Joel

Siedman

Stereotypical Sex

How often do you hear the opposite sex say “you all act alike”? It seems like a fairly common phrase and categorizes a sex into one stereotype. “Good Will Hunting” written by the main characters, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, and directed by Gus Van Sant, gives the viewers something to think about in terms of stereotypical gender roles in society today.

Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, and Gus Van Sant, all made their big break through with this film. Although they all had been in the movie industry for more than a few years, it was not until “Good Will Hunting” which first hit the big screen in 1997, made them famous. Within a few months, they were labeled as top actors, writers, and directors and wanted in future films.

“Good Will Hunting” takes place in Boston, where it follows the life of the main character Will Hunting, portrayed by Matt Damon. The movie begins with Will’s everyday life, which consist of him jumping from bar to bar, spending time with the wrong crowd, getting into fights, and going to work as a janitor at the prestigious MIT.

The movie takes a turn when Will anonymously and effortlessly solves a mathematical equation fit for an expert. The professor, Gerald Lambeau, whom put the equation up is astonished and attempts to take the unwilling Hunting under his wing. Professor Lambeaucalls to his college friend Sean Maguire, played by Robin Williams, for help on turning Will’s life around. Along the way, Will encounters different people and obstacles, one including a girl named Skylar who falls in love with Will and wants him to move out to California with her.

Skylar comes into the movie in a rather conventional way. Seen in a local college bar in Boston, Will’s friend Chuckie Sullivan, played by Ben Affleck, notices Skylar from across the bar and like a typical guy who hits on girls, goes over and tries to put the moves on her. Chuckie gets into an argument with a college graduate student who completely dominates him intellectually. Will comes over and saves Chuckie from further embarrassment, and outsmarts the grad student.

All of this is shown in contrast with the beautiful Skylar who seems to have her life together. She follows the typical stereotypes of modern day women, whom are successful, smart, beautiful, and have a future. Dennis Schwartz, a critic for Ozus’ World Movie Reviews, said Skylar “has the full-package-good looks, smarts, personality, sensitivity and good character.” Continuing on to say that it was too easy to guess the outcome of the movie due to the fact that the characters were too stereotypical and predictable.

Will also, shows plenty of emotion towards the end, including a very moving scene in which he finally breaks from the tough guy appearance and cries. Sean, the professor called in to help change Will’s life finally broke through to him and repeated to Will “It’s not your fault”. Will refused to listen to Sean, but after several attempts he finally realized he was not to blame. The scene is moving because men typically do not cry, so it was very substantial for Will to break out in tears after years of bottled up emotion and to embrace Sean.

It may seem as though the movie reinforces the stereotypes but by the end of the film the viewer is shown otherwise. Will changes almost completely, which men are usually thought to be too stubborn to do, which is displayed in Kimmel’s “Bros Before Hos” article.

Christopher Null, a critic for IMDb, said in his review “Good Will Hunting” that the scene between Sean and Will was an “annoyance” and came off as “silly”. Null does not go on to say why he claims it was silly, but perhaps it seemed that way because he does not believe men should act the way Will did. If Null is indeed hinting towards this, which he may or may not be doing, then he is basically saying that it was “silly” because men should not cry and break down like Will did, which practically puts Null himself into a stereotype. This makes Null’s review seem ignorant and not well thought through.

In my opinion, Sean is one of the most important and influential characters in the film. Sean not only gets Will to finally relieve his emotions, but also gets him to realize his full potential in life. He helped Will bust out of his stereotypes and showed him how to be a gentleman, which not so many guys do now a days. Sean from the beginning shows no sign of falling into male stereotypes and helps to give the movie a different perspective of men compared to Will. He is a quiet, smart, nerdy looking guy whom throughout the movie expresses his deep love for his deceased wife. By displaying his forever love of his wife, Sean shows Will that women are not just objects and that one-night stands are not true love.

The whole character of Sean himself is placed perfectly into the movie. Sean shows so much contrast to the young Will, but once they actually talk things out and get to know one another, they realize they have so much in common. They both are from the same tough neighborhood of South Boston, and both had a rough childhood. By finding common ground, they begin a bond, and by the end of the movie they help each other move on with their lives, and reach their full potential.

Overall, “Good Will Hunting” maintains a good balance on the subject of stereotypes. While some stereotypes are reinforced, others are shattered immediately or throughout the film. Leaving the viewers with something to think about in their everyday life.