by Paul Costello
There was a time that Matt Damon and Ben Affleck were just two young actors trying to make their way in the tough game of Hollywood. Sure, they got work here and there (Damon picking up small supporting roles in School Ties and Courage Under Fire; Affleck in Dazed and Confused, Mallrats and Chasing Amy), but they still weren’t swinging much higher than other young actors at the same time.
Then they wrote a script called Good Will Hunting, which launched the pair of them instantly to stardom and Academy Award-winner status. And, like Chayefsky’s script for Network, Good Will Hunting is not afraid of a good monologue.
There was a time that Matt Damon and Ben Affleck were just two young actors trying to make their way in the tough game of Hollywood. Sure, they got work here and there (Damon picking up small supporting roles in School Ties and Courage Under Fire; Affleck in Dazed and Confused, Mallrats and Chasing Amy), but they still weren’t swinging much higher than other young actors at the same time.
Then they wrote a script called Good Will Hunting, which launched the pair of them instantly to stardom and Academy Award-winner status. And, like Chayefsky’s script for Network, Good Will Hunting is not afraid of a good monologue.
What makes this interesting in itself is that a regular use of monologue in film is not something that’s normally recommended, generally only something indulged by screenwriters who came to film via theatre. Chayefsky, Miller, Mamet, Kushner, they all began as playwrights and their tendency towards long stretches of dialogue is evident from this background. As such, you’d almost think that the pair’s inexperience as screenwriters would be the reason that they would fall into the trap of giving their characters such extended sequences of monologue. However, whilst that may be part of it, to consider it any kind of fault would be to deny the cleverness behind their use. Not only is it a well-written piece on its own merit, it’s also structurally integral as to how we relate to our lead character.
The lead character, Will Hunting (Matt Damon), is pretty much the most intellectually gifted character in the entire film. However, he’s also suffered serious emotional and physical abuse as he grew up, so has come to rely on his intellect as his means of defence against anyone and anything that comes near. Able to think and talk circles around anyone, he develops an almost bullying nature, overpowering all he encounters… until he meets Sean Maguire (Robin Williams), a therapist appointed to help Will deal with his anger. Sean isn’t really as smart as Will (and they both know it), but he is smart enough to know how to disarm him. Will’s defence mechanism is born only of intellect, not of real experience. As such, Sean’s systematic dismantling of how Will tries to deal with people breaks down the young man’s shield and for the first time we see him left as dumbstruck as he is so used to leaving others.
The lead character, Will Hunting (Matt Damon), is pretty much the most intellectually gifted character in the entire film. However, he’s also suffered serious emotional and physical abuse as he grew up, so has come to rely on his intellect as his means of defence against anyone and anything that comes near. Able to think and talk circles around anyone, he develops an almost bullying nature, overpowering all he encounters… until he meets Sean Maguire (Robin Williams), a therapist appointed to help Will deal with his anger. Sean isn’t really as smart as Will (and they both know it), but he is smart enough to know how to disarm him. Will’s defence mechanism is born only of intellect, not of real experience. As such, Sean’s systematic dismantling of how Will tries to deal with people breaks down the young man’s shield and for the first time we see him left as dumbstruck as he is so used to leaving others.
And Robin Williams knows how to hold an audience, with many a weapon in his arsenal to do so, both as a stand-up and an actor. Though he is most often associated with the kinetic hyperactivity so evident in his stand-up, he is just as capable of quiet stillness; as well versed in high-minded eloquence as he is in blunt crassness. His gift for improvisation and comedy does get great show elsewhere in the film, but it’s the contrast between that and moments like this park bench scene that show just what kind of range Williams is capable of with the right material.
Setting the scene: After their first session meeting, in which Will goaded Sean far enough that the therapist threatened to kill him, the pair meet soon again for another try. Clearly shaken by this encounter, Sean arranges for them to meet a second time on a park bench by a pond, where he plans to explain to the cocky young genius why exactly his previous tricks won’t work on him anymore…
Setting the scene: After their first session meeting, in which Will goaded Sean far enough that the therapist threatened to kill him, the pair meet soon again for another try. Clearly shaken by this encounter, Sean arranges for them to meet a second time on a park bench by a pond, where he plans to explain to the cocky young genius why exactly his previous tricks won’t work on him anymore…
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