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Good Will Hunting - Collector's Edition Customer Reviews (37 - 39 of 65 Reviews)

Excellent direction, strong Damon performance
Gus van Sant does a very nice job keeping this movie moving along briskly, something that might not be especially easy given the subject matter. Matt Damon plays Will Hunting, a natural genius with close to perfect recall, who has various relationship issues, and an unpleasant family history. Robin Williams plays Hunting's somewhat unwilling therapist with issues of his own, which Hunting expertly locates and triggers.

The chemistry between Williams and Damon *works* - the various power plays and tests seem very real, and felt deeply by both actors. The friendship between Ben Afleck and Damon is easy and familiar, which isn't surprising given that they grew up together. Damon and Minnie Driver don't have quite the right electricity between them, but Driver does an excellent job of portraying the slightly eccentric Skylar.

Van Sant's direction is outstanding, and resembles his work in "My Own Private Idaho" in bits, but has a maturity not as well-developed ten years ago.

Overall, a very good movie with powerful performances given unflinchingly.

Some Outstanding Moments, but Not a Masterpiece
GOOD WILL HUNTING was actually written by two of its stars, boyhood friends, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck. I was surprised when I first learned this; the screenplay, while still a little rough around the edges, shows a lot of insight for the twentysomethings that Damon and Affleck were in 1997.

GOOD WILL HUNTING is the story of, who else, Will Hunting (Matt Damon), a janitor at MIT and a young man with a very troubled past. Will was an orphan and a victim of child abuse. As an adult he's a petty criminal with a short fuse and an uncanny ability to reduce the most complicated math problems and theorems to simple answers, something he does at night on MIT's chalkboards. Will is a mathematical genius with a photographic memory, but he neither recognizes his gift nor cares. He'd much rather be out with his other blue-collar buddies, drinking and getting into trouble.

Two things happen to change Will's errant ways. The first is the fact that his genius is found out by one of MIT's professors, Professor Lambeau (Stellan Skarsgard). Professor Skarsgard wants to do something to encourage Will to develop his gift. The second, and more pivotal thing that happens is that Will assaults a police office on one of his nightly binges and lands in jail.

Luckily, Will comes before a judge with some understanding of what he really needs. Instead of being sent to jail, Will is ordered to spend one day a week with Lambeau, studying math, and one day a week with a therapist in order to work through his short temper and his need to self-destruct. After a few false starts, Will ends up seeing Sean McGuire (Robin Williams), a teacher at Bunker Hill Community College and Lambeau's former college roommate. As things progress, it becomes more and more evident that Will is just as good for Sean as Sean is for Will. Will also receives help and encouragement from his childhood friend, Chuckie (Ben Affleck) and a pretty Harvard student from Britain, Skylar (Minnie Driver).

The plot of GOOD WILL HUNTING is very, very predictable, as is its ending, but that really didn't stop me from enjoying the film. There are some outstanding moments and set pieces, but overall, the film is only a little above average.

The dialogue is sometimes above average and, much to my delight, there was actually subtext, something so much screen and literary dialogue lacks these days. The thing that really rescues the film from mediocrity, though, are the performances from all the actors, especially an uncharacteristically subdued performance from Robin Williams. The scenes between Williams and Damon feel "real" and the chemistry between Affleck and Damon and Damon and Driver is palpable. Of course, the fact that Affleck and Damon have been lifelong friends and that Damon and Driver were romantically involved during the filming of GOOD WILL HUNTING didn't hurt the "chemistry" one bit. Still, it could have gone wrong. Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck were engaged when they made GIGLI and that fell flatter than any proverbial pancake ever could.

GOOD WILL HUNTING is a very solid, though predictable piece of entertainment, with strong performances from all concerned. I would recommend renting it before buying it, however, as it's not a film that one wants to see again and again. At least not in my opinion.

A drama with emotional depth
This quiet drama about what genius means was the surprise hit of 1997, with friends Matt Damon and Ben Affleck both collaborating on the screenplay and acting. Damon plays Will Hunting, a troubled, gruff young man who works as a janitor at MIT despite his incredible self-education and intelligence. When a mathematics professor discovers that Will has solved a complicated problem left on the blackboard, he pursues Will as a potential protégé. But Will is not good with authority figures, as his past includes abuse at the hands of his father. When Will lands in jail, however, and the professor manages to obtain his release with the stipulation that Will work on mathematics with him and see a counselor, Will's whole life begins to open up. As a patient of psychologist Sean Maguire (Robin Williams), Will forges a relationship that acts as a catalyst for a new future.

Matt Damon does a wonderful job with the title role, although at times he seems a little wooden. As the therapist with a painful history that Will eventually connects with, Robin Williams turns in one of his less flamboyant performances. His suffering is palpable, and his need to save Will from himself lends real passion to the film. Affleck provides solid balance as Will's friend Chuckie, although his performance is less memorable than the other two, more of a function of the role than the actor. Minnie Driver is charming and believable as Will's new girlfriend Skylar.

The screenplay is intelligent and skillfully developed despite some unbelievable facets of the premise, most notably that such a wounded individual, no matter how bright, would have the discipline to teach himself as much as Will knows. Still, this movie only gets better as it progresses. The relationship between Will and his therapist is dynamic, poignant, and meaningful.

This is a good film to own, as it uncovers additional subtleties on second viewing, as long as you don't mind revisiting emotional angst. Its feel-good story arc is somewhat predictable, but the dialogue and interactions are not, making this flick surprisingly complex given the young ages of Damon and Affleck when it was made.

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