Director: Gus Van Sant
Writers: Matt Damon, Ben Affleck
Starring: Robin Williams, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Minnie Driver, Stellan Skarsgard
Length: 126 min.
Released: 1997
Rather than being your typical college film of binge drinking, sex, and drugs, Good Will Hunting captures the essence of a uplifting, heartfelt drama.
Set in Boston and Cambridge Massachusetts, the film follows Will Hunting (Matt Damon), a janitor at the prestigious Massachusetts Institution of Technology. Hunting is a defiant, troublesome 20-year-old who, is gifted with a photographic memory. After MIT professor Lambeau (Stellan Skarsgard) challenges his students with an extremely complex math problem, Will solves it in a day, leaving the answer on the hallway blackboard, while simultaneously leaving everyone else anxious to find out who actually solved it. Lambeau finally discovers Will and as an alternative to going to jail, offers him an out with two conditions: weekly math and therapy sessions. Will refuses to cooperate with the therapy sessions and after driving away five other therapists, he finally gets sent to Sean McGuire (Robin Williams), Lambeau's former classmate. This is where the real journey begins as you watch Will and Sean deal with Will's past, present, and future together.
Directed by Gus Van Sant, Good Will Hunting easily combines a heavy story with comedic undertones. This film toyed with my emotions, compelling me to be sad in one scene and burst out with laughter in another. Though the plot line is pretty predictable, there are enough twists and turns to keep you alert and focused. Will's relationship with the equally damaged Sean McGuire is the core to this film. Viewers witness Will transforming from a troubled boy to a driven man. With Harvard girl, Skylar (Minnie Driver) as his love interest, this throws even more curve balls into the plot.
Keep in mind, despite the fact this is an inspiring story, the film is rated R for good reason. A chunk of the movie contains foul language and sexual content not suitable for younger viewers. As an adult, the word choices of the writers only made the film better. Seeing as Will Hunting is a working class guy, he hangs out with his bar-hopping South Boston pals, who are more like brothers to him. Their foul mouths and crude jokes only make their characters more genuine. Lines like, "Morgan! If you're watching pornos in my mom's room again, I'm gonna give you a f***ing beating!" add a great deal of comedy into the film. Will's best friend Chuckie (Ben Affleck) and the rest of the crew set Good Will Hunting apart from all the other sappy films about kids from bad areas overcoming their hardships. They make the film more relatable, real, and light.
Nominated for nine oscars, winning two, Good Will Hunting is clearly a must see. Between romance, drama, and comedy, there's something in there for everyone. I also have to mention that it didn't hurt staring at Matt Damon for about 126 min. either. I would definitely recommend this triumphant film to anyone and I plan on seeing it again in the future.
I have seen Good Will Hunting before, multiple times in fact, and I agree that it is unlike most college movies. I find it refreshing to watch a college movie that doesn't focus completely on drinking and partying. I think that Good Will Hunting sends the inspiring message it wants to, but also incorporates all aspects of college life. Good review! You covered and summarized the movie very well!
ReplyDeleteI have never seen Good Will Hunting, but after reading this review, I intend to. Having the specifics and a picture of the DVD cover as the first thing gives the basics upfront. Your conclusion was great as well and what you said about staring at Matt Damon only made me want to see it more. The only thing that confused me was the mention of him going to jail. I feel like that would be an important part of the movie but I have no idea what it's about. Altogether really well written though :)
ReplyDeleteYou wrote this very confidently and clearly right from the start. I've never seen the film, but based off your writing I can get a good sense of the type of movie it is. You laid out the plot and developed some of the characters and themes without giving anything too important away. I like how you differentiated it from a typical college film, but still included why exactly a typical college student, such as yourself, enjoyed it. The pictures were a great thing to ad it really helps in visualizing it! Great review!!
ReplyDeleteYour review did make me want to see this movie. You gave enough information to get me interested, but not enough to give away any spoilers. I also really like how you clearly stated that this movie was not for younger viewers. I think that that's really important to state, because when a movie gets good reviews and is billed as inspirational, parents may want to take their children to see it. You also pointed out a general weakness, but to counter that you pointed to specific details of the movie that were good. I really like your review. :)
ReplyDeleteI've never seen this movie, and now I definitely want to! The amount of description was balanced very well with your personal opinions and thoughts. Introducing it as being different than your "typical college film" made me much more interested, because let's face it, most college movies really do revolve around all the stereotypes you mentioned. It's important that you warned the movie isn't suitable for younger viewers; that's definitely something to keep in mind. Good job!
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