What do mathematicians think of Good Will Hunting?

I think it's a great movie. Sure, Will Hunting's abilities are ridiculous (just look at the actual problem he solved on the board - a fairly standard graph theory problem that definitely would not have taken several MIT profs months to solve), but that's not the point. read more

Mathematicians might be able to understand more subtle colorings of Hunting's genius, but for a general audience the writer exaggerated his abilities to get one simple idea across: Will Hunting has little resources but immense talent. read more

Patrick O'Donnell, who says"bullshit" in a bar scene in"Good Will Hunting," was actually the man behind the math equations used in the film. He, alongside John Mighton, who plays Gerald Lambeau's assistant in the movie, created the equations and graphic theorems seen onscreen. read more

Good Will Hunting is the capitalist myth, that there are special people who can do magic relative to others. It uses mathematics as the proving ground for this myth, and it doesn't work, because in mathematics the objective test of success shows that this idea is a myth, because nobody does it they way it is portrayed in the film, not even the best of the best geniuses. read more