Questions While Watching Good Will Hunting
A great way to watch this film is to pretend that Will is making the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius, that
the therapist Sean is Will’s spiritual director, and that the woman Skyler is a “God-figure” who continually tries to draw Will into a closer relationship of love.
Will has deep emotional problems that prevent him from getting too close to Skyler, because he and his
mother had been beaten by his alcoholic father. Will likes to believe that he is thinking very clearly… he
blames everyone else for his anger and poverty, he projects his false ideas about love and relationships
onto others, and especially, he uses his genius intellect to rationalize to himself and others (i.e., he tries
to make his behavior and attitudes seem reasonable to himself and others by repeating all kinds of facts
and ideas from his vast memory).
Before or after watching the film, read the FIRST WEEK of the Spiritual Exercises (where Ignatius wants
us to meditate on the history of our lives and the ways that we try to resist God’s advances), just like
Will tries to resist Skyler’s advances. Read also Ignatius’ Rules for the Discernment of Spirits at the back
of the Exercises, where Ignatius lists some of the ways that we can know when we (like Will) are in
desolation, or simply rationalizing to ourselves.
1. Is it accurate to say that Will is experiencing spiritual desolation in the film, in the sense that St.
Ignatius uses that term? (Again, imagine that Skyler is “God”.) Why? How does Will contradict himself
or rationalize to himself throughout the film? What are some of his false ideas about Skyler that keep
him from getting closer to her? How does he use his knowledge of art, literature, math, etc., to deflect
the challenges that Sean and Skyler give him? Most importantly, why does Will want to stay in a poor
neighborhood with his friends instead of using his intellect to get a prestigious job? Can you link your
answers with specific lines in the Spiritual Exercises?
2. What is it about Sean’s personality and way of talking to Will that causes Will to trust him? How is
Sean different from the other therapists at the beginning of the film? Does this tell you anything about
what a good spiritual director should be like when he or she helps someone do the Spiritual Exercises?
Explain. Read the 20 Annotations at the beginning of the Exercises to see how Ignatius described the
ideal spiritual director.
3. Notice that Will is not the only one with problems. Sean has issues of his own. So does Sean’s old
college-roommate, Professor Gerald Lambeau, who constantly tries to convince Will to become a
professional mathematician before Will is emotionally ready to make a decision like that. Why do you
suppose that it’s so important to Gerald that Will follow in his footsteps? What would that mean for
Gerald personally? (Pay attention to the scene near the end when Will burns some papers with
mathematical formulae written on them in front of Gerald.) How does working with Will help Sean and
Gerald (or not help them!) to deal with their own issues?
4. What does Skyler say to Will in the middle of the film that sparks a tremendous fight? Why did
Skyler’s words frighten Will so badly? Notice that Will was perfectly content to be with Skyler, and even
to sleep with her, as long as it was on his terms. What terms were those? Can you imagine an example
of a person who allows God to get a little close, but no closer? What would “a little close” might look
like, and what would “closer” look like, in terms of a relationship with God?
5. Near the beginning of the film, when Sean and Will are sitting on a park bench in front of the river,
Sean observes that Will has a great intellect, but no personal experiences of the things he has studied.
Why is this important? Do you think that Sean is fair or unfair to Will? Compare this scene with what
Ignatius says in Annotation 2 of the Exercises (p.283)?
6. Near the end of the film, what is the last thing that Chuckie Sullivan says to Will while they’re having
a beer at the construction site? Why is it so shocking that one friend might say this to another? Is this
an example of “tough love”? Why or why not? Can this be compared to the First Week of the Exercises,
which can be a very difficult process for a retreat to experience?
7. What is the pivotal moment near the very end of the film when the root cause of all Will’s problems
come to light, thanks to Sean’s help? What IS that root cause? What does Will respond every time Sean
says “It’s not your fault”? Notice how a person can claim to know or understand something, but in
reality not really know or understand it at all.
8. Catholic Christians place a great deal of emphasis on the idea of community. It’s never simply about
my personal relationship with God (in which case God would have put each one of us on our own
planet)… instead, God created us for each other, so that we can challenge each other, love each other,
forgive each other, teach each other, etc., and by those means, we come to know God better and better.
How is this idea exemplified in the film? Compare it with the ways that Will tries to isolate himself from
everyone.