Good Will Hunting (1997)

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Directed by Gus Van Sant.

Starring Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Stellan Skarsgård, Robin Williams, Minnie Driver.

Matt Damon and Ben Affleck co-scripted and star in this drama, set in Boston and Cambridge, about rebellious 20-year-old MIT janitor Will Hunting (Damon), gifted with a photographic memory, who hangs out with his South Boston bar buddies, his best friend Chuckie (Affleck), and his affluent British girlfriend Skylar (Minnie Driver). After MIT professor Lambeau (Stellan Skarsgard) stumps students with a challenging math formula on a hallway blackboard, Will anonymously leaves the correct solution, prompting Lambeau to track the elusive young genius. As Will's problems with the police escalate, Lambeau offers an out, but with two conditions -- visits to a therapist and weekly math sessions. Will agrees to the latter but refuses to cooperate with a succession of therapists. Lambeau then contacts his former classmate, therapist Sean McGuire (Robin Williams), an instructor at Bunker Hill Community College. Both are equally stubborn, but Will is finally forced to deal with both his past and his future. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide

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Reviews and discussions

Re:No sir, I don't like it
by Risselada in B Movies

loved it.

"[quote user="SkyPilot"] [quote user="Risselada"] Woah! The Decalogue and Winter Light are both fantastic! That makes me want to see Early Summer too now! [/quote] I know csprague and she has good taste, but this reminds me of when you know somebody whose intense dislikes are like recommendations for you. Case in point: porcupine tells a story of a bunch of hipsters hanging out at a wedding, and the older brother of one of them is there. talk turns to Robin Williams movies, and all the hipsters agree that he's at least respectable in Good Will Hunting. The older brother responds, "I hate Good Will Hunting! It's the Radiohead of movies, it's that bad!" This was circa 2003, so you can imagine the shocked circle of hipster faces. [/quote] Well csprague didn't say she disliked those movies, she just put it in a certain category with those other movies. That is a great story from Porcupine though! " [More]

Re:No sir, I don't like it
by SkyPilot in B Movies

is neutral about it.

"[quote user="Risselada"] Woah! The Decalogue and Winter Light are both fantastic! That makes me want to see Early Summer too now! [/quote] I know csprague and she has good taste, but this reminds me of when you know somebody whose intense dislikes are like recommendations for you. Case in point: porcupine tells a story of a bunch of hipsters hanging out at a wedding, and the older brother of one of them is there. talk turns to Robin Williams movies, and all the hipsters agree that he's at least respectable in Good Will Hunting. The older brother responds, "I hate Good Will Hunting! It's the Radiohead of movies, it's that bad!" This was circa 2003, so you can imagine the shocked circle of hipster faces. " [More]

Re: Robin Williams..really vers ...
by Risselada in movie_maniacs

loved it.

"Dead Poets Society and Good Will Hunting maybe?I actually like What Dreams May Come fairly well too. " [More]

Hollywoodland
by lipreader in lipreader Blog

hasn't rated it.

Was this review helpful? [Be the first to tell us!]
"Hollywoodland (2006) I don't like Ben Affleck. I think he is an average actor who made because he had the benefit of having a mediocre script that he wrote with good friend and fellow hack Matt Damon, noticed. The fact that he has a chin doesn't hurt him either (the combination of chin and actually being able to write even a mediocre script is a relative rarity in Hollywood). He reminds me a lot of Rock Hudson. All that being said, I liked Affleck in this one. He didn't strike me as particularly appealing, didn't knock my socks off with brilliant, insightful acting, he just made me forget that I was watching half of the Bennifers. I was able to empathize with the character, a suicidal George Reeves. I empathized a little less with Adrian Lyne's character, a seedy-ish private investigator named Louis Simo, hired by Reeves' mom to investigate his death (Reeves' suicide happens at the start of the story, his life is seen in flashback). The movie moves betwe ... " [More]

Review by All Movie Guide

All Movie Guide

liked it.

Featuring a script by obscure actors Matt Damon and Ben Affleck and direction by Gus Van Sant, previously a director who avoided the mainstream, Good Will Hunting beat all odds to become a huge success. Powered by Miramax's marketing muscle, its real life rags-to-riches story mirrored the fortunes of titular, troubled math genius Will Hunting. The story is fairly conventional: equal parts love story, coming-of-age struggle, ode to friendship, and therapy session, the film didn't so much break new ground as till well-trod property. But its assured direction, strong production values, and heartfelt lead performances helped make it an out-of-nowhere success, propelled by the attractive synergy between its real story and its fictional story. In addition to raking in millions at the box office, it gave Robin Williams his first Oscar and won Best Original Screenplay for Damon and Affleck. The toast of Hollywood in the aftermath of their triumph, they had no trouble finding the sort of quality roles that had seemed so out of reach when they wrote their screenplay. Where many movies seem to speak from their wallets, here was one that spoke from the heart. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, All Movie Guide

Tags: genius , mathematics , professor , apples , amazing
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