# What was the Academy thinking : Good Will Hunting **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 25, 2003, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-academy-thinking-good-will-hunting/163964 "2003-03-25T04:54:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2003, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-academy-thinking-good-will-hunting/163964/21 "2003-03-25T14:29:44Z")
As an afterthought, the parody in _Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back_ was far more enjoyable. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2003, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-academy-thinking-good-will-hunting/163964/22 "2003-03-25T14:29:55Z")
It was a moderately entertaining way to spend a couple of hours. Nothing more. The scenes I remember as most bullshit were when he says he chose the wrench, and the scene where he embarrasses the student in the bar. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2003, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-academy-thinking-good-will-hunting/163964/23 "2003-03-25T15:40:07Z")
Wow, I’m surprised at the vitriol expressed toward GWH, which I thought was a decent film. Maybe I’m biased, having grown up near Boston. I liked it. However, > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by gex gex \* > \*\*They should have left Robin Williams out. He destroys any movie he’s in. \*\* Are you serious? What about: _Awakenings_ _The Fisher King_ _Aladdin_ _Good Will Hunting_ _Insomnia_ _One Hour Photo_ He was great in all of those. You have to ignore _Death to Smoochy_, _Jakob the Liar_ and _Patch Adams_. Okay, he’s had a lot of other stinkers as well, but he’s done some really good stuff too. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2003, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-academy-thinking-good-will-hunting/163964/24 "2003-03-25T16:51:47Z")
This was yet another smarmy “humanistic” Robin Williams performance, better than _Bicentennial Man_ but hardly worth an Oscar. And yes, Matt & Ben won because they were actors, young & likable, and had a great backstory (aka “My Best Friend and I…”) played to the hilt by Harvey W at Miramax. I did like the scenes that had Damon play off his friends–forget the genius stuff, the rough-around-the-edges Boston business felt the most authentic. But there has to be a hook, and the Genius-Finds-Love/Makes-Good bit was too irresistable. Also, Ben Affleck, normally a terrible actor, isn’t bad in this. Highly overrated and thoroughly pedestrian (though nice music by Danny Elfman and Elliott Smith). ---
**Author:** ![Bomzaway](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e480ec/32.png) [@Bomzaway](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bomzaway)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2003, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-academy-thinking-good-will-hunting/163964/25 "2003-03-25T17:57:34Z")
> [@](#): > > you NAME a character with the extremely unlikely name of Hunting (how many guys named “Hunting” have you met?), then you give him a first name of William, most of whom are called Billy, Bill, Willie and very few are called Will, and then you make a movie about him that you call “Good Will Hunting”–not because the character is especially moral or decent or anything, but just so that the title of the movie is a kind of pun–though what the hell “Good Will Hunting” even means is beyond me. I thought the movie was okay. Not one of my favorites, but worth the price of admission. However, if you’re going to pan a movie, please do so for something of more substance than the _name_. Sheesh! ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2003, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-academy-thinking-good-will-hunting/163964/26 "2003-03-25T19:59:19Z")
I enjoyed the movie, and the Oscars were well deserved. As for the title, I can think of a hundred worse titles without even trying. “The Empire Strikes Back”?? ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2003, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-academy-thinking-good-will-hunting/163964/27 "2003-03-25T20:06:25Z")
Wendell, I loved your review, and agree that GWH is total crap. You know what? Mathematical geniuses don’t spend their time hanging out with their buddies, beating up cops, and impressing chicks with their knowledge of history. You know what they spend their time doing? Mathematics. I simply could NOT buy the character of Will Hunting for one minute. Totally false in every note. ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2003, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-academy-thinking-good-will-hunting/163964/28 "2003-03-25T20:58:39Z")
I don’t know how old the Will Hunting character was supposed to be in the film, but in real life Matt Damon had just turned 5 when Carlton Fisk hit his famous home run. A 5-year old Bostonian would not have been awake to watch that game as it finished very late. If you were a baseball fan, you would be interested in hearing the comments of someone who was there at the time (or could have been there). ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2003, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-academy-thinking-good-will-hunting/163964/29 "2003-03-25T21:20:00Z")
Right, **Lemur866** , everyone knows that it’s only _physics_ genii who do all that stuff. Mathematicians, never! :rolleyes: I mean, why not? There are some pretty… Let’s just say “eccentric” genii out there. OK, so there isn’t a math genius with those exact eccentricities, but that’s what makes it fiction. But it was plausible fiction: I’d much rather see a movie about a mathematician where they get the math (mostly) right than one where they just put random scribblings on the board. ---
**Author:** ![NicePete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ee7513/32.png) [@NicePete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NicePete)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2003, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-academy-thinking-good-will-hunting/163964/30 "2003-03-25T21:41:35Z")
What I want to know is when the sequel (_Good Will Hunting II_?) that they were filming during the production of _Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back_ is coming out? Loved that shotgun scene. ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2003, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-academy-thinking-good-will-hunting/163964/31 "2003-03-26T02:12:14Z")
GWH had one of the most unoriginal, predictable, cliched scripts ever. I was disgusted when it won. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2003, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-academy-thinking-good-will-hunting/163964/32 "2003-03-26T02:56:24Z")
> [@](#): > > Mathematical geniuses don’t spend their time hanging out with their buddies, beating up cops, and impressing chicks with their knowledge of history. You know what they spend their time doing? Mathematics. Cite? Perhaps 99% of the traditional math genii out there don’t. But they didn’t exactly present him as a “traditional” math genius, did they? Rather the total opposite. Math geeks obviously should not be allowed to be movie reviewers, and probably they’re not. I thought the movie was above average entertainment. ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2003, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-academy-thinking-good-will-hunting/163964/33 "2003-03-26T04:18:24Z")
Hell, if you thought _Good Will Hunting_ was unoriginal pablum, what did you think of that godawful Sean Connery vehicle, _Finding Forrester_? I mean, really. It was _Good Will Hunting_ warmed over plot all over again (Oooo! He’s not only a poor inner-city genius, he’s a poor, _black_ inner city genius! They’ll never figure it out!) ---
**Author:** ![Vorae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d78d45/32.png) [@Vorae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vorae)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2003, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-academy-thinking-good-will-hunting/163964/34 "2003-03-26T04:38:34Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Ogre \* > \*\*Hell, if you thought _Good Will Hunting_ was unoriginal pablum, what did you think of that godawful Sean Connery vehicle, _Finding Forrester_? I mean, really. It was _Good Will Hunting_ warmed over plot all over again (Oooo! He’s not only a poor inner-city genius, he’s a poor, _black_ inner city genius! They’ll never figure it out!) \*\* _Finding Forrester_ was directed by the same guy (Gus Van Sant) who did _GWH_ and the recent _Gerry_. Matt Damon even has that cameo at the end. Consider it a director’s conscious return to previously explored territory, not unlike Scorcese with _Goodfellas_/_Casino_. ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2003, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-academy-thinking-good-will-hunting/163964/35 "2003-03-26T04:49:48Z")
Thanks, **Vorae** , I wasn’t aware of that. That makes it worse. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2003, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-academy-thinking-good-will-hunting/163964/36 "2003-03-26T05:03:40Z")
To be honest I enjoyed both _Good Will Hunting_ and _Finding Forrester_. **Fairblue** is right about the Billy Madison moment, it is now invoked at any stupid schmaltzy moment of a drama. After watching _Finding Forrester_ my thought was that it was like a script writing class project. Take one element each from the plots of _Field of Dreams_, _Good Will Hunting_ and _Scent of a Woman_, combine these to create a “new” story. ---
**Author:** ![NYR407](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/bbe5ce/32.png) [@NYR407](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NYR407)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2003, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-academy-thinking-good-will-hunting/163964/37 "2003-03-26T14:35:38Z")
Hey! I mentioned **Finding Forrester** way before Ogre but nobody said a word. What are you scared of Ogre or something? 😃 I am still waiting for the prior screenplay that was like GWH? If it should not have gotten the Original Screenplay Oscar (reason for the OP) I need a movie that it directly ripped-off. Disclaimer: The OP doesn’t say it is not an original screenplay but that the script/dialogue was crap. However, the movie won for Original Sceenplay not Best Picture. **BobT** makes a valid point about why that spoiler scene was written that way. Just saying it was predictable, cliche and had Robin Williams is not enough. Good analogy on FF **don’t ask**. I always say Casino is Goodfellas in Vegas and A Bronx Tale is Jungle Fever meets Goodfellas. ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2003, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-academy-thinking-good-will-hunting/163964/38 "2003-03-26T16:42:11Z")
_shrug_ I loved the movie. Thought it should have won Best Picture that year. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2003, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-academy-thinking-good-will-hunting/163964/39 "2003-03-26T17:31:29Z")
Well, NYR407, I always thought _GWL_ was two parts **Ordinary People** (emotionally distant youth learns to connect thanks to compassionate frumpy psychologist) and one part every inspirational movie where a teacher shows tough love because he believes in his rougneck students (From **Blackboard Jungle** to **Stand and Deliver** ). Oh, and Robin Williams’ role is merely him doing his **Dead Poets Society** character as a bit older and more disillusioned. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2003, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-academy-thinking-good-will-hunting/163964/40 "2003-03-26T17:37:04Z")
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