"GOOD WILL HUNTING" by Matt Damon & Ben Affleck FADE IN: EXT. SOUTH BOSTON ST. PATRICK'S DAY PARADE -- DAY CUT TO: INT. L STREET BAR & GRILLE, SOUTH BOSTON -- EVENING The bar is dirty, more than a little run down. If there is ever a cook on duty, he's not here now. As we pan across several empty tables, we can almost smell the odor of last nights beer and crushed pretzels on the floor. CHUCKIE Oh my God, I got the most fucked up thing I been meanin' to tell you. As the camera rises, we find FOUR YOUNG MEN seated around a table near the back of the bar. ALL Oh Jesus. Here we go. The guy holding court is CHUCKIE SULLIVAN, 20, and the largest of the bunch. He is loud, boisterous, a born entertainer. Next to him is WILL HUNTING, 20, handsome and confident, a softspoken leader. On Will's right sits BILLY MCBRIDE, 22, heavy, quiet, someone you definitely wouldn't want to tangle with. Finally there is MORGAN O'MALLY, 19, smaller than the other guys. Wiry and anxious, Morgan listens to Chuckie's horror stories with eager disgust. All four boys speak with thick Boston accents. This is a rough, working class Irish neighborhood and these boys are its product. CHUCKIE You guys know my cousin Mikey Sullivan? ALL Yeah. CHUCKIE Well you know how he loves animals right? Anyway, last week he's drivin' home... (laughs) ALL What? Come on! CHUCKIE (trying not to laugh) I'm sorry, 'cause you know Mikey, the fuckin guy loves animals, and this is the last person you'd want this to happen to. WILL Chuckie, what the fuck happened? CHUCKIE Okay. He's driving along and this fuckin' cat jumps in front of his car, and so he hits this cat-- Chuckie is really laughing now. MORGAN --That isn't funny-- CHUCKIE --and he's like "shit! Motherfucker!" And he looks in his rearview and sees this cat -- I'm sorry-- BILLY Fuckin' Chuckie! CHUCKIE So he sees this cat tryin to make it across the street and it's not lookin' so good. WILL It's walkin' pretty slow at this point. MORGAN You guys are fuckin' sick. CHUCKIE So Mikey's like "Fuck, I gotta put this thing out of its misery"--So he gets a hammer-- WILL/MORGAN/BILLY OH! CHUCKIE out of his tool box, and starts chasin' the cat and starts whackin' it with the hammer. You know, tryin' to put the thing out of its misery. MORGAN Jesus. CHUCKIE And all the time he's apologizin' to the cat, goin' "I'm sorry." BANG, "I'm sorry." BANG! BILLY Like it can understand. CHUCKIE And this Samoan guy comes runnin' out of his house and he's like "What the fuck are you doing to my cat?!" Mikey's like "I'm sorry" --BANG--" I hit your cat with my truck, and I'm just trying to put it out of it's misery" -- BANG! And the cat dies. So Mikey's like "Why don't you come look at the front of the truck." 'Cause the other guy's all fuckin flipped out about-- WILL Watching his cat get brained. Morgan gives Will a look, but Will only smiles. CHUCKIE Yeah, so he's like "Check the front of my truck, I can prove I hit it 'cause there's probably some blood or something"-- WILL --or a tail-- MORGAN WILL! CHUCKIE And so they go around to the front of his truck... and there's another cat on the grille. WILL/MORGAN/BILLY No! Ugh! CHUCKIE Is that unbelievable? He brained an innocent cat! BLACKOUT: The opening credits roll over a series of shots of the city and the real people who live and work there, going about their daily lives. We see a panoramic view of South Boston. Will sits in his apartment, walls completely bare. A bed, a small night table and an empty basket adorn the room. A stack of twenty or so LIBRARY BOOKS sit by his bed. He is flipping through a book at about a page a second. Chuckie stands on the porch to Will's house. His Cadillac idles by the curb. Will comes out and they get in the car. We travel across crowded public housing and onto downtown. Finally, we gaze across the river and onto the great cementdomed buildings that make up the M.I.T. campus. CUT TO: INT. M.I.T. CLASSROOM -- DAY The classroom is packed with graduate students and TOM. PROFESSOR LAMBEAU (52) is at the lectern. The chalkboard behind him is covered with theorems. LAMBEAU Please finish McKinley by next month. Many of you probably had this as undergraduates in real analysis. It won't hurt to brush up. I am also putting an advanced fourier system on the main hallway chalkboard-- Everyone groans. LAMBEAU I'm hoping that one of you might prove it by the end of the semester. The first person to do so will not only be in my good graces, but go on to fame and fortune by having their accomplishment recorded and their name printed in the auspicious "M.I.T. Tech." Prof. Lambeau holds up a thin publication entitled "M.I.T. Tech." Everyone laughs. LAMBEAU Former winners include Nobel Laureates, world renowned astro- physicists, Field's Medal winners and lowly M.I.T. professors. More laughs. LAMBEAU Okay. That is all. A smattering of applause. Students pack their bags. CUT TO: INT. FUNLAND – LATER The place is a monster indoor funpark. Will, Chuckie, Morgan, and Billy are in adjoining batting cages. Will has disabled the pitching machine in his and pitches to Chuckie. The boys have been drinking. Will throws one to Chuckie, high and tight. Several empty beer cans sit by the cage. CHUCKIE Will! Another pitch, inside. CHUCKIE You're gonna get charged! WILL You think I'm afraid of you, you big fuck? You're crowdin' the plate. Will guns another one, way inside. CHUCKIE Stop brushin' me back! WILL Stop crowdin the plate! Chuckie laughs and steps back. CHUCKIE Casey's bouncin' at a bar up Harvard. We should go there sometime. WILL What are we gonna do up there? CHUCKIE I don't know, we'll fuck up some smart kids. (stepping back in) You'd prob'ly fit right in. WILL Fuck you. Will fires a pitch at Chuckie's head. Chuckie dives to avoid being hit. He gets up and whips his batting helmet at Will. CUT TO: EXT. SOUTH BOSTON ROOFTOP -- EARLY AFTERNOON SEAN McGUIRE (52) sits, FORMALLY DRESSED, on the roof of his apartment building in a beat-up lawn chair. Well-built and fairly muscular, he stares blankly out over the city. On his lap rests an open invitation that reads "M.I.T. CLASS OF '67 REUNION." While the morning is quiet and Sean sits serenely, there is a look about his that tells us he has faced hard times. This is a man who fought his way through life. On his lonely stare we: CUT TO: EXT. M.I.T. CAMPUS LAWN -- DAY A thirty year REUNION PARTY has taken over the lawn. A well dressed throng mill about underneath a large banner that reads "WELCOME BACK CLASS OF '72." We find Professor Lambeau standing with a drink in his hand, surveying the crowd. He is interrupted by an approaching STUDENT. STUDENT Excuse me, Professor Lambeau? LAMBEAU Yes. STUDENT I'm in your applied theories class. We're all down at the Math and Science building. LAMBEAU It's Saturday. STUDENT I know. We just couldn't wait 'till Monday to find out. LAMBEAU Find out what? STUDENT Who proved the theorem. EXT. TOM FOLEY PARK, S. BOSTON -- AFTERNOON In the bleachers of the visiting section we find our boys, drinking and smoking cigarettes. Will pops open a beer. The boys have been here a while and it shows. Billy sees something that catches his interest. BILLY Who's that? She's got a nice ass. Their P.O.V. reveals a girl in stretch pants talking to a beefy looking ITALIAN GUY (BOBBY CHAMPA) MORGAN Yah, that is a nice ass. CHUCKIE You could put a pool in that backyard. BILLY Who's she talking to? MORGAN That fuckin' guinea, Will knows him. WILL Yah, Bobby Champa. He used to beat the shit outta' me in Kindergarten. BILLY He's a pretty big kid. WILL Yah, he's the same size now as he was in Kindergarten. MORGAN Fuck this, let's get something to eat... CHUCKIE What Morgan, you're not gonna go talk to her? MORGAN Fuck her. The boys get up and walk down the bleachers. WILL I could go for a Whopper. MORGAN (nonchalant) Let's hit "Kelly's." CHUCKIE Morgan, I'm not goin' to "Kelly's Roast Beef" just cause you like the take-out girl. It's fifteen minutes out of our way. MORGAN What else we gonna do we can't spare fifteen minutes? CHUCKIE All right Morgan, fine. I'll tell you why we're not going to "Kelly's." It's because the take-out bitch is a fuckin' idiot. I'm sorry you like her but she's dumb as a post and she has never got our order right, never once. MORGAN She's not stupid. WILL She's sharp as a marble. CHUCKIE We're not goin'. (beat) I don't even like "Kelly's." CUT TO: INT. M.I.T. HALLWAY -- LATER Lambeau, still in his reunion formal-wear, strides down the hallway, carrying some papers. A group of students have gathered by the chalkboard. They part like the red sea as he approaches the board. Using the papers in hand, he checks the proof. Satisfied, he turns to the class. LAMBEAU This is correct? Who did this? Dead silence. Lambeau turns to an INDIAN STUDENT. LAMBEAU Nemesh? Nemesh shakes his head in awe. NEMESH No way. Lambeau erases the proof and starts putting up a new one. LAMBEAU Well, whoever You are, I'm sure you'll find this one challenging enough to merit coming forward with your identity. That is, if you can do it. INT. CHUCKIE'S CAR, DRIVING IN SOUTH BOSTON -- CONTINUOUS The street is crowded as our boys drive down Broadway. They move slowly through heavy traffic, windows down. Chuckie sorts through a large "KELLY'S ROAST BEEF" BAG as he drives. MORGAN Double Burger. Will holds the wheel for Chuckie as he looks through the bag. MORGAN (same tone) Double Burger. Chuckie gets out fries for himself, hands Will his fries. MORGAN I, I had a Kelly's Double Burger. CHUCKIE Would you shut the fuck up! I know what you ordered, I was there! MORGAN So why don't you give me my sandwich? CHUCKIE What do you mean "your sandwich?" I bought it. MORGAN (sarcastic) Yah, all right... CHUCKIE How much money you got? MORGAN I told you, I just got change. CHUCKIE Well give me your fuckin' change and we'll put your fuckin' sandwich on layaway. MORGAN Why you gotta be an asshole Chuckie? CHUCKIE I think you should establish a good line of credit. Laughter, Chuckie goes back searching through the bag. CHUCKIE Oh motherfucker... WILL She didn't do it again did she? CHUCKIE Jesus Christ. Not even close. MORGAN Did she get my Double Burger? CHUCKIE NO SHE DIDN'T GET YOUR DOUBLE BURGER!! IT'S ALL FUCKIN' FLYIN' FISH FILET!! Chuckie whips a FISH SANDWICH back to Morgan, then to Billy. WILL Jesus, that's really bad, did anyone even order a Flyin' Fish? CHUCKIE No, and we got four of 'em. BILLY You gotta' be kiddin' me. Why do we even go to her? CHUCKIE Cause fuckin' Morgan's got a crush on her, we always go there and when we get to the window he never says a fuckin' word to her, he never even gets out of the car, and she never gets our order right cause she's the goddamn MISSING LINK! WILL Well, she out did herself today... MORGAN I don't got a crush on her. Push in on Will who sees something O.S. Will's P.O.V. reveals BOBBY CHAMPA and his friends walking down the street. One of them casually lobs a bottle into a wire garbage can. It SHATTERS and some of the glass hits a FEMALE PASSERBY who, although unhurt, is upset. CHUCKIE What do we got? WILL I don't know yet. Will's P.O.V.: The woman says something to Bobby. He says something back. By the look on her face, it was something unpleasant. MORGAN Come on, Will... CHUCKIE Shut up. MORGAN No, why didn't you fight him at the park if you wanted to? I'm not goin' now, I'm eatin' my snack. WILL (smiles) So don't go. Will is out of the door, jogging toward Bobby Champa. Billy gets out, following Will with a look of casual indifference. CHUCKIE Morgan, Let's go. MORGAN I'm serious Chuckie, I ain't goin'. Leaving the car, Chuckie opens his door to follow. CHUCKIE (spins in his seat) You're goin'. And if you're not out there in two fuckin' seconds, when I'm done with them you're next! And with that, Chuckie is out the door. CUT TO: EXT. SIDEWALK --CONTINUOUS Will comes jogging up towards BOBBY CHAMPA, calling out from across the street, WILL (smiling, good naturedly) Hey, Bobby Champa! I went to Kindergarten with you right? Sister Margaret's class... Bobby is bewildered by this strange interruption and unsure of Will's intentions. Just when it looks as though Bobby might remember him, Will DRILLS HIM with a sucker-punch which begins the FIGHT SEQUENCE: 40 FRAMES OVER M. GAYE'S "LET'S GET IT ON." Will's momentum and respectable strength serve to knock the hapless Champa out cold. As soon as Will hits Bobby, his friends CONVERGE ON WILL. Billy JUMPS IN and wrestles one guy to the ground. The two exchange messy punches on the sidewalk. Will is in trouble, back pedaling, dodging punches, trying to avoid being overrun. When Will goes for one guy, another has an open shot and he HAMMERS WILL with a right hand to the head. Will is staggered and bleary, as a second guy winds up for a shot he is BLIND SIDED by Chuckie who hits the kid like he was a tackling sled, lifting him off the ground. Chuckie turns to see Will still outnumbered. It's all Will can do to stay standing as Morgan DROP KICKS one of Champa's boys from the hood of a car. Contrary to what we might think, Morgan is actually quite a fighter. He peppers the kid with a flurry of blows. The fight is messy, ugly and chaotic. Most punches are thrown wildly and miss, heads are banged against concrete, someone throws a bottle. In the end, it's our guys who are left standing, while Bobby's friends stagger off. Chuckie and Morgan turn to see Will, standing over the unconscious Bobby Champa, still POUNDING him. ANGLE ON WILL: SAVAGE, UGLY, VICIOUS, AND VIOLENT Whatever demons must be raging inside Will, he is taking them out on Bobby Champa. He pummels the helpless, unconscious Champa, fury in his eyes. Chuckie and Billy pull Will away. The POLICE finally arrive on the scene and having only witnessed Will's vicious attack on Champa, they grab him. EXT. SIDEWALK (FULL SPEED) -- CONTINUOUS A crowd of onlookers have gathered. Chuckie addresses them. CHUCKIE Hey, thanks for comin' out. WILL Yeah, you're all invited over to Morgan's house for a complementary fish sandwich. The Police slam Will into the hood of a car. WILL (to Police) Hey, I know it's not a French cruller, but it's free. The cop holding Will SLAMS his [Will's] face into the hood, another cop uses a baton to press Will's face into the car. The look of rage returns to Will's eye. WILL Get the fuck off me! Will resists. Another cop comes over. Will KICKS HIM IN THE KNEE, dropping the cop. Momentarily freed, Will engages in a fracas with three cops. More converge on Will, who -- though he struggles -- takes a beating. CUT TO: EXT. SEAN'S ROOF -- NIGHT Sean sits, exactly as we first saw him, except his tie is now loose and an empty bottle of BUSHMILLS is at his side. He stares out over the City. A MATRONLY LANDLADY comes out of a doorway on the roof. LANDLADY Sean? Sean doesn't answer. LANDLADY Sean? You okay? SEAN Yeah. A beat. LANDLADY It's getting cold. After a moment, she retreats back down the stairs. Sean doesn't move. DISSOLVE: EXT. CHARLES RIVER, ESTABLISHING SHOT -- MORNING The morning sun reflects brilliantly off the river. CUT TO: EXT. COURTHOUSE -- NEXT MORNING Will emerges from the courthouse. Chuckie is waiting for him in the Cadillac with two cups of DUNKIN' DOUGHNUTS coffee. He hands one of them to Will. This feels routine. CHUCKIE When's the arraignment? WILL Next week. Chuckie pulls away. CUT TO: EXT. M.I.T. CAMPUS, ESTABLISHING SHOT -- MORNING Students walk to class, carrying bags. More than any other, students seem to be heading into one PARTICULAR CLASSROOM. INT. M.I.T. CLASSROOM -- MORNING The classroom is even more crowded than last we saw it. Tom takes notes as Lambeau plays along with the excited environment with mock pomposity and good humor. LAMBEAU Is it my imagination, or has my class grown considerably? Laughter. LAMBEAU I look around and see young people who are my students, young people who are not my students as well as some of my colleagues. And by no stretch of my imagination do I think you've all come to hear me lecture. More laughter. LAMBEAU But rather to ascertain the identity of who our esteemed "The Tech" has come to call "The Mystery Math Magician." He holds up the M.I.T. Tech featuring a silhouetted figure, emblazoned with a large, white question mark. The headline reads "Mystery Math Magician strikes again." LAMBEAU Whoever you are, you've solved four of the most difficult theorems I've ever given a class. So without further ado, come forward silent rogue, and receive thy prize. The class waits in breathless anticipation. A STUDENT shifts his weight in his chair, making a noise. LAMBEAU Well, I'm sorry to disappoint my spectators, but it appears there will be no unmasking here today. I'm going to have to ask those of you not enrolled in the class to make your escape now or, for the next three hours be subjected to the mundities of eigenvectors. People start to gather their things and go. Lambeau picks up a piece of chalk and starts writing on the board. LAMBEAU However, my colleagues and I have conferred. There is a problem on the board, right now, that took us two years to prove. So let this be said; the gauntlet has been thrown down. But the faculty have answered the challenge and answered with vigor. CUT TO: OMITTED INT. M.I.T. HALLWAY -- NIGHT Lambeau comes out of his office with Tom and locks the door. As he turns to walk down the hallway, he stops. A faint TICKING SOUND can be heard. He turns and walks down the hall. Lambeau and Tom come around a corner. His P.O.V. reveals a figure in silhouette blazing through the proof on the chalkboard. There is a mop and a bucket beside him. As Lambeau draws closer, reveal that the figure is Will, in his janitor's uniform. There is a look of intense concentration in his eyes. LAMBEAU Excuse me! Will looks up, immediately starts to shuffle off. WILL Oh, I'm sorry. LAMBEAU What're you doing? WILL (walking away) I'm sorry. Lambeau follows Will down the hall. LAMBEAU What's your name? (beat) Don't you walk away from me. This is people's work, you can't graffiti here. WILL Hey fuck you. LAMBEAU (flustered) Well... I'll be speaking to your supervisor. Will walks out. Lambeau goes to "fix" the proof, scanning the blackboard for whatever damage Will caused. He stops, scans the board again. Amazement registers on his face. LAMBEAU My God. Down the hall, we hear the DOOR CLOSE. He turns to look for Will, who is gone. CUT TO: EXT. BOW AND ARROW PUB, CAMBRIDGE -- THAT NIGHT A crowded Harvard Bar. Will and our gang walk by a line of several Harvard students, waiting to be carded. MORGAN What happened? (beat) You got fired, huh? WILL Yeah, Morgan. I got fired. MORGAN (starts laughing) How fuckin' retarded do you have to be to get shit-canned from that job? How hard is it to push a fuckin' broom? CHUCKIE You got fired from pushing a broom, you little bitch. MORGAN Yah, that was different. Management was restructurin'-- BILLY Yah, restructurin' the amount of retards they had workin' for them. MORGAN Fuck you, you fat fuck. BILLY Least I work for a livin'. (to Will) Why'd you get fired? WILL Management was restructurin'. Laughter. CHUCKIE My uncle can probably get you on my demo team. MORGAN What the fuck? I just asked you for a job yesterday! CHUCKIE I told you "no" yesterday! After two students flash their ID's to the doorman (CASEY) our boys file past him. ALL (one after another) What's up Case. With an imperceptible nod, Casey waves our boys through. A fifth kid, a HARVARD STUDENT, tries to follow. He is stopped by Casey's massive, outstretched arm: CASEY ID? INT. BOW AND ARROW -- CONTINUOUS Chuckie is collecting money from the guys to buy a pitcher, all but Morgan cough up some crumpled dollars. CHUCKIE So, this is a Harvard bar, huh? I thought there'd be equations and shit on the wall. INT. BACK SECTION, BOW AND ARROW -- MOMENTS LATER Chuckie returns to a table where Will, Morgan and Billy have made themselves comfortable. He [Chuckie] spots two ATTRACTIVE YOUNG HARVARD WOMEN sitting together at the end of the bar. Chuckie struts his way toward the women and pulls up a chair. He flashes a smile and tries to submerge his thick Boston accent. CHUCKIE Hey, how's it goin'? LYDIA Fine. SKYLAR Okay. CHUCKIE So, you ladies ah, go to school here? LYDIA Yes. CHUCKIE Yeah, cause I think I had a class with you. At this point, several interested parties materialize. Morgan Billy and Will try, as inconspicuously as possible, to situate themselves within listening distance. A rather large student in a HARVARD LACROSSE sweatshirt, CLARK (22) notices Chuckie. He [Clark] walks over to Skylar and Lydia, nobly hovering over them as protector. This gets Will, Morgan, and Billy's attention. SKYLAR What class? CHUCKIE Ah, history I think. SKYLAR Oh... CHUCKIE Yah, it's not a bad school... At this point, Clark can't resist and steps in. CLARK What class did you say that was? CHUCKIE History. CLARK How'd you like that course? CHUCKIE Good, it was all right. CLARK History? Just "history?" It must have been a survey course then. Chuckie nods. Clark notices Chuckie's clothes. Will and Billy exchange a look and move subtly closer. CLARK Pretty broad. "History of the World?" CHUCKIE Hey, come on pal we're in classes all day. That's one thing about Harvard never seizes to amaze me, everybody's talkin' about school all the time. CLARK Hey, I'm the last guy to want to talk about school at the bar. But as long as you're here I want to "seize" the opportunity to ask you a question. Billy shifts his beer into his left hand. Will and Morgan see this. Morgan rolls his eyes as if to say "not again..." CLARK Oh, I'm sure you covered it in your history class. Clark looks to see if the girls are impressed. They are not. When Clark looks back to Chuckie, Skylar turns to Lydia and rolls her [own] eyes. They laugh. Will sees this and smiles. CHUCKIE To tell you the truth, I wasn't there much. The class was rather elementary. CLARK Elementary? Oh, I don't doubt that it was. I remember the class, it was just between recess and lunch. Will and Billy come forward, stand behind Chuckie. CHUCKIE All right, are we gonna have a problem? CLARK There's no problem. I was just hoping you could give me some insight into the evolution of the market economy in the early colonies. My contention is that prior to the Revolutionary War the economic modalities especially of the southern colonies could most aptly be characterized as agrarian precapitalist and... Will, who at this point has migrated to Chuckie's side and is completely fed-up, includes himself in the conversation. WILL Of course that's your contention. You're a first year grad student. You just finished some Marxian historian, Pete Garrison prob'ly, and so naturally that's what you believe until next month when you get to James Lemon and get convinced that Virginia and Pennsylvania were strongly entrepreneurial and capitalist back in 1740. That'll last until sometime in your second year, then you'll be in here regurgitating Gordon Wood about the Pre-revolutionary utopia and the capital-forming effects of military mobilization. CLARK (taken aback) Well, as a matter of fact, I won't, because Wood drastically underestimates the impact of-- WILL "Wood drastically underestimates the impact of social distinctions predicated upon wealth, especially inherited wealth..." You got that from "Work in Essex County," Page 421, right? Do you have any thoughts of your own on the subject or were you just gonna plagiarize the whole book for me? Clark is stunned. WILL Look, don't try to pass yourself off as some kind of an intellect at the expense of my friend just to impress these girls. Clark is lost now, searching for a graceful exit, any exit. WILL The sad thing is, in about 50 years you might start doin' some thinkin' on your own and by then you'll realize there are only two certainties in life. CLARK Yeah? What're those? WILL One, don't do that. Two -- you dropped a hundred and fifty grand on an education you coulda' picked up for a dollar fifty in late charges at the Public Library. Will catches Skylar's eye. CLARK But I will have a degree, and you'll be serving my kids fries at a drive through on our way to a skiing trip. WILL (smiles) Maybe. But at least I won't be a prick. (beat) And if you got a problem with that, I guess we can step outside and deal with it that way. While Will is substantially smaller than Clark, he [Clark] decides not to take Will up on his [Will's] offer. WILL If you change your mind, I'll be over by the bar. He turns and walks away. Chuckie follows, throwing Clark a look. Morgan turns to a nearby girl. MORGAN My boy's wicked smart. INT. BOW AND ARROW, AT THE BAR -- LATER Will sits with Morgan at the bar watching with some amusement as Chuckie and Billy play bar basketball game where the players shoot miniature balls at a small basket. In the B.G. occasionally we hear Chuckie shouting "Larry!" When he scores. Skylar emerges from the crowd and approaches Will. SKYLAR You suck. WILL What? SKYLAR I've been sitting over there for forty-five minutes waiting for you to come talk to me. But I'm just tired now and I have to go home and I wasn't going to keep sitting there waiting for you. WILL I'm Will. SKYLAR Skylar. And by the way. That guy over there is a real dick and I just wanted you to know he didn't come with us. WILL I kind of got that impression. SKYLAR Well, look, I have to go. Gotta' get up early and waste some more money on my overpriced education. WILL I didn't mean you. Listen, maybe... SKYLAR Here's my number. Skylar produces a folded piece of paper and offers it to Will. SKYLAR Maybe we could go out for coffee sometime? WILL Great, or maybe we could go somewhere and just eat a bunch of caramels. SKYLAR What? WILL When you think about it, it's just as arbitrary as drinking coffee. SKYLAR (laughs) Okay, sounds good. She turns. WILL Five minutes. SKYLAR What? WILL I was trying to be smooth. (indicates clock) But at twelve-fifteen I was gonna come over there and talk to you. SKYLAR See, it's my life story. Five more minutes and I would have got to hear your best pick-up line. WILL The caramel thing is my pick-up line. A beat. SKYLAR Glad I came over. CUT TO: EXT. BOW AND ARROW -- LATER Our boys are walking out of the bar teasing one another about their bar-ball exploits. Across the street is another bar with a glass front. Morgan spots Clark sitting by the window with some friends. MORGAN There goes that fuckin' Barney right now, with his fuckin' "skiin' trip." We should'a kicked that dude's ass. WILL Hold up. Will crosses the street and approaches the plate glass window and stands across from Clark, separated only by the glass. He POUNDS THE GLASS to get Clark's attention. WILL Hey! Clark turns toward Will. WILL DO YOU LIKE APPLES? Clark doesn't get it. WILL DO YOU LIKE APPLES?! CLARK Yeah? Will SLAMS SKYLAR'S PHONE NUMBER against the glass. WILL WELL I GOT HER NUMBER! HOW DO YA LIKE THEM APPLES?!! Will's boys erupt into laughter. Angle on Clark, deflated. EXT. STREET -- NIGHT The boys make their way home, piled into Chuckie's car, laughing together. EXT. CHARLES STREET BRIDGE -- DAWN Shot of car crossing over the Charles St. Bridge, overtaking a red-line train. EXT. CHARLESTON BACKROAD -- DAWN Traveling through narrow back roads in Charlestown, passing the Bunker Hill monument. EXT. WILL'S APARTMENT -- DAY Arriving at Will's house and dropping him off. DISSOLVE TO: INT. M.I.T. BUILDING AND GROUNDS GARAGE -- DAY Lambeau walks into a small garage facility. The area stores lawn machinery and various tools. An older man, TERRY (58) sits behind the desk reading the BOSTON HERALD sports page. Lambeau has obviously never been here before. He takes in the surroundings, somewhat uncomfortable. Gets dirty. LAMBEAU Excuse me. Is this the buildings and grounds office? TERRY Yeah, can I help you? LAMBEAU I'm trying to find the name of a student who works here. TERRY No students work for me. LAMBEAU Could you just check, because the young man who works in my building-- TERRY Which one's your building? LAMBEAU Building two. Terry checks a list behind his [own] desk. Looks up. TERRY Well, if something was stolen, I should know about it. LAMBEAU No, no. Nothing like that. I just need his name. TERRY I can't give you his name unless you have a complaint. LAMBEAU Please, I'm a professor here and it's very important. TERRY Well, he didn't show up for work today... Terry takes a beat. Holding all the cards. TERRY Look, he got his job through his P.O. so you can call him. Terry goes through a stack of paper on his desk. Takes out a card and hands it to Lambeau. Lambeau looks blankly at the card which reads: "PAROLE EMPLOYMENT PROGRAM." INT. COURTROOM -- DAY Will stands before JUDGE MALONE (40) being arraigned. It is fairly unceremonious, the courtroom nearly empty, save Will and the PROSECUTOR. Lambeau walks in from the back. WILL There is a lengthy legal precedent, Your Honor, going back to 1789, whereby a defendant may claim self- defense against an agent of the government where the act is shown to be a defense against tyranny, a defense of liberty-- The Judge interrupts to address the prosecutor. JUDGE MALONE Mr. Simmons, Officer McNeely who signed the complaint isn't in my courtroom. Why is that? PROSECUTOR He's in the hospital with a broken knee, Your Honor. But I have depositions from the other officers. WILL Henry Ward Beecher proclaimed, in his Proverbs From Plymouth Pulpit back in 1887, that "Every American citizen is by birth, a sworn officer of the state. Every man is a policeman." As for the other officers, even William Congrave said; "he that first cries out 'stop thief' is 'oft he that has stolen the treasure." PROSECUTOR Your Honor-- Will cranks it up. WILL (to Prosecutor) I am afforded the right to speak in my own defense by our constitution, Sir. The same document which guarantees my right to liberty. "Liberty," in case you've forgotten, is "the soul's right to breathe, and when it cannot take a long breath laws are girded too tight. Without liberty, man is a syncope." (beat, to Judge) Ibid. Your Honor. PROSECUTOR Man is a what? WILL Julius Caesar proclaimed -- Though he be wounded-- "Magna..." The Judge interrupts. JUDGE MALONE Son, (a beat) My turn. The Judge opens Will's CASE HISTORY. JUDGE MALONE (reading) June, '93, assault, Sept. '93 assault... Grand theft auto February '94. A beat, the Judge takes particular notice. JUDGE MALONE Where, apparently, you defended yourself and had the case thrown out by citing "free property rights of horse and carriage" from 1798... Lambeau has to smile, impressed. The Judge shakes his head. JUDGE MALONE March, '94 public drunkenness, public nudity, assault. 10/94 mayhem. November '94, assault. Jan. '95 impersonating a police officer, mayhem, theft, resisting -- overturned-- The Judge takes a beat. Gives Will a look. JUDGE MALONE You're in my courtroom, now and I am aware of your priors. (beat) I'm also aware that you're an orphan. You've been through several foster homes. The state removed you from three because of serious physical abuse. The Judge holds a look to Will, who looks down. JUDGE MALONE Another Judge might care. You hit a cop, you go in. (beat) Motion to dismiss denied. The Bailiff goes to remove Will from the courtroom. JUDGE MALONE Keep workin' on your arguments, son. A word of advice for trial; speak English. As Will is removed from the courtroom, Lambeau approaches Judge Malone who is stepping down from the bench. LAMBEAU Excuse me, your Honor. (offers hand) Gerald Lambeau. An awkward beat. Lambeau waits for some sign of recognition. LAMBEAU I'm a professor at M.I.T. (beat) Combunatorial Mathematics. The Judge offers only a blank look. JUDGE MALONE Oh. Pleased to meet you. LAMBEAU Do you have a minute? CUT TO: INT. MIDDLESEX COUNTY JAIL, HOLDING AREA -- SAME A GUARD walks Will down a hallway toward a group of phones. GUARD One call, to an attorney. (beat) One. The Guard gives Will a hard look for a beat. Then leaves. WILL How many? Will picks up the phone, dials. WILL Hey, Skylar? INT. SKYLAR'S DORM -- DAY SKYLAR Yeah? WILL It's Will, the really funny good looking guy you met at the bar? SKYLAR I'm sorry, I don't recall meeting anyone who fits that description. WILL Okay, you got me. It's the ugly, obnoxious, toothless loser who got drunk and wouldn't leave you alone all night. SKYLAR Oh Will! I was wondering when you'd call. WILL Yeah, I figured maybe sometime this week we could go to a cafe and have some caramels. SKYLAR Sounds good, where are you now? WILL You aren't, by any chance, Pre-law? Are you? CUT TO: INT. MIDDLESEX COUNTY JAIL, INTERROGATION ROOM -- LATER Professor Lambeau sits, waiting. Will is brought in, shackled, by the guard. LAMBEAU Hello. Gerald Lambeau, M.I.T. WILL Fuck do you want? LAMBEAU I've spoken with the judge and he's agreed to release you under my supervision. WILL (suspicious) Really? LAMBEAU (beat) Yes. Under two conditions. WILL What're those? LAMBEAU That you meet with me twice a week— (a beat) and you meet with a therapist. WILL If I agree to this, I walk right now? LAMBEAU That's right. WILL I'll do the work. I'm not going to meet with a therapist. LAMBEAU Now, it won't be as bad as it sounds, Will. (beat) I've already spoken to one therapist, his name is Henry Lipkin and he's a friend of mine. He's also published four books and is widely considered to be one of the brightest men in his field. (beat) I'm sure it'll be better than spending the next six months in jail. CUT TO: INT. FUNLAND -- DAY Will and Chuckie walk up to an enclosed trampoline. Billy and Morgan prefer to use it for their own version of "Wrestlemania." As Will and Chuckie approach, Billy is on top of a bloodied Morgan and has him in the "Cobra Clutch." Will and Chuckie watch for a beat. Billy tightens his grip. BILLY Submit, bitch! Submit! Submit! MORGAN (being strangled) Suck my cock! BILLY Oh, Morgan! Chuckie turns to Will, conspiratorially as they wait for the fight to finish. CHUCKIE What'd you get? You get leniency? WILL Probation, counselin', few days a week. CHUCKIE You're fuckin' good. Will smiles. CHUCKIE Just submit, Morgan. He's got you in the Cobra Clutch. MORGAN (to Chuckie) Fuck your mother too! INT. WILL'S APARTMENT -- NIGHT Will sits alone in his one room apartment, reading. A closer look reveals he is reading a self-help PSYCHOLOGY BOOK. Will is flipping through the book at about a page per second. He shakes his head and smiles. Upon finishing the book, he throws it in a nearby WASTEBASKET. Push in on the back of the book where a SMILING PSYCHOLOGIST is pictured. INT. PSYCHOLOGIST'S OFFICE -- CONTINUOUS Will sits in a well decorated Psychologist's Office. Across from Will sits the same PSYCHOLOGIST, HENRY LIPKIN (40), from the book. They are in mid-session. WILL That's why I love stock-car racin'. That Dale Ernhart's real good. PSYCHOLOGIST Now you know Will, and I know, what you need to be doing. You have a gift. WILL I could work the pit maybe, but I could never drive like Dale Ernhart-- PSYCHOLOGIST You have a quality -- something you were born with, that you have no control over -- and you are, in a sense, hiding that by becoming a janitor. And I'm not saying that's wrong. I'm friends with the janitor that works in my building. He's been to my house for dinner. As a matter of fact I did some free consultation for "Mike" -- that's not his real name. That's in my book. WILL Yeah, I read your book. "Mike" had the same problems as "Chad" the stockbroker. PSYCHOLOGIST Yes. The pressures you feel, and again, I am neither labeling nor judging them, are keeping you from fulfilling your potential -- you're in a rut. So stop the Tom Foolery -- the Shenanigan's, Will. WILL You're right. I know. PSYCHOLOGIST Will, your not getting off that easy. WILL No, but, I mean you know... I do other things. That no one knows about. PSYCHOLOGIST Like what, Will? WILL I go places, I interact. PSYCHOLOGIST What places? WILL Certain, clubs. (beat) Like, Paradise. It's not bad. Will gives the Psychologist a furtive look. WILL It's just that feeling when you can take your shirt off and really dance. (beat) When the music owns you. Do you understand? PSYCHOLOGIST I might understand that. WILL Do you find it hard to hide the fact that you're gay? PSYCHOLOGIST What? WILL C'mon, I read your book. I talked to you. It's just something I know to be true. PSYCHOLOGIST That's very presumptuous. WILL Buddy, two seconds ago you were ready to give me a jump. PSYCHOLOGIST (a little laugh) Well, I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I'm married and I have two children. WILL I'm sure you do. You probably got a real nice house, nice car -- your book's a best seller. PSYCHOLOGIST You're getting defensive, Will. WILL Look, man. I don't care if you're putting from the rough. There are solid arguments that some of the greatest people in history were gay; Alexander the Great, Caesar, Shakespeare, Oscar Wilde, Napoleon, Gertrude Stein, not to mention Danny Terrio, not many straight men can dance like that. PSYCHOLOGIST Who is "Danny Terrio?" WILL If you wanna hit "Ramrod," take your shot. Take some pride in it. You go to church? So fuckin' what, God loves you. I mean, Christ. A guy as well known as you? By the time you put your disguise on and skulk out of the house Sunday nights you probably look like "Inspector Clouseau." The Psychologist calmly packs his things. PSYCHOLOGIST Well, I can see this is pointless... WILL You're getting defensive... Henry. And hey, chief -- tell the wife, at least. Christ, set her free. The shrink gets up and walks out. WILL Fuckin' hypocrite... INT. HALLWAY -- CONTINUOUS The Psychologist comes walking out, much to the surprise of Lambeau and Tom who have been waiting in the lobby. LAMBEAU Henry? The Psychologist keeps walking. PSYCHOLOGIST No. You know what, Gerry? This is why I don't do pro-bono anymore. It's not worth it to me. LAMBEAU What happened? PSYCHOLOGIST I don't have the time. I'm going on national television this week. LAMBEAU Wait a minute, Henry... He [Henry] is out the door. Lambeau looks to Tom. CUT TO: INT. LAMBEAU'S OFFICE -- DAY Will is in Lambeau's office. Lambeau is at the board, working on a diagram as Tom takes notes. Will seems disinterested. LAMBEAU This rectangle is subdivided into rectangles. One edge of an inner rectangle is an integer. Can you prove that one edge of the larger rectangle is an integer? WILL Of course. LAMBEAU Okay. How? WILL It's an integer proof. Lambeau smiles. WILL What? Hey, look buddy my time's almost up. You want me to sit here for an hour and write it out? Lambeau says nothing. Will gets up and goes to the board. WILL Look, I'll give you the key steps to it but I'm not gonna do the whole thing. Lambeau keeps smiling. LAMBEAU That would be a monumental waste of time, wouldn't it, Will? WILL I think so. LAMBEAU I happen to know so. Lambeau rises and goes to the board. LAMBEAU You're thinking too hard. What if I did this? He draws a vertical line through the diagram. LAMBEAU Now, what if I do this? He draws a horizontal line through the diagram. He hands Will the chalk. LAMBEAU Have you ever played checkers? Will realizes what Lambeau is getting at. In a flash he starts drawing lines through the diagram, energized. WILL You color-code it. Half-red, half- black. If that's an integer-- Lambeau steps in, writing with him [Will]. LAMBEAU What's that? WILL Half-red, half-black-- LAMBEAU --that?-- WILL --Half-red, half-black-- LAMBEAU --That edge! WILL An integer. The two stop. They are silent for a moment. Like two gunfighters after a duel, they put down the chalk. LAMBEAU (checks his watch) It would appear we got that proof in under the wire after all. It's not how hard you look at things, young man, it's the way you look at them. If you take aim before you fire, you will find the most difficult problems become, quite literally, child's play. Will gets his coat. LAMBEAU Will, you've managed to offend four of my colleagues so much that they refused to come back. You're meeting with the leading hypnotist in the country next week and Tom and I plan to sit in on the sessions, so I expect you to behave appropriately. CUT TO: INT. LAMBEAU'S OFFICE -- DAY Will sits in a chair across from Lambeau and the HYPNOTIST. Lambeau's assistant, TOM (33) takes notes. The Hypnotist makes small talk with Lambeau, who checks his watch. LAMBEAU Shall we start the, uh... WILL Yeah, when do I get my hypnosis? You guys been talkin' for twenty minutes. HYPNOTIST Yes, Will. We'll get to that. But first, why don't you go to sleep for me. He SNAPS HIS FINGERS and instantly Will's head goes BACK and his EYES CLOSE. The Hypnotist gives Lambeau a look. HYPNOTIST Would you mind standing on one leg? Will gets up and stands on one leg. Lambeau is impressed. TIME CUT TO: INT. LAMBEAU'S OFFICE -- LATER Will is reclining, eyes closed, in a trance-like state. The mood is more serious now. HYPNOTIST Okay, you're in your bed, Will. Now how old are you? WILL Seven. HYPNOTIST And what do you see? WILL Somethin's in my room. HYPNOTIST What is it? WILL It's like a small figure, hoverin' over me. Gettin' closer. Will flinches. HYPNOTIST You're in a safe place, Will. WILL It's touching me. Lambeau makes a sound. The Hypnotist shushes him [Lambeau] with his [Hypnotist's] finger. Tom returns to his note-taking. HYPNOTIST Where is it touching you? WILL Down there. (indicating genitals) And I'm nervous. HYPNOTIST You don't have to be nervous, Will. Lambeau and the Therapist trade looks. This is working. WILL 'Cause I'm not ready. (calming) But the figure tells me everything's gonna be all right. 'Cause the figure's a Libra too. And we start dancin' and it's beautiful-- Will breaks into song at full volume. WILL "SKY ROCKETS IN FLIGHT!" LAMBEAU (getting up) Oh Jesus. The Hypnotist gets up and starts heading towards the door. Will is still singing from "Sky Rockets." LAMBEAU Wait a minute, Barry. HYPNOTIST I have better ways to spend my time. He is gone. Will stops singing, laughs. LAMBEAU Oh, for God's sake, Will. WILL Oh, come on! You're not pinnin' this one on me. He left, I wanted to talk to him for another twenty minutes. I was havin' fun. LAMBEAU I told you to cooperate with these people. WILL C'mon, that guy was a fuckin' piece of work. Will gets up and adopts a hypnotic persona in front of Lambeau. WILL (spooky voice) Look into my eyes. I don't need therapy. LAMBEAU Get out, Will. WILL Okay... don't forget to get another therapist for next week. LAMBEAU That's enough. Will is out the door. Lambeau turns to Tom. TOM I called Mel Weintraub this morning, to check for availability. LAMBEAU What's the point? TOM What do you want to do? LAMBEAU There is somebody... TOM Who is he? LAMBEAU He was my roommate in college. INT. BUNKER HILL CAMPUS -- DAY This is SEAN MAGUIRE'S "Dying and Bereavement" class. Emblazoned on the door is "room 101." While the lecture hall could hold sixty students, there are less than fifteen here today. Sean Maguire lectures to the class in a resigned tone. Tired of teaching, tired of life, he finds himself resigned to the tedium of teaching core classes to an indifferent student body. SEAN Establishing trust is the most important component in making breakthroughs with a patient. Why? A beat. SEAN Maureen? MAUREEN'S only response is an empty stare. SEAN Keep up the good work, Maureen. Vinnie? VINNIE looks up. VINNIE Because trust is an important thing. SEAN Don't bullshit me, Vinnie. Didn't your brother give you the notes? Okay. If a patient doesn't trust you then they won't feel safe enough to be honest with you -- then there's no point to them being in therapy. It's like saying -- "Fine, come here and don't tell me a thing but go home feeling like you're doing something about your problems -- and give me my fifty bucks before you leave will ya'!" He looks around the room for approval. No one is listening. SEAN If you don't help them trust you -- then there's no way you'll ever get them to sleep with you. And that should be the goal of any good therapist. Insecure women, you know... nail 'em when they're vulnerable, that's always been my motto. The students look up, somewhat stunned. SEAN See, I got Vinnie's attention. Laughter. Sean starts to resume his lecture, when he notices LAMBEAU standing in the back of the room. There is an awkward moment. SEAN Gerry. LAMBEAU Sean. SEAN (to class) Well, it seems we're in the presence of greatness. Professor Gerald Lambeau is a Field's Medal winner. Combunatorial Mathematics. 1986. The students stare blankly. LAMBEAU Hello. SEAN The Field's Medal is the Nobel Prize for math. (beat) But it's only given out every four years. A beat. SEAN Okay, that's all for today. Try and get through Fernald by Monday. The class starts to pack up and file out. Lambeau approaches Sean who steps down from the lectern. LAMBEAU Good to see you. SEAN Good to see you. LAMBEAU Is there someplace we can talk? CUT TO: EXT. HARVARD SQUARE -- NIGHT Will and Skylar on their first date. They watch a street MAGICIAN doing tricks with a rabbit. The guy's tricks are pretty good, but his on-stage persona could use some work. He is incessantly repeating the phrase "this is the rabbit, the rabbit really does the tricks." Will gives Skylar a look and they move on. CUT TO: INT. TOY STORE -- LATER Will and Skylar walk into the small shop. SKYLAR I don't know, it was just kind of the boring suburban thing. Private school, Harvard, and now Med. School. (Beat) I actually figured out that at the end of it, my brain will be worth a quarter of a million dollars. I shouldn't have told you that... WILL I bet your parents were happy to pay. SKYLAR I was happy to pay. I inherited the money. WILL Is Harvard gettin' all that money? SKYLAR Stanford. I'm leaving in June after I graduate. WILL So you just want to use me and go? SKYLAR Well, I'm gonna experiment on you for my anatomy class, then go. WILL In that case, fine. (beat) Want to see my magic trick? SKYLAR Sure. Will, pulls out a bulging HANDFUL OF CARAMELS. WILL Now, I'm gonna make all these caramels disappear. SKYLAR Okay... Will goes into all manner of hocus-pocus theatrics. Then shakes his hand wildly. The trick doesn't pan out and the caramels go flying all over the store. Skylar laughs. WILL It works better when I have my rabbit. CUT TO: INT. LOCKOBER RESTAURANT -- NIGHT Lambeau and Sean share a table at this exclusive restaurant. Sean seems slightly out of place in his wrinkled sport coat. LAMBEAU I didn't see you at the reunion. SEAN I've been busy. LAMBEAU You were missed. (beat) How long has it been since we've seen each other? SEAN Since Nancy died. LAMBEAU I'm sorry, that damn conference-- SEAN I got your card. INT. HARVARD SQ. DINER: "THE TASTY" -- NIGHT A FRY COOK hands Will and Skylar a pair of CHEESEBURGERS. SKYLAR Have you ever seen Annie Hall? WILL No. SKYLAR Well, there's this part of the movie that's about how there's always this tension on a first date where both people are thinking about what's going to happen with the whole 'good night kiss' thing. Will smiles. WILL I really don't 'date' that much. SKYLAR (laughs) You know what I mean. I know you've at least thought about it. WILL No I haven't... SKYLAR Yes you have. You were thinking you were gonna get a good night kiss. WILL (mock protest) No I wasn't... SKYLAR Yes you were. WILL I was kinda' hopin' to get a "good night laid" but... I'll take a kiss. She laughs. SKYLAR Oh, you will? WILL No... I was hoping to get a kiss. SKYLAR Then why don't we just get it out of the way. He looks at her. WILL Now? Both of them have cheeseburger in their mouths. SKYLAR Yeah. They kiss, mouths full of burger. It's nice. A beat. SKYLAR That had to be the worst good night kiss... Will laughs. WILL Hey, look lady, I'm just here for the free food. She smiles. SKYLAR Free? WILL Hey, I spent all my money on those caramels. She laughs. CUT TO: INT. LOCKOBER RESTAURANT -- SAME Lambeau and Sean, having finished their meal. Lambeau has been pitching Sean. SEAN I've been busy, Gerry. I got a full schedule. LAMBEAU This kid's special, Sean. I've never seen anything like him. SEAN Not much free time, Gerry. LAMBEAU Have you ever heard of a man named Ramanujan? Sean nods his head. SEAN Yeah. LAMBEAU He was alive over a hundred years ago. He was Indian. Dots, not feathers... Sean finishes the joke. Lambeau chuckles. LAMBEAU So this Ramanujan lived in a tiny hut in India. No formal education, no access to other works. But he came across an old math book and from this basic text he was able to extrapolate theories that had baffled mathematicians for years. SEAN And he mailed it to Hardy-- LAMBEAU That's right, Sean. He mailed it to a professor at Cambridge who immediately recognized the brilliance in his work and brought Ramanujan to England. SEAN Where he contracted pneumonia and died at a young age-- LAMBEAU They worked together for the remainder of their lives, producing some of the most exciting math theory ever done. Ramanujan's genius was unparalleled, Sean. This boy is like that. But he's very defensive and I need someone who can get through to him. SEAN Why me? LAMBEAU I need someone with your kind of background. SEAN My kind of background? LAMBEAU You're from the same neighborhood. South Boston. SEAN He's from Southie? How many people did you try before you came to me? LAMBEAU (looks squarely at Sean) Five. Sean gives a slight, knowing smile. SEAN Who? Barry, Henry, Rick... Lambeau nods. SEAN Not Rick? You didn't send him to Rick? LAMBEAU Just meet with the boy once a week. SEAN Can we do it at my office? LAMBEAU That would be fine. The waiter comes with the CHECK. Each man reaches for it. LAMBEAU Sean, please. SEAN I got it. LAMBEAU It's on the college. Sean relents. CUT TO: EXT. BUNKER HILL CAMPUS -- MORNING Establishing shot of the red-brick campus. Planes land at nearby Logan airport. Will walks up the steps. CUT TO: INT. SEAN'S OFFICE -- DAY Sean's office is comfortable. Books are stacked against the wall. There is a PAINTING on the wall behind Sean. Sean is seated behind a desk. Lambeau sits in a chair in the back of the room, next to Tom. A long beat passes, they wait. LAMBEAU Any vulnerability he senses, he'll exploit. SEAN I'll be okay. LAMBEAU It's a poker game with this young man. Don't let him see what you've got. Sean nods. Will walks in. Everyone stands to greet Will. LAMBEAU Hello, Will. Any trouble finding the place? WILL No. LAMBEAU Will, this is Sean Maguire. Sean, Will Hunting. Sean and Will nod. An awkward moment as the four men stand. LAMBEAU Well, let's get started. WILL Yeah, let's let the healing begin. Lambeau is slightly embarrassed. Sean smiles at Will's joke. SEAN Would you excuse us? LAMBEAU Tom. SEAN You too, Gerry. Lambeau looks at Sean, surprised. Sean's stare is unwavering. After an awkward moment, Lambeau goes, leaving Sean and Will alone. Will doesn't look at Sean for more than a second. He seems more interested in the room. There is a long silence as Sean watches Will. SEAN Hello, Will. I'm Sean Maguire. A smile crosses Will's face as he walks to his chair and sits. He lights a cigarette. Sean continues to watch him. Finally- SEAN Where are you from in Southie? WILL Did you buy all these books retail, or do you send away for like a "shrink kit" that comes with all these volumes included? SEAN Have you read all these books, Will? WILL Probably not. SEAN (indicating a shelf) How about the ones on that shelf? Will's eyes flicker up to the shelf for an instant. WILL Yeah, I read those. SEAN What did you think? WILL I'm not here for a fuckin' book report. They're your books, why don't you read 'em? SEAN I did. WILL That must have taken you a long time. SEAN Yeah, it did take me a long time. Sean says this with pride. His determined stare and confident manner catch Will a bit off guard. Will rises from his chair and goes to the shelf. WILL (looking at book) "A History of the United States, Volume I." If you want to read a real history book, read Howard Zinn's "A People's History of the United States." That book will knock you on your ass. SEAN How about Noam Chomsky's "Manufacturing Consent?" WILL You people baffle me. You spend all this money on beautiful, fancy books-- and they're the wrong fuckin' books. SEAN You think so? WILL Whatever blows your hair back. Will returns to his chair. Pause. SEAN (indicating cigarette) Guy your age shouldn't smoke so much. Stunt your growth. WILL You're right. It really gets in the way of my jazzercizing. Sean does not seem at all affected by Will's attitude. He remains behind the big desk with almost half a smile on his face. Will is aware of Sean's confidence. WILL Do you lift? SEAN Yes, I do. WILL Nautilus? SEAN Free weights. WILL Oh yeah? Me too. What do you bench? SEAN 285. WILL Oh. Will gets up again and moves around his chair to Sean's painting. It is a picture of an old sailboat in a tremendous storm -- by no means a masterpiece. Will studies it. WILL You paint this? SEAN Yeah. Do you paint? WILL No. SEAN Crayons? WILL This is a real piece of shit. SEAN Tell me what you really think. WILL Poor color composition, lousy use of space. But that shit doesn't really concern me. SEAN What does? WILL The color here, see how dark it is? It's interesting. SEAN What is? WILL I think you're one step away from cutting your ear off. SEAN Oh, "Starry Night" time, huh? WILL You ever heard the saying, "any port in a storm?" SEAN Sure, how 'bout "still waters run deep"- WILL --Well, maybe that means you. SEAN Maybe what mea-- WILL Maybe you were in the middle of a storm, a big fuckin' storm -- the waves were crashing over the bow, the Goddamned mast was about to snap, and you were crying for the harbor. So you did what you had to do, to get out. Maybe you became a psychologist. SEAN Maybe you should be a patient and sit down. WILL Maybe you married the wrong woman. SEAN Watch your mouth. WILL That's it isn't it? You married the wrong woman. She leave you? Was she bangin' someone else? Sean is walking slowly towards Will. WILL How are the seas now, D-- In a flash, Sean has Will by the throat. Will is helpless. SEAN If you ever disrespect my wife again... I will end you. WILL Time's up. CUT TO: INT. HALLWAY -- CONTINUOUS Will walks out of Sean's office past Lambeau and Tom who are sitting in the hallway. WILL At ease, gentlemen. CUT TO: INT. SEAN'S OFFICE -- DAY Sean stands behind his desk in his office, still very much on edge. Lambeau walks in. LAMBEAU Five minutes, Sean. Are you okay? A pause, Sean is staring at his painting. LAMBEAU I'll understand if you don't want to meet with him again. SEAN Thursday, four o'clock. Make sure the kid is here. CUT TO: EXT. WONDERLAND RACETRACK -- DAY Will and Skylar sit in the stands watching the dogs run. They ad lib teasing one another about England, Ireland, and America. SKYLAR You grew up around here? WILL Not far from here, South Boston. SKYLAR How was that? WILL Pretty boring, I guess. She smiles. SKYLAR I bet you have a great family. WILL You know, nothing special. SKYLAR You have a lot of brothers and sisters? WILL Do I have a lot of brothers and sisters? SKYLAR Yeah. WILL Well, Irish Catholic. What do you think? SKYLAR How many? WILL You wouldn't believe me if I told you. SKYLAR What, five? Will shakes his head. SKYLAR Seven? Will shakes his head. Smiles. SKYLAR Come on. WILL I have twelve big brothers. SKYLAR Not a chance. WILL Yup, you're lookin' at lucky thirteen. SKYLAR Bullshit. WILL I swear to God. SKYLAR Your house must have been a zoo. WILL It was great. There was always someone to play with, give you advice. SKYLAR Do you know all their names? WILL 'Course I do, they're my brothers. SKYLAR Well... WILL Marky, Ricky, Danny, Terry, Mikey, Davey, Timmy, Tommy, Joey, Robby, Johnny, and Brian. SKYLAR (laughing) Do you keep in touch with them? WILL All the time. We all live in Southie. I live with three of them now. Skylar smiles. SKYLAR I want to meet them. WILL We'll do that. CUT TO: INT. SEAN'S APARTMENT -- NIGHT As we pan across Sean's small apartment, we find it strewn with dirty clothes and the sink full of dishes. Although, if it weren't for the clutter, the place would feel pretty bare. A framed SPORTS ILLUSTRATED cover featuring a screaming Larry Bird and entitled "CELTIC PRIDE" hangs on the wall. Sean sits at the table next to another nearly empty bottle of BUSHMILL'S IRISH WHISKEY. He is deep in thought. CUT TO: INT. SEAN'S OFFICE -- DAY Will strolls into the office. Sean is waiting there behind his desk. He seems different. More calm. Will and Sean stare at each other for a long moment. WILL You again. How the paintin' coming? Sean stands up. SEAN Come with me. CUT TO: EXT. BOSTON COMMON -- MINUTES LATER Sean and Will sit in the bleachers at the mostly empty park. They look out over a small pond, in which a group of schoolchildren on a field trip ride the famous Swan Boats. WILL So what's with this place? You have a swan fetish? Is this something you'd like to talk about? SEAN I was thinking about what you said to me the other day, about my painting. I stayed up half the night thinking about it and then something occurred to me and I fell into a deep peaceful sleep and haven't thought about you since. You know what occurred to me? WILL No. SEAN You're just a boy. You don't have the faintest idea what you're talking about. WILL Why thank you. SEAN You've never been out of Boston. WILL No. SEAN So if I asked you about art you could give me the skinny on every art book ever written... Michelangelo? You know a lot about him I bet. Life's work, criticisms, political aspirations. But you couldn't tell me what it smells like in the Sistine Chapel. You've never stood there and looked up at that beautiful ceiling. And if I asked you about women I'm sure you could give me a syllabus of your personal favorites, and maybe you've been laid a few times too. But you couldn't tell me how it feels to wake up next to a woman and be truly happy. If I asked you about war you could refer me to a bevy of fictional and non-fictional material, but you've never been in one. You've never held your best friend's head in your lap and watched him draw his last breath, looking to you for help. And if I asked you about love I'd get a sonnet, but you've never looked at a woman and been truly vulnerable. Known that someone could kill you with a look. That someone could rescue you from grief. That God had put an angel on Earth just for you. And you wouldn't know how it felt to be her angel. To have the love be there for her forever. Through anything, through cancer. You wouldn't know about sleeping sitting up in a hospital room for two months holding her hand and not leaving because the doctors could see in your eyes that the term "visiting hours" didn't apply to you. And you wouldn't know about real loss, because that only occurs when you lose something you love more than yourself, and you've never dared to love anything that much. I look at you and I don't see an intelligent confident man, I don't see a peer, and I don't see my equal. I see a boy. Nobody could possibly understand you, right Will? Yet you presume to know so much about me because of a painting you saw. You must know everything about me. You're an orphan, right? Will nods quietly. SEAN Do you think I would presume to know the first thing about who you are because I read "Oliver Twist?" And I don't buy the argument that you don't want to be here, because I think you like all the attention you're getting. Personally, I don't care. There's nothing you can tell me that I can't read somewhere else. Unless we talk about your life. But you won't do that. Maybe you're afraid of what you might say. Sean stands, SEAN It's up to you. And walks away. CUT TO: INT. CONSTRUCTION SITE -- DAY Will and Chuckie doing demo at the site. They throw cinderblocks out a window into a pile. They are filthy. CUT TO: EXT. SOUTH BOSTON STREET -- NIGHT Rain pounds South Boston. Chuckie sits with the Cadillac fiddling, humming to the radio. Morgan and Billy sit in the back, sharing a case of beer. Will is at a pay phone. INT. SKYLAR'S ROOM -- NIGHT SKYLAR Hello? Will hangs up and runs back to the car, soaked. CHUCKIE Who'd you call? WILL No one. I didn't have the number. MORGAN What are you, retarded? You went all the way out there in the rain and you didn't have the number? WILL No, it was your mother's 900 number. I just ran out of quarters. Laughter. Chuckie pulls away from the curb. MORGAN Why don't we get off mothers, I just got off yours. There is a long moment of silence in response to Morgan's attempt at levity. Then laughter. BILLY You're a pretty funny guy. Here, have a nickel. Billy WHIPS his EMPTY BEER CAN off of Morgan's head. MORGAN Keep fuckin' with me. Watch what happens. BILLY All right, then. MORGAN Watch what happens. CUT TO: INT. SEAN'S OFFICE -- DAY Will sits across from Sean completely silent and takes out a pack of cigarettes. SEAN No smoking. Will puts the cigarettes away. Sean stares at Will and occasionally at the clock. Sean continues to check the clock on the wall. It is the only clock in the room and it is BEHIND Will. Their hour is almost up. CLOSE ON: WILL'S EYES INTERCUT WITH THE CLOCK. He is counting seconds. As the second hand crosses the twelve, Will stands up and walks out, leaving Sean alone. INT. HALLWAY -- LATER Lambeau and Sean walk down the hallway after the session. LAMBEAU What do you mean "he didn't talk?" You sat there for an hour? SEAN No, he just sat there and counted the seconds until the session was over. It was pretty impressive, actually. LAMBEAU Why would he do that? SEAN To show me he doesn't have to talk to me if he doesn't want to. LAMBEAU Oh, what is this? Some kind of staring contest between two kids from the "old neighborhood?" SEAN I won't talk first. EXT. WILL'S APARTMENT -- EVENING Chuckie drops Will off at his apartment, watches him [Will] walk up the steps. DISSOLVE TO: EXT. WILL'S APARTMENT -- MORNING Chuckie pulls up to the curb and walks up the steps to Will's front door. After a beat, Will emerges. They get back in [the car]. CUT TO: EXT. CONSTRUCTION SITE -- DAY Will and Chuckie at work. Chuckie shows Will how to be a man. INT. L STREET BAR & GRILLE, SOUTH BOSTON -- NIGHT The bar is a bit more crowded than usual. Will and Chuckie walk back to their table, carrying beers. They pass a table of GIRLS, local regulars getting just as bombed as the guys. These girls are a little overdone. Too much make-up, too much hairspray, and too much body for such tight outfits. One of the girls, KRYSTYN, smiles at Will who seems subdued. KRYSTYN Hi, Will. WILL How you doin', Krystyn. They pass the table of girls. Chuckie looks at one, ruefully. CHUCKIE I didn't get on Cathy last night. WILL Why not? CHUCKIE I don't know. Chuckie turns back to one of the girls, calling out: CHUCKIE Cathy! Why didn't you give me none of your twat last night? A girl at the table, CATHY, holds up her PINKY FINGER and smiles -- revealing a mouthful of MISSING TEETH. CATHY Fuck you and your Irish curse, Chuckie! CHUCKIE She's missin' teeth, Will. Will nods, not really into it tonight. CHUCKIE Plus, it's like, five to two Morgan ends up marryin' her. There's only so many times you can bang your friend's future wife... They get to the table. Will's heart just isn't in it. WILL I'm takin' off. ALL We're goin' late night. WILL I'm tired. CUT TO: INT. LAMBEAU'S OFFICE -- DAY Will and Lambeau work together at the board. They communicate non-verbally as they collaborate on a problem. After a particularly amusing series of numbers, they share a look and laugh. CUT TO: INT. SEAN'S OFFICE -- DAY Will and Sean sit in silence. A long moment passes. Sean casually reclines in his chair, disinterested. Will restlessly looks around the room and then back to Sean. An odd half smile crosses Sean's face. After a moment: WILL You know, I was on this plane once. And I'm sittin' there and the captain comes on and is like "we'll be cruising at 35,000 feet," and does his thing, then he puts the mike down but forgets to turn it off. Then he says "man, all I want right now is a blow-job and a cup of coffee." So the stewardess goes runnin' up towards the cock-pit to tell him the mike's still on, and