Review of Good Will Hunting (1997) by Kaitlin H — 22 Sep 2013

The Well Executed Performance of Good Will Hunting.

Lawrence Bender's film, Good Will Hunting, depicts a story of a troubled young adult, Will, as he develops from a former foster kid into a recognized genius with the capabilities to master some of mathematics' toughest equations. Under the care of MIT's Professor Lambeau, Will is assigned to work on mathematical equations with the extra burden of going to therapy once a week, all in order to stay out of trouble. His therapist, Sean Maguire proceeds to challenge Will throughout the movie as Sean proposes ideas pertaining to life lessons and experiences. Not only does Sean Maguire challenge Will, Will also challenges Sean. This adds a certain depth to the phenomenally organized plot executed with the extraordinary performances from the emotional, genuine actors being: Matt Damon (Will), Robin Williams (Sean), and Minnie Driver (Skylar). The actors give believable performances with a script so cleverly written that it covers realms of humor, deep emotion, physical and mental pain, and moments of light-heartedness, that leaves the audience intrigued with memorable moments and quotes.

Matt Damon portrays Will in a convincing and authentic way. He fully captures emotional scenes such as one with Minnie in which his facial expressions, physicality, and anger are mesmerizing, as they reflect Will's memories of his horrible and haunting past. In addition, he masters the light humorous scenes, such as when he jokes around with the prestigious therapists, convincing them he is insane. Minnie Driver also provides a refreshing take on the "smart girl" character as she provides a humorous performance and genuine emotion when she experiences heartache. She shows this through her mannerisms, such as wanting physical touch, when she wants to be loved. Moreover, Robin Williams presents a vulnerability masked by professionalism; yet the look in his eyes, the facial expressions, and the placement of his hands depicts his character's emotional pain in a hidden way.

Even more so, the chemistry between Robin Williams and Matt Damon is the epitome of great acting, which adds flair and memorability to the plot. They make the humorous scenes funny, yet nothing too extreme to overshadow the dramatic elements of the movie, and the emotional connection they have for each other is extremely touching and authentic. This is shown when the strong and supportive Robin Williams holds the trembling, sobbing Matt Damon like a son as Sean reassures Will that nothing was his fault. They also depict scenes of anger due to pain well, without holding back on emotional/vulgar language and violent actions. Each scene is believable and is never forced, due to these characters' impeccable ability to let emotion overtake them.

The strength of the acting performance only enhances the engaging script. The script is well organized with an original story line that takes its own refreshing spin on the bad boy turned good story that is truly captivating. With the development of each character, the backstory, the memorable quotes such as "bad times, will wake you up to the good stuff you weren't paying attention to," and the depth to each character's background and emotional state are reasons why Matt Damon and Ben Affleck deserve high praise as the writers.