A working class genius with a chip on his shoulder
It is a feel good drama, not the type of film I typically go for. However, given the cast it was something I was willing to give a chance.
We have a young Will Hunting who lives in Boston and goes to MIT, as a janitor. This means that he sees a lot of lectures left on the black boards and has access to the library. The end result of him being in this environment is that his intelligence has turned to genius level. Only no one else knows about it, yet.
Then a short while into the film we have Professor Gerald Lambeau whom posts a very difficult maths problem on his white board. Will sees it one evening and promptly solves the problem anonymously. This results in the Professor putting up an even harder problem. Will also solves this problem only this time he is seen by the professor.
As Will is a working class man with friends in Boston, he and his friends get into a fight with a local gang. The professor finds out about this and persuades the judge to keep Will out of jail on two conditions, one he studies maths under the Professor and two he participates in therapy sessions.
Will treats his therapists with disdain, and shows them up, the end result they all quit. The professor then turns to his old college roommate as a last resort. Unlike the other therapists Sean knows how to handle and challenge Will. The two of them form a relationship, and Will challenges Sean on the subject of his wife's death.
The Professor setups a number of job interviews, but Will isn't interested in any of them. Will's girlfriend Skylar asks Will to move to California with her. He declines in an attempt to avoid the pain of a future breakup. This is something that Sean sees straight away in one of their sessions.
When Will's friends given him a rebuilt car for his birthday he decides to pass on his latest job offer and drive to California to reunite with Skylar.
A somewhat typical feel good Hollywood movie, you always know that it will have a happy ending. The performances by the cast are quite good. One thing that does set the film apart is that it shows a more realistic view of the human condition. Not a must see movie, but still worthwhile.