Good Will Hunting (1997)

Genre

Drama

Director

Gus Van Sant

Country

USA

Cast

Matt Damon, Robin Williams, Ben Affleck, Stellan Skarsgård, Minnie Driver, Casey Affleck, Cole Hauser, Colleen McCauley, John Mighton, Rachel Majorowski, Richard Fitzpatrick, Scott William Winters, Rob Lyons, Steven Kozlowski, Kevin Rushton, Christopher Britton

Storyline

Will Hunting (Matt Damon) is a troubled boy with a gift for mathematics. When he finally agrees to get counseling to keep himself out of jail, he meets Sean (Robin Williams), the therapist who will change his life.

Opinion

I don't know why but I've always been put off from watching this film, probably because I was expecting a boring film about math. I'm so glad I decided to watch it because the film is completely different from what I would have expected.

"Good Will Hunting" is a brilliant, engaging and incredibly moving collection of very well executed dramas involving friendship, love, pain, acceptance.

Despite the plot to this film is fairly predictable and Will Hunting's genius is utterly unrealistic, the writers, two friends named Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, did really a great job. The script is absolutely brilliant: two hours filled with engaging, witty dialogue, an extraordinary and interesting main character and just as interesting subplots - like the one between Robin Williams' character and Stellan Skarsgård's character.

The story isn't about math at all. It is about a fragile young man whose abusive childhood hurt him physically and especially mentally so much that he can no longer let anyone close to him aside from his best friend, because he's afraid of being abandoned.

The happy, Hollywood-style ending is quite a disappointment, but the film still manages to leave a powerful message: one should never built a wall only for fear of being hurt of feeling something.

The acting is not terrific, but it's very enjoyable overall, especially by Robin Williams who delivers a spectacular, Oscar-worthy performance as Sean, Will's therapist, as well as a powerful  and sublime monologue to Damon when sat on the park bench. Matt Damon does a good job as Will Hunting, showing all the emotions required by the role, and with his real life buddy Ben Affleck provides the definition of friendship. Minnie Driver is compelling as Damon's love interest. Also worth seeing is Stellan Skarsgård's performance, simply amazing.

Mention-Worthy Quotes

Sean: If I asked you about art, you'd probably give me the skinny on every art book ever written. Michelangelo, you know a lot about him. Life's work, political aspirations, him and the pope, sexual orientations, the whole works, right? But I'll bet you can't tell me what it smells like in the Sistine Chapel. You've never actually stood there and looked up at that beautiful ceiling; seen that. If I ask you about women, you'd probably give me a syllabus about your personal favorites. You may have even been laid a few times. But you can't tell me what it feels like to wake up next to a woman and feel truly happy. You're a tough kid. And I'd ask you about war, you'd probably throw Shakespeare at me, right, "once more unto the breach dear friends." But you've never been near one. You've never held your best friend's head in your lap, watch him gasp his last breath looking to you for help. I'd ask you about love, you'd probably quote me a sonnet. But you've never looked at a woman and been totally vulnerable. Known someone that could level you with her eyes, feeling like God put an angel on earth just for you. Who could rescue you from the depths of hell. And you wouldn't know what it's like to be her angel, to have that love for her, be there forever, through anything, through cancer. And you wouldn't know about sleeping sitting up in the hospital room for two months, holding her hand, because the doctors could see in your eyes, that the terms "visiting hours" don't apply to you. You don't know about real loss, 'cause it only occurs when you've loved something more than you love yourself. And I doubt you've ever dared to love anybody that much. And look at you... I don't see an intelligent, confident man... I see a cocky, scared shitless kid. But you're a genius Will. No one denies that. No one could possibly understand the depths of you. But you presume to know everything about me because you saw a painting of mine, and you ripped my fucking life apart. You're an orphan right?
You think I know the first thing about how hard your life has been, how you feel, who you are, because I read Oliver Twist? Does that encapsulate you? Personally... I don't give a shit about all that, because you know what, I can't learn anything from you, I can't read in some fuckin' book. Unless you want to talk about you, who you are. Then I'm fascinated. I'm in. But you don't want to do that do you sport? You're terrified of what you might say.