5 life-changing lessons you could learn from "Good Will Hunting"

Robin Williams had many iconic film roles during his life, but one of his most profound was the role of Sean in Good Will Hunting. After Williams' sad death, the iconic bench in Boston that was home to deep and meaningful conversations between Sean and Will (Matt Damon's character) became a place of remembrance. It's safe to say that this film contains many life lessons, and so it's no surprise that the bench became a poignant reminder of Williams' and his life. So, what then are the most important things we can take from Good Will Hunting? Above all, there's the theme of love. Through the unique relationship of the two protagonists, the audience is presented with many life-changing lessons around this theme, which we'll come on to explore in this article.

The Plot

Despite being over 25 years old, Good Will Hunting remains relevant today. Matt Damon plays Will, a janitor of genius-level intelligence who grew up with abuse in foster care in this original screenplay. His upbringing has severely affected his adult life and self-esteem, and he turns to self-loathing. He can't maintain relationships or hold down a job for long. He has enough intelligence to be an amazing mathematician, and with the proper guidance on scholarships for mathematics majors, Will could have been in an entirely different place.

After getting into some trouble, Will is given the choice of going to prison or being supervised by a mathematics professor, Gerald Lambeau (Stellan Skarsgård), who has witnessed Will write complex mathematical solutions. At the same time, he worked as a school janitor. Choosing to work with the professor, Will is presented with five psychologists to work with, all of whom fail to connect with Will. Finally, Will connects with Sean Maguire (Robin Williams), who Lambeau used to know and calls up as a last resort. Sean develops a bond with Will and goes on to unpick his troubles and lead him to new beginnings. As the relationship between Will and Sean progresses, the characters open up the audience's eyes to these five life-changing lessons:

1. Love is always worth it

In the sixth game, Sean and Will talked about the historic baseball 1975 World Series when Carlton "Pudge" Fisk made an impressive home run. Sean mentions how instead of watching the game, he was in a bar having a drink with his future wife in a bar. Will can't understand how he could miss such a crucial moment, but Sean tells him he has no regrets. The potential opportunity for love mattered more to him than the momentous game.

2. You don't have to be perfect to fit each other

"You're not perfect, sport, and let me save you the suspense: this girl you've met, she's not perfect either. But the question is whether or not you're perfect for each other." Sean – Good Will Hunting

In this life-changing lesson by Sean, Will is shown that two people with imperfections can still be a perfect match for one another. In love, it's not so much about the individual, but about the pair and how they combine to become a whole. When Will solves puzzles that Professor Lambeau can't do, he proves that as successful as Lambeau has become, you don't need to be perfect as successful as Lambeau has become. And remember, this was in 1997 before online help was available to solve questions! Mathematics students at the best universities even struggle with puzzles that Will finds easy, yet he has other imperfections, which make him Will. There are so many referring to "Good Will Hunting" essay samples around this topic. One of the underlying themes that make the movie and book so great.

3. Be vulnerable in love

There's a beautiful line in the movie where Sean talks to Will about love and opens up to him about being totally vulnerable to that person. He goes on to say:

"You don't know about real loss 'cause it only occurs when you've loved something more than you love yourself. And I doubt you've ever dared to love anybody that much." Sean – Good Will Hunting. In this scene, Sean describes what love feels like: how you need courage and vulnerability to allow yourself to feel that level of love for another person.

4. Fear will push love aside

When Sean talks about Will to Gerald, he describes how he pushes people away before they choose to leave as a defense mechanism. He insists Gerard doesn't fall into that trap. This is an exciting insight and learning that the movie presents to us. Many of us push others away simply because we're scared of getting hurt. Giving up before someone gives up on you is the easiest solution. But, when it comes to love, you need to let your guard down and push fear aside so as not to end up alone.

5. See imperfections and quirks as a part of what makes a person who they are

Another life-changing lesson is how Sean talks about his wife and what he remembers about her, which only he knew about that made her who she was. When talking to Will about this, Sean says how all of our quirks and faults make a person and how we love them anyway, both despite their peculiarities and because of them. He teaches us to be like an open book and accept whatever comes our way in love.

Final Thoughts

So, there you have it, five life-changing lessons from Good Will Hunting. And, though they're all centered around love, we can apply them to lots of areas in our lives. Being vulnerable, open, and pushing our fears aside can lead to incredible adventures, whether that's in love or elsewhere in our personal or professional lives. For math geniuses like Will, guidance on how to get a scholarship or on the best undergraduate scholarships in 2022 is vital for success. After watching this movie, many of us are compelled to be a "Sean", yet this takes practice and years of perfecting. That's not to say we can't start learning now and developing our way of living to be more like Sean each day!