One of the more famous movies from Robin Williams’ career was Good Will Hunting, where Matt Damon played Will Hunting, a genius who chooses to work as a janitor at MIT. As the two work together to try and figure out Hunting’s life, we get to see a plethora of themes appear. From geniuses to struggling youth to finding connections in unlikely places, these are twelve movies like Good Will Hunting that are sure to keep you watching.
12. Little Man Tate (1991)
Our twelfth film selection is Little Man Tate, which focuses on the complexity of being a genius while still a child, and the hardships that follow. Dede is a single mom who realizes that her son Fred is a genius, and is determined to get her son all the opportunities he needs. While trying to help her son, Dede is also shielding him from those who want to take advantage of his intellect, but forget that his emotions and body are those of a child.
–IMDb score: 6.6
11. The Man Who Knew Infinity (2015)
The Man Who Knew Infinity is a British biographical film that centers around the Indian mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan, and the hardships he had to encounter after leaving home. When his intelligence in mathematics draws the attention of Trinity College, Ramanujan must leave his young wife behind in India and plunge into a world that has stringent academic requirements and prejudices. As Ramanujan tries to navigate his new reality, he must also content with his declining health in a race to break barriers in the academic world.
–IMDb score: 7.2
10. Finding Forrester (2000)
A choice between sports and academics appears in our tenth movie Finding Forrester. After scoring extremely well on a statewide standardized exam and being a leader on the basketball court, Jamal Wallace is sent to a prestigious prep school in Manhattan. When he gets there Wallace meets reclusive writer William Forrester, who discovers an innate writing ability in the young student. As the two continue to learn more about each other, Wallace realizes he needs to choose his life path.
–IMDb score: 7.3
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9. Searching for Bobby Fischer (1993)
In Searching for Bobby Fischer, a young boy must learn how to hone with surprising chess ability, but encounters several obstacles along the way. Josh Waitzkin is a normal boy interested in baseball until he challenges his father at chess and wins. Surprised by his skill while playing matches at Washington Square, he befriends a hustler named Vinnie who teaches him speed chess. Josh’s parents also hire a chess coach to teach him measured playing, but he becomes so disinterested in chess that he throws a game, feeling the pressure from the adults around him.
–IMDb score: 7.4
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8. Beautiful Boy (2018)
Though not centered around a genius, father and son David and Nic Sheff must battle seemingly insurmountable obstacles to find their way back to a family. Based on a true story, Beautiful Boy follows the heartbreaking story of journalist David Sheff as he tries to help his teenage son Nic as he becomes addicted to methamphetamine. The story not only reflects on addiction but on survival, relapse, and recovery too.
–IMDb score: 7.4
7. Moneyball (2011)
The genius in Moneyball appears in the form of statistical data used by Oakland A’s general manager Billy Beane. Beane is handicapped by the lowest salary constraint in baseball and must find a way to build his time without going bankrupt. His solution, and best best to win the World Series, is using statistical data to analyze and place value on the players that he picks for the team, completely turning baseball strategy upside down.
–IMDb score: 7.6
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6. Gifted (2017)
Chris Evans appears as a single man raising a child prodigy in our sixth selection Gifted. Frank Adler (Evans) is trying to raise his spirited young niece Mary, who happens to be a genius. Adler’s plans for a normal school life for Mary are squashed when the seven-year-old’s mathematical abilities come to the attention of Mary’s grandmother Evelyn. As Evelyn tries to impart her plans, she threatens to separate Frank and Mary, not once thinking of what Mary wants.
–IMDb score: 7.6
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5. The Theory of Everything (2014)
The Theory of Everything focuses on one of the most brilliant and celebrated physicists of our time, Stephen Hawking, and the relationship he had with his wife Jane Wilde. Getting diagnosed with ALS at just 21 years old, not much was expected from the young cosmology student from Cambridge. Instead of succumbing to his illness, Hawking was supported by his love for Jane and went on to become “the successor of Einstein.” As his illness progressed, his relationships were tested more than ever, especially as his academic notoriety soared.
–IMDb score: 7.7
4. The Imitation Game (2014)
Our fourth movie, The Imitation Game, takes viewers back to World War II, and the incredible story of English mathematical genius Alan Turning, who is played by Benedict Cumberbatch. Turning is enlisted to help crack the German Enigma code with help from other mathematicians in a race against time, during the darkest days of the war. While trying to break the code, Turning must also come to terms with his troubled private life, and figure out what his future is going to look like.
–IMDb score: 8.0
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3. Dead Poets Society (1989)
Robin Williams appears on our list again, this time playing teacher John Keating in the cult-classic Dead Poets Society, which focuses on the connections made by students over their years in school. Shy student Todd Anderson joins three other friends as they meet their new English Professor Keating, who tells them of the Dead Poets Society. Keating encourages each boy to go against the status quo, and each of them does so in their own way, ultimately changing them for life.
–IMDb score: 8.1
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2. A Beautiful Mind (2001)
Our second film selection is A Beautiful Mind, which brings together mathematical genius John Nash’s highest and lowest points in his life, all to receive the Nobel Prize later in life. After making an astonishing discovery early in his career, he stood right on the edge of international acclaim before getting pulled to the depths of a journey of self-discovery following tragedy. Nash struggled for several years before finally triumphing over the tragedy and winning the greatest prize of all.
–IMDb score: 8.2
1. Whiplash (2014)
Our final selection does not deal directly with a genius, but rather the high stakes between student and teacher to achieve greatness. Whiplash focuses on Andrew Neiman, an ambitious jazz drummer set on becoming one of the top of his elite music conservatory and the world. Terence Fletcher discovers Andrew at the conservatory and moves him into the top jazz ensemble, changing his life. Unfortunately, Andrew’s passion to be perfect slides into obsession as his ruthless teacher pushes him to the brink of his ability and sanity.
–IMDb score: 8.5
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