Review of Good Will Hunting (1997) by Melvin W — 23 Jun 2013

Sean: Real loss is only possible when you love something more than you love yourself.

"Some people can never believe in themselves, until someone believes in them.".

There's nothing too original to say about Good Will Hunting, as everyone who sees it basically ends up spouting out the same stuff. It's a brilliant film, a masterpiece really. It's one of those movies that I could watch on a weekly basis. It's intelligent, it has huge heart, it's funny, it's sad, it's entertaining, and it's about as close to perfection, when it comes to filmmaking, as you can get. This was the movie that allowed Gus Van Sant to take his career where he wanted to, and that makes it an even more special achievement.

Will Hunting works as a janitor at one of the most prestigious schools in the country, M.I.T. When a professor puts a virtually impossible to solve problem up on the chalk board outside of his classroom, Will solves it. The professor tracks him down and gets him out of some legal trouble. All he has to do to avoid jail is work with the professor with math and go to counseling. He's fine with the math, but hates the idea of counseling. As the story goes on he meets a girl and we slowly learn why he is so stuck in the position in life that he is and why he is unwilling and unable to use his unique skill.

What hits you right off the bat with this film is how smooth the dialogue flows, and that's a testament to the writing of Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, who just won an Oscar for Best Screenplay. Then the performances hit you. Damon is phenomenal. Stellan Skasgard is great, even Affleck and Minnie Driver are really good. But everyone knows that Robin Williams steals the show and also, justly, wins a best supporting actor Oscar for his turn as Sean, Will's counselor. Van Sant's direction is also good, but with a screenplay like this and actors on top of their game, it makes it a lot easier.

If you're one of the five people who haven't seen this film, you definitely need to. It's one of those must see movies. It's hard to describe just how good the film is with words, you just need to see it to truly know. .