I was watching Good Will Hunting this weekend when I was struck by how common the theme of a young man or child having two mentors or father figures to guide him. Usually one is more intellectual and the other is more emotional.
In Good Will Hunting, will is mentored by both the Professor in math and also the Robin Williams character for more emotional support.
In Platoon Charlie Sheen has to deal with the two different ranking officers, the fiery, emotional Willem Dafoe and the thinking Tom Berenger.
In Searching for Bobby Fischer there is Laurence Fishbourne’s emotional character teaching the boy to play with fire and attack. Then there is Ben Kingsley’s character trying to teach the boy control and patience.
Often the movie is portrayed as a conflict between the two, in essence in battle for the boy/man. However, it seems the lesson often is that people are shaped from both sides.
What are some other movies exploring this theme?