Will Hunting

Another classic character from an amazing movie that I am going to try and dissect for you right now. Will Hunting is an exaggerated idea of all of us. He embodies the feeling we all get of not living to our potential because of certain emotional baggage at some time or another in our lives. It is also about trying to live true to yourself.

For readers who haven;t watched this movie, it is about a janitor at an ivy league university who solves a mathematical equation which should take months to solve, overnight. He is discovered as a genius, and the entire movie revolves around digging deep into his psyche and uncovering why he refuses to live up to his potential and use his gift to become successful.

Now, this movie, like most successful movies, works on any number of levels. I will give a few interpretations of Will Hunting's actions, irrespective of what the writers actual tried to convey on screen. This is because, in my opinion, once any piece of art has been released, the creators of the artwork have to relinquish some authority on the minutia of how the piece can be interpreted. As long as a persons interpretation of the work is internally consistent within the logic of the movie, it should be respected as a valid take on the thought process of the characters.

So on one level, I believe Will Hunting's resistance to leaving his backwater home in South Boston to achieve fame and fortune in the world of academia is due to his aversion to hanging around in a social circle he considers boring. He is a bona-fide genius. Any person with a moderate to high intelligence would naturally gravitate to other intelligent people, who may help build upon and share their skill with each other The problem with Will Hunting's intelligence is that he is so intelligent, so much above the rest of his peers, that he is just as unfulfilled around them as he would be around non-academics. So, if he gets no satisfaction around them, who would he find satisfaction with? His friends who he grew up with of course. These friends of his are more than friends, they are brothers. They all grew up in a hostile environment, and survived by looking out for each other, protecting each other, having fun with each other. The loyalty that this breeds is priceless.Their sense of humor comes from the comfort and shared history they share since childhood. They are socially equal, so dark humor for them comes from the same place. For Will, these friends are his life.

In one particular scene when they are hanging out in a university bar, the snobbishness of one of the students towards Ben affleck (Will's best friend) highlights why Will has no reason to impress and ingratiate himself amongst such entitled people. If they are so quick to judge and put-down his friend, Will would find himself constantly in a defensive position, having to outwit and show up anybody who hurt his friends. This is no fun and a waste of time.

Lets discuss this movie on another level. Will has been betrayed by society. He is a product of, has been raised in, the arse end of the United States. Only now, twenty or so years on, is growing up in South Boston worn as a badge of honor. At its peak of depravation, South Boston was one of the most dangerous boroughs in the U.S. This is what was given gratis by the World to Will Hunting. So, now Will has grown up and survived hell, what is it exactly that Will Hunting owes to the world? This idea is succinctly conveyed in the scene where Will is being interviewed by the NSA. The line where the army colonel tries to convince Will his skills would be helping the U,S sets him off on an anti-imperialist/ capitalist tirade. In the eloquent break down of exactly what his job would entail, Will's cool logic is a veneer hiding the disdain of why he should use his time and skill to prop up a system which has failed him and all he loves.

So how to emulate this character in your writing? Ok lets break down this character into his skeleton. A flawed, lovable character who is trying to reach his potential. His hook is that he is likeable, interesting because he is broken, impressive because he is a genius. His impressivenes what makes him the central character, around which all other characters are drawn to act around him. His interesting past is what adds intrigue and drama to the story, and gives each act a purpose and drive. His hook of being likeable and understood, albeit on step at a time is what makes this a great movie.

So if I were to make a story up around somebody like this, I could use these anchors to craft an entirely new story for example:

1) A charming character who works for an ill-reputable company, be it a tobacco, arms company. He is highly skillful and likeable, and someone who knows where he works for is wrong. Perhaps his past shines some understanding on why he does what he does.