I can only speculate but I suspect Will's behaviour may have been a barrier with teachers. He was in and out of foster homes so probably moved schools quite a bit making it a challenge to establish friendships and social contacts. He was also abused as a child so an ideal candidate for someone whose behaviour was seen as unruly. This may have turned some teachers against him as he would have been difficult to teach and discipline.

Although things have changed a bit in recent years, teachers have historically been taught to teach one or two ways and children who don't, or can't, follow were often labelled as backward. Will was quite possibly one of these.

Remember, even Einstein was labelled mediocre in his school years.

2) I believe the difference between the arrogant student in the bar and the basketball guys was that the student didn't pose a threat or a problem he couldn't handle. The basketball guy, if you remember, used to beat Will up every day at school (or kinder) so he was out for revenge. The other basketball guys just happened to be there, unfortunately for them.

When I said I wanted to be a comedian, they all laughed at me. Well, they're not laughing now!

[–] Ernest_Hero 10 years ago

Thank you for the interesting and insightful comments!

1) Very good points, maybe Will didn't bother to participate in class or do his homework. It's also not out of the question that he may have been rude when correcting his teachers, which would not have endeared him to them. Furthermore, it's possible that he deliberately suppressed his intellectual side in order to fit in better with the tough talking guys from broken homes that he probably identified with (to an extent) due to his own upbringing. Still, I don't think that Will (who seemed charismatic and was far from a weakling) would have been the main target of bullying even if he had chosen to behave in a nerdy fashion.

As to your second observation - homeschooling was inconceivable due to his family circumstances, but a school counselor should have probably encouraged him to take courses suitable for gifted students. In any case, Einstein is a perfect example that there could sometimes be a disconnect between one's academic performance in high school and his/her future achievements in life (most teachers apparently didn't recall Einstein as a particularly precocious student).

2) Indeed, the basketball guy may have been a bully to Will in the past...it's slightly ironic that during the scene in question Chuckie actually bullied his younger brother into participating in the fight. Also, it's likely that Will fancied Skyler and was worried that assaulting the university student could backfire on him and cause her to dislike him. He wanted to be seen as an intellectual/have an air of sophistication around him (for possibly the first time in his life) rather than allow for his bad boy charade to take centre stage.

[–] Teach417 10 years ago

Just wanted to point out that the character played by Affleck's brother was not his character's brother, he was just one of the guys, the one that the other guys picked on.

It's very possible that someone with Will's emotional problems would never have demonstrated his abilities to his teachers. He was probably seen primarily as a behavioral problem, rather than a gifted student.

The fight at the basketball court was, of course, Will getting revenge for being bullied in kindergarten. Given his history of abuse, it's not surprising that he would be eager to avenge previous physical violence against him. The guy in the bar, on the other hand, wasn't a physical threat, so Will disposed of him intellectually, which was actually more humiliating. As to not fighting back when Sean throttled him, well, as a fellow Southie, Will was quite capable of assessing the fact that Sean would, at that moment, kick Will's ass if he attempted to fight back. Tough guys can usually recognize other tough guys.

We provide ... Leverage.

[–] TxMike 10 years ago

Don't shoot the messenger, but a factor here is that the whole story is fiction, from the minds of Damon and Affleck. They had to create characters that were plausible (they are) but there can be any number of questions like yours that can't really be answered in the way they could if they had been real people. IOW, consider the creative license and just go with it. That's the way Will was, they did what we saw them do.

..*.. TxMike ..*..
Make a choice, to take a chance, to make a difference.

[–] Ernest_Hero 10 years ago

@Teach417, nicely put, thank you for shedding light on all of these issues! Yes, I think that I was a bit confused regarding the identity (in the film) of the young guy played by Casey Affleck.

While Will did have a temper and could hold grudges, I found it slightly odd that he would remember a bully from kindergarten (I have a good memory, but I have almost no recollection regarding particular events or individuals in my pre-school years) and be motivated to gain revenge 15 years after the fact. I thought that it's out of character of him to go after a child nemesis, as he seemed aware of the effects bad upbringing could have on others (or maybe I simply assumed that from a very young age Will had a reputation of a tough cookie who would retaliate on the spot if someone attempted to bully him). It's probable that prior to entering his teenage years he was actually quite sensitive and incapable of fighting or intimidating others.

I concur that Will was generally able to tell how far he could go in terms of pushing someone's buttons without consequences and Sean was one of the few exceptions in that regard.

@TxMike, true, and to be fair to this film, there aren't actually that many moments where you are just forced to suspend disbelief. Will appeals to many people, because he is a genius, but at the same time retains plenty of human flaws.

Be aware of your own inner ideology!

[–] TxMike 10 years ago

Hero, " I found it slightly odd that he would remember a bully from kindergarten "

I don't and here's why. A true story ...

A few years back a co-worker in the New Orleans area was recounting how one evening at a restaurant he noticed that a waiter there was the same person who had taunted him on the playground in school when they were kids. They were probably in their 40s when the encounter occurred, my co-worker said he went up to the guy and said remember me, punched him out, and left.

I wasn't there but I believe he was being truthful. Even if he exaggerated, he remembered the guy and the bullying. So that was at least 30 years after the bullying. I am adult, a grandfather actually, and I remember a certain bully from when I was about 10. Some things are imprinted indelibly.

..*.. TxMike ..*..
Make a choice, to take a chance, to make a difference.

[–] 10 years ago

[deleted]

[–] jpgiuliotti 9 years ago

Seems like your *bonus question* wasn't addressed by anyone :)

"Also, I have a related question that someone could probably shed light on. Chuckie seemed on the defensive and was almost apprehensive (totally lacking bravado) during his conversation with the arrogant history student. Why was Will’s mate (he is a guy from a tough neighbourhood who presumably doesn’t care whether he is seen as an intellectual or not) worried about how the other guy would perceive him? Why did he show embarrassment? One would think that Chuckie’s natural reaction would be to try to intimidate his opponent and mock the history guy’s use of flowery language, but it almost seems as if Chuckie would have simply backed down and allowed the university student to have his victory in front of the ladies if Will had not intervened (the “have you got a problem” remark notwithstanding)."

Honestly, I think Chuckie was just genuinely baffled for that moment and by the time he figured out he was being tooled on, Will stepped in (as you pointed out he started to when Will cuts him off as he starts to challenge the "Michael Bolton Clone"). It probably would have gotten "neighborhood bravado brawlish" very quickly had Will not stepped in. :)

[–] azelx7 9 years ago

He likely remembered the bully because he has an exceptional memory. It was demonstrated several times throughout the film that Will likely has an eidetic memory. Thus, he could probably recall any moment of his life in vivid detail, and consequently, remember any slight against him.

As for his intellect not being recognized, that aspect of the plot doesn't seem all that unrealistic to me. He was likely smarter than the teachers, and would likely correct them or cause problems for the class out of boredom. Average teachers really aren't equipped to deal with students like Will. Even if Will were placed in gifted classes, he would still be significantly more intelligent than all of the other students. He would thus still be bored, and would still probably cause problems in class. You have to remember - there are probably only a few people in the world at Will's level of ability. He could easily do a proof that even a Fields-winning mathematician could not do.

This, in conjunction with his defensiveness and propensity towards violence, would likely lead to him being seen as a problem student; just my thoughts.

[–] geearf 9 years ago

1) a) It is possible that Will only appear smart when he wants to/works on something he enjoys.
I had a friend in Grad School that was a genius, not as much as Will of course, and yet his grades were usually around mine if not worse, only cause he rarely cared...

b) Maybe he did show his skills, but no other professor felt like pushing him with his bad behavior... Gerald may have had different intentions from Sean, but he still tried hard to push Will, maybe others gave up way earlier.

2) I'd guess that it's only in certain cases where he is not able to control himself. He was not threatened by the guy at the bar so he didn't get angry/physical, but when Sean or Skylar were trying to get through him, that he couldn't handle so easily...

[–] angel1008 9 years ago

1. Being in and out of foster homes, it is plausible no one picked up on his intellect. He may also have been quiet and moody in school, so they thought he was stupid. He never seemed to like having people know he was a genius, which is why he did those equations in secret.

2. The guy from the basketball court used to beat him up, so he was out for revenge. The guy in the bar, he thought he was better than everyone else, so Will put him in his place intellectually. (Plus, as a bonus, was able to score Skylar's number!)