Review of Good Will Hunting (1997) by Shane Z — 06 Dec 2014

3/20/2014.

I tried to watch this like a couple of weeks ago but the 2014 Oscars was on at the same time and didn't want to miss the Oscars. Well, just yesterday, I was a sick puppy with stomach flu and seen this about to be on and was excited.

After coming off the heels with To Die For, Gus Van Sant does something not too superb but heartbreaking, which is this film.

Co-written by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck with Damon in the title role and Affleck a costar, this story is about 20 year-old Will Hunting- a janitor at MIT with a dark past (abandoned, poor, and abused) and a bad attitude, he has nothing on his side except intelligence.

The guy devouring book after book, upper mathematics, and learns at a fast speed. He's a genius, but he would rather spend his time hanging out with his blue collar buddies in the south. After secretly solving a challenging math problem posed for students and impossible to solve, the professor seeks Will out. Due to some troubles with the law, he faces time in jail. But here's the catch, he has to do mathematics and has to go see a therapist, he eventually agrees.

He goes to see Sean McGuire (Robin Williams), the professor's college roommate, now a college professor who also had a dark past but is a gifted and smart consoler, Skylar (Minnie Driver), is a British girl at Harvard, who falls in love with Will and wants to help, and has his buddy Chuckie (Ben Affleck), all four of these people teaches him life edges.

At first, the plot may seem strange, Math? Therapy? Romance? Strange combination but it works.Gus Van Sant knows well with honest dialogue, like in the scene when Will and Skylar breakup because he feels he doesn't deserve her.

"Good Will Hunting" is predictable but it's life edges is what makes it effective. It's deeply honest and sad. Damon and Affleck's first little script won Oscars and Robin Williams won Best Supporting Actor. This was worth the watch while having stomach flu.

Shane Zaborski.