Will Hunting is a gifted young man with extraordinary abilities who has yet to realize and maximize his potential and struggles with the emotional and social aspects of his life. In Good Will Hunting, written by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck and produced in 1997, Will’s intelligence is shown to be a gift, but not necessarily a remedy for other problems in his life.
Even though Will Hunting does not fit the typical stereotype of a gifted person who excels in a challenging academic institution and is bound for a great career, he does fit the stereotype that people believe he has no other problems in his life. Will’s friends and acquaintances, with the exception of his therapist, sometimes struggle with the fact that Will is not maximizing his life by using his giftedness to get a great career or to dedicate his life to research. Gerald Lambeau, the MIT professor who discovers and guides Will’s mathematical work, laments that Will is not using his intellectual greatness to do more and is at times jealous of Will’s abilities. Chuckie, Will’s best friend, at one point in the film confronts Will and tells him that his giftedness is like having a lottery ticket in life and that he needs to cash it in and get out of Boston where he is wasting his gifts. It is seemingly difficult for many of the people in Will’s life to see and understand that he has issues despite his giftedness and that being intelligent does not make for an easy life.
It is also often incorrectly thought that gifted persons do not have the same problems that regular learners do. Will is a good example of this as he was an orphan who had a terrible childhood filled with abusing foster parents. People incorrectly believe that because Will is intelligent and has a gift that he will be able to better handle other problems in his life. His girlfriend, Skylar, struggles with this as she tries to reach past Will’s intelligence to reach his emotional side, which he has problems revealing. This myth about gifted students, that they do not need additional assistance in life, shows that gifted education has a positive influence in schools and not only in academic aspects. Leta Hollingworth first showed that gifted students need social and emotional assistance in school in addition to traditional educational help (Colangelo, 2003.) Just because Will is able to solve complex mathematical theories and has what is believed to be a photographic memory, it does not mean he has the mental capacity or understanding to work through his emotional and social problems. He still needs to be taught and aided in this part of his life, but it is often incorrectly assumed that his life is easy because he is intellectually gifted. This assumption is made of many gifted individuals, yet appropriate gifted education could be what is needed to help guide troubled students with extra talents towards a better future and will enable them with the tools to deal with their problems as well as their gifts.
In determining Will Hunting’s giftedness, one can use Robert Sternberg’s five criteria that he believes must be met in order to deem a person as gifted. Will is superior relative to his peers in several academic areas most notably mathematics and comprehension. His mathematical ability shown in the film meets the second criterion of possessing a rare high-level skill in that he is able to solve theorems that had previously been incredibly difficult for even the highest of mathematicians. During the course of Good Will Hunting Will meets Sternberg’s Productivity, Demonstrable, and Value Criteria as his giftedness is realized and the various professors begin to work with him (Colangelo, 2003.) Will is shown to have a lot of potential productivity in the area of mathematics and this potential is from where much of the film’s drama comes. His mentors get frustrated as he does not live up to the potential that is shown as he demonstrates his abilities. Sternberg would identify Will Hunting as gifted based on fulfilling all five criteria as well as demonstrating giftedness from his triarchic model, which describes gifted individuals as having one or more of the following: analytic, creative, and/or practical giftedness (Colangelo, 2003.)
Will Hunting is obviously a very gifted individual whose incredible abilities in mathematics and other areas of academics ensure he can have a successful career, but he is not gifted in all areas of his life. It is incorrectly assumed that because he is intelligent, he needs no other assistance in his life, but as the film shows, he has problems like any non-gifted person does, too. Good Will Hunting is a powerful story that can be used to show how necessary gifted education is as Will might have become the classic case of someone with amazing talents who is unable to capitalize on them or is unable to work through other problems in his or her life. Luckily, in this fictional account, the gifted individual is finally given extra assistance in the form of a therapist and as a result begins to work through his problems in order to fully maximize his talents. Good Will Hunting, through its presentation of a gifted individual, shows stereotypes of such people and also gives a strong case for the field of gifted education by showing the effects both have on the main character, Will Hunting.
Even though Will Hunting does not fit the typical stereotype of a gifted person who excels in a challenging academic institution and is bound for a great career, he does fit the stereotype that people believe he has no other problems in his life. Will’s friends and acquaintances, with the exception of his therapist, sometimes struggle with the fact that Will is not maximizing his life by using his giftedness to get a great career or to dedicate his life to research. Gerald Lambeau, the MIT professor who discovers and guides Will’s mathematical work, laments that Will is not using his intellectual greatness to do more and is at times jealous of Will’s abilities. Chuckie, Will’s best friend, at one point in the film confronts Will and tells him that his giftedness is like having a lottery ticket in life and that he needs to cash it in and get out of Boston where he is wasting his gifts. It is seemingly difficult for many of the people in Will’s life to see and understand that he has issues despite his giftedness and that being intelligent does not make for an easy life.
It is also often incorrectly thought that gifted persons do not have the same problems that regular learners do. Will is a good example of this as he was an orphan who had a terrible childhood filled with abusing foster parents. People incorrectly believe that because Will is intelligent and has a gift that he will be able to better handle other problems in his life. His girlfriend, Skylar, struggles with this as she tries to reach past Will’s intelligence to reach his emotional side, which he has problems revealing. This myth about gifted students, that they do not need additional assistance in life, shows that gifted education has a positive influence in schools and not only in academic aspects. Leta Hollingworth first showed that gifted students need social and emotional assistance in school in addition to traditional educational help (Colangelo, 2003.) Just because Will is able to solve complex mathematical theories and has what is believed to be a photographic memory, it does not mean he has the mental capacity or understanding to work through his emotional and social problems. He still needs to be taught and aided in this part of his life, but it is often incorrectly assumed that his life is easy because he is intellectually gifted. This assumption is made of many gifted individuals, yet appropriate gifted education could be what is needed to help guide troubled students with extra talents towards a better future and will enable them with the tools to deal with their problems as well as their gifts.
In determining Will Hunting’s giftedness, one can use Robert Sternberg’s five criteria that he believes must be met in order to deem a person as gifted. Will is superior relative to his peers in several academic areas most notably mathematics and comprehension. His mathematical ability shown in the film meets the second criterion of possessing a rare high-level skill in that he is able to solve theorems that had previously been incredibly difficult for even the highest of mathematicians. During the course of Good Will Hunting Will meets Sternberg’s Productivity, Demonstrable, and Value Criteria as his giftedness is realized and the various professors begin to work with him (Colangelo, 2003.) Will is shown to have a lot of potential productivity in the area of mathematics and this potential is from where much of the film’s drama comes. His mentors get frustrated as he does not live up to the potential that is shown as he demonstrates his abilities. Sternberg would identify Will Hunting as gifted based on fulfilling all five criteria as well as demonstrating giftedness from his triarchic model, which describes gifted individuals as having one or more of the following: analytic, creative, and/or practical giftedness (Colangelo, 2003.)
Will Hunting is obviously a very gifted individual whose incredible abilities in mathematics and other areas of academics ensure he can have a successful career, but he is not gifted in all areas of his life. It is incorrectly assumed that because he is intelligent, he needs no other assistance in his life, but as the film shows, he has problems like any non-gifted person does, too. Good Will Hunting is a powerful story that can be used to show how necessary gifted education is as Will might have become the classic case of someone with amazing talents who is unable to capitalize on them or is unable to work through other problems in his or her life. Luckily, in this fictional account, the gifted individual is finally given extra assistance in the form of a therapist and as a result begins to work through his problems in order to fully maximize his talents. Good Will Hunting, through its presentation of a gifted individual, shows stereotypes of such people and also gives a strong case for the field of gifted education by showing the effects both have on the main character, Will Hunting.
Colangelo, N. (Ed.). (2003). Handbook of gifted education. Boston, MA: Pearson.
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