Good Will Hunting Psychology

Good Will Hunting, written by Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, was released in December of 1997 by Lawrence Bender Productions. While the movie holds true to two hours, viewers do not notice the length as the film is filled with outstanding actors who evoke true emotions in anyone who watches this film. Some would describe a movie like this as a “crowd-pleaser”; since the outcome of the film is predictable, but the plot is revealed in a way that the director, Gus VanSant, can still leave the viewer guessing. The moments that were spent on the character’s individual stories are the moments that grab the viewer’s attention and cause them to feel emotions such as sympathy for Will Hunting’s attachment disorder and how he was brutally abused as a child.

When reviewing movies, writers have to think of every possible reason for the way events and actions happen to ensure a realistic narrative. In order to achieve the gritty realism VanSant needed for this movie, he would have needed his actors to dig into the memories and acquaintances of their growing up in Boston; he would have needed Affleck and Damon to recall any kids or stories from their youth to evoke the emotions and situation of their characters. It becomes clear that the accents both actors use come easily to them, and the roles that these characters played could not have been more “real” and “in the moment”. The way the characters act does make the viewer feel that they are in the moment, and that Will’s story could be a real situation in life. The unlikely hero finds his way eventually, overcoming his past, his insecurities, and his ties to a life he needs to

The two originally wrote a script about a younger man who lived a rough and dirty life in Boston. The main character in their original film was targeted by the FBI, but the president of Castle Rock Entertainment strongly suggested that they drop the film and start over because they preferred that they focus on the relationship between Will Hunting and his psychologist. If the president had said that he enjoyed the original script and plot, the movie may not have received the same credit. At this point, the movie was in the president’s hands at Castle Rock Entertainment. After negotiating with their second screenplay idea, the executives decided that Damon and Affleck were not in their interest anymore and that they needed to find a new producer, one that would pay off Castle Rock Entertainment for the money that they had already invested into Affleck and Damon. The executives at Castle Rock gave Damon and Affleck thirty days to find a new buyer for their idea. Not only did they have to find a new buyer in thirty days, with the fear of losing their works to Castle Rock, but they also had to find a buyer that was willing to reimburse Castle Rock the money they had spent on this film. The idea was eventually bought out by Harvey Weinstein at Miramax. Weinstein read the script, loved it, and paid Castle Rock Entertainment