Good Will Hunting Essay

What started as a short story written for a Harvard writing class, life mirrored art ever so slightly for Matt Damon when he wrote Good Will Hunting—earning an A for his work on the assignment and an Oscar for his work on the screenplay for the film. The two childhood friends from the south side of Boston, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, wrote a script together that some might say is the greatest piece of writing ever done for a film. The two of them sold the script and turned it into a movie that opened in 1997 and became the start of their fame that initiated the assent from small time actors into two of the most well-known movie stars and screenwriters. “Good Will Hunting,” directed by Gus Van Sant, centers around the life of the reluctant genius …show more content…
However, his self-realization that his academics are not nearly on the same spectrum as Will, frightens Lambeau and it leads to an almost hatred because he knows that Will’s talent and those undiscovered, are far too advanced for him. Lambeau’s frustration with Will’s unwillingness to tap his own potential is mirrored in the frustration felt by Chuckie in the final stretch of the film as both truly care about Will and want him to realize his potential not only as a service to himself, but as a respect to the people who would give anything they had to have the opportunities that Will seems all too keen to pass up throughout the film.
While the film as a whole has serious undertones and is based on serious issues and events in Will’s life, the filmmaker’s artistic background shines through the movie and adds a bright, graceful flow. Sant’s portrayal of college life is wonderfully shown with smooth atmospheric transitions from classroom to dorm room to local bar, making the neighborhood appear to be seemingly large yet inviting. The illuminating production design (by Missy Stewart) and the softly delicate cinematography (by Jean Yves Escoffier) perfectly add to the realistic setting of the south side of