Instead of trying to “be a therapist,” he’s just himself, and in his authenticity, he is therapeutic. Therapist Sean Maguire (portrayed by Robin Williams) is more than capable of executing therapeutic maneuvers, but they aren’t flagrant and obvious, and his emphasis is clearly on relationship over technique. They remind us that we’re just broken people trying to help one another make sense of a complex world. It becomes obvious from the get-go that the therapist, client and supporting characters aren’t going to have everything neatly wrapped up by the end. Thick Boston accents abound in conversations fueled by fear, sadness and booze, and laced with enough curse words to make you blush.

Therapy takes place in the basement office of a community college.

The characters possess a tremendous amount of depth and realism. I love Good Will Hunting because it portrays all of this, seemingly without trying. And much to our chagrin, life doesn’t wrap up neatly and people often remain in some level dysfunction, even after therapy. Men and women have physical imperfections, and people are capable of all manner of admirable and despicable acts. Initially complicated interactions tend to resolve in 120 minutes or less.īut in real life, most of the therapists I know are sweating it out each week to keep costs down and clients coming in - and into offices with wood paneling and florescent lighting no less. People are heroic or villainous, but usually not both. Men have six-pack abs and chiseled chins, and women have unrealistically tiny waists and large breasts. In the movies, therapists usually sit on swanky, leather furniture in offices with ceiling-to-floor windows. Hollywood tends to reinforce these kinds of notions when they depict therapists, as well as humans and human interactions, with the same kind of naïve romance. Louis.Ĭlients often come into therapy expecting us to be soothsayers or magicians or know-it-alls, but we’re not. The 1997 film portrays the back-and-forth between a therapist, played by Robin Williams, and client, played by Matt Damon, as complicated, imperfect – and real, says Neace, a licensed professional counselor in St. Every once in awhile, a movie comes along that really seems to “get it,” portraying mental health struggles or the counselor-client relationship in an authentic, meaningful way.įor Ryan Thomas Neace, that movie is Good Will Hunting.

Good will hunting full movie