For many, Good Will Hunting is a beloved American classic--nearly any movie that has Robin Williams in it is, after all. The movie has many timeless qualities that leave viewers returning to it year after year: it's tough, it's dramatic, it's got a romantic storyline, it features a certain Bostonian sense of humor that people from Massachusetts particularly adore, and above all, it's a tale of friendship.
Audiences live for a good old rags-to-riches story, and the film nearly takes viewers down this road...but not quite. What makes Good Will Hunting so special is that it resists the cliché of the underclass protagonist climbing the designated social ladder. Viewers love the '90s movie for its independent spirit--but at the same time, as with most content people adore in their youth, time casts an unflattering light on some aspects.
Didn't Age Well: Skylar Meeting The Boys
The scene where Skylar finally meets Will's friends shows Will (Matt Damon) sitting nervously while Skylar pipes up to offer her own story, adding to the mix of the loud comical tales being told by the men at the table. It's clear that Skylar passes the test, so to say, because her tale ends with a dirty joke which leaves the group erupted in laughter, and Will with a relieved look on his face. However, this scene sits less comfortably today as it perpetuates the "cool girl" idea of how a woman must fit in with the male mold of (often sexist) rapport in order to, quite literally, in this case, earn her seat at the table.
It's A Classic: Sean's Speech
Many would go to the movie simply to watch Sean's iconic speeches to Will, one of the most notable being when he insists they go for a walk together. Sean and Will sat on a park bench and Will quietly (for once) listening to what Sean has to say to him has come to be recognized as the most pivotal part of the movie, possibly, and certainly one of William's shining moments of acting as Sean.
The speech speaks to the ignorance of young people lashing out of defensiveness, and although it's aimed at Will, it reaches beyond the screen and touches on those who can relate to being the subject of similar misunderstandings.
Didn't Age Well: The Sex Change Joke
It's only in the last few years that film has made efforts to be more conscious of gender inclusivity and sensitivity toward gender-variant people, and this is clear from the dated comment that Sean makes in his local bar when he casually makes a dig at the bartender by implying that his tab might be enough to pay for his "sex change", something someone as progressive-minded and kind as Sean is meant to be wouldn't be seen saying on TV now--hopefully.
It's A Classic: The Bond Of Will's Best Friends
People love to see strong friendships on TV because it reminds them of their own dear friends or the kind of bonds they aim to form with people in life. This makes the film an ideal outlet for such people, as it offers up Will's friends, a group of people who, as Sean puts it, "would take a bat" to someone's head out of loyalty to Will--a disturbing image, but a touching sentiment of loyalty.
Didn't Age Well: Lack of Diversity
It's not uncommon to see a white-washed movie still today, but the diversity of films is certainly improving and the more common issue now is to get more than the token person of color in a creation--but Good Will Hunting doesn't even have a single person of color in a relevant role aside from maybe a few extras. This is a painful truth to face, but one that is true of several if not most, of popular "classic" films of the past.
It's A Classic: Speaks To Elitism
Something that still speaks through to viewers is the clash of class differences made apparent in the film. Most of the lead characters are from working-class backgrounds as well as majorly uneducated. Gerry represents the opposite end of the spectrum, as well as the pupils and fellow staff members at the college he works for. Sean is the only person who presents a middle-ground, championing the idea that a person doesn't have to aim for that upper-crest elite--because it's not necessarily all it's cracked up to be.
Didn't Age Well: Professors Hitting On Students
It's becoming rarer and rarer for university professors to be able to have relationships with students, as power differences between people--particularly male superior to female inferior--are more commonly understood for the unhealthy dynamics they result in, and the disadvantage this would put a student at.
At the time of the film, rules were clearly more lax--very much outing it as a '90s movie. But even if they weren't, the film doesn't take much issue with Gerry's blatant predatory behavior toward his students.
It's A Classic: Speaks To The Comfort Of Hometowns
A big draw of what people often think of as "classic" movies is that they often denote a feeling of coziness and familiarity, even if the familiarity isn't of their own origin. There is a sense of home in the film, of Will feeling in his element and, in extension, the audience also feeling in a sense, at home. The film reminds people to revel in their own identities with their old stomping ground.
Didn't Age Well: Sexist Jokes
There is only one female lead in the show, and it's arguable that she's even more of a side-character. This leaves the meat of the story to be portrayed by an abundance of men, and while the film does a decent job of discussing issues of minorities relating to the working classes, it completely overlooks any identity beyond that of the (white) male standard. Even if the movie purported to focus specifically on the male identity without disrespect to other identities, the fact that women are the sexually objectified butt of several jokes in the film means it failed to do so.
It's A Classic: Champions Independent Thinking
The movie ends with Will driving down the highway, rejecting a more socially respectable job at university and instead chasing his romantic interest. While this succeeds as a satisfying romantic ending, it's much more than that. Will follows in the footsteps of Sean, who walked away from a ball game to meet a woman he was drawn to--an echo of how he also abandoned a prestigious lifestyle and chose to live as he wanted. Both decisions were in defiance of what the surrounding groups of each would have thought the most acceptable, popular decision--but he did it anyway. In Will doing the same, the film offers this option to the audience, as well; to assign one's own value to life.