The Tuesday that the world found out about Robin Williams passing was a indeed a sad one. Not just in how the world lost him, but in losing such a uniquely talented and dynamic individual. I’ve enjoyed Robin Williams since the first time I ever saw the Disney movie, Aladdin. Good Will Hunting is one of my favorite movies. My dad gave me a DVD of the movie for Christmas one year with an explanation that he thought of me and saw me when he watched the movie and that he thought that I would not only enjoy it, but that it would also help me. You see, I have some experience, along with my two younger sisters, of being in the foster care system, I believe I mentioned that in one of my first posts. I share a lot of the same fears and insecurities as Matt Damon’s character, Will. I have deep rooted trust issues and it has greatly affected me over the years. I’ve been in and out of therapy basically all of my life. It was only within the last five years that I began going more seriously. It started out as something I was just doing to quiet my parents, but ended up being something I did and do for myself because I managed to find a good fit with a good psychologist. Our first year sessions were not too far off from the first sessions between Robin Williams and Matt Damon’s characters in the movie. Of course, I am not nearly as brilliant as Will, unfortunately. I do think, however, that I am a hell of a writer when I really put my heart into it. Three of my favorite scenes from the movie, which I will display in this post in order mentioned, are the bar scene where Matt Damon steps in and schools the pretentious grad student, the park scene where Robin Williams tell Matt Damon of what it really means to have really loved and lost, and the scene where Ben Affleck tells Matt Damon how he hopes everyday that when he stops in front of his house that Matt Damon will be gone without a word. These scenes and this movie as a whole are so powerful in so many ways. I think it is also some of Robin Williams, Matt Damon’s, and Ben Affleck’s best work.
All of these scenes teach you a lesson of some kind to value and remember. At least, that’s what I like to think. The bar scene teaches you to not be pretentious and cocky, period, let alone to show off to some girls and try to embarrass someone else. This scene shows true loyalty, displayed by Will, in defending his friend with his intelligence first. I think that violence and confrontation should always be avoided, however, if it becomes inevitable, it will be because the other person made the first move and I simply reacted to it, that’s my opinion alone and how I would handle things. The park scene teaches us one of the oldest rules in the book, don’t judge a book by its cover. In short, that is essentially what Robin Williams is communicating to Matt Damon along with addressing his deep rooted fears and insecurities. The last scene, the construction scene, teaches us that true friends will always want the absolute best for us even if it means you leaving to go on a road away from them on your own. True friends will always see your utmost potential and not let you waste it by not using it. It also teaches us that we should never settle for things in life and should always strive for the things we want and what’s truly best for us. These are, of course, all of my interpretations. I do not expect anyone to agree nor do I mean to offend anyone. This goes for not just this post, but in regards to all my posts and the entirety of this blog. I’m just a girl, writing a blog, and doing the best of my abilities to do well in my last undergraduate class.
Popular Culture: Through the Eyes of Nicole 