Good Will Hunting (1997)

User Rating:

8.0/10   

Director:

Gus Van Sant

Writers (WGA):

Matt Damon (written by) &
Ben Affleck (written by)

Release Date:

9 January 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

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

Plot:

Will Hunting, a janitor at MIT, has a gift for mathematics but needs help from a psychologist to find direction in his life.

Plot Keywords:

Janitor | Genius | Mathematics | Jail | Professor

Awards:

Won 2 Oscars. Another 16 wins & 35 nominations

Cast

Robin Williams	...	Sean Maguire
Matt Damon	...	Will Hunting
Ben Affleck	...	Chuckie Sullivan
Stellan Skarsgård	...	Prof. Gerald Lambeau
Minnie Driver	...	Skylar
Casey Affleck	...	Morgan O'Mally
Cole Hauser	...	Billy McBride
John Mighton	...	Tom - Lambeau's Teaching Assistant
Rachel Majorowski	...	Krystyn
Colleen McCauley	...	Cathy
Matt Mercier	...	Barbershop Quartet #1
Ralph St. George	...	Barbershop Quartet #2
Rob Lynds	...	Barbershop Quartet #3
Dan Washington	...	Barbershop Quartet #4
Alison Folland	...	M.I.T. Student #1

MPAA:

Rated R for strong language, including some sex-related dialogue.

Runtime:

126 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:12 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:14A (Alberta) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Canada:PG (British Columbia) | USA:R (certificate #35614) | South Korea:12 | Philippines:PG-13 (cut) | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Belgium:KT | Brazil:14 | Chile:14 | Czech Republic:12 | Finland:K-12 | France:U | Germany:12 | Mexico:B | Netherlands:12 | Norway:15 | Peru:14 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG (cut) | Spain:T | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | Israel:PG | Singapore:NC-16

Filming Locations:

Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Company:

Be Gentlemen Limited Partnership

Trivia:

The real Skylar whom Matt Damon dated, and who inspired the role in "Good Will Hunting" was married to Lars Ulrich of Metallica. She is as an ER doctor.

Goofs:

Continuity: The location of the writing that Will puts on the chalkboards in the hallway.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Lambeau: Mod fx... squared... dx. So please finish Parceval, by next time. I know many of you had this as undergraduates, but it won't hurt to brush up.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Sabrina, the Teenage Witch: Good Will Haunting (#3.6)" (1998)

Soundtrack:

Fisherman's Blues

Beautiful in its own way.

There's one thing about Hollywood - you can't stop the hype. I think it was the hype that gave this movie the bad reviews by some IMDB users, as let's face it, it can totally ruin a movie for some people.

In "Good Will Hunting", you have to look past the hype and Oscars and see that it really is a gorgeous film written by two very talented young men, and acted out by proficient actors such as Robin Williams and Stellan Skarsgard. Personally, I thought the plot was an excellent idea - maybe someone else could have thought of it, but could they have provided the great script? And as for the profanity - yes, there was a lot, but I don't give a damn! This is real life! People swear! Deal with it!

Anyway, what I really enjoyed about "Good Will Hunting" was the psychological aspect - very believable. Here you have this "typical" 21 - year - old, drinking with his friends, getting into fights, etc etc, but you look below the surface and there's a lot more to him. I think this really tells us a lot about the people around us and makes a point about looking below the surface. This aspect of the movie also revealed a lot of sociological issues - yes, it IS believable that there is a genius in a rough suburb of Boston, repressed by his upbringing. (Hey, my mum even says so, and she teaches sociology!)

I enjoyed the acting a lot, especially by Robin Williams - I had been too used to seeing him in cutesy films, so this was definitely a refreshing change. I feel he plunged right into the part and relished it, although something told me his accent wasn't quite right! Will's relationships with the people around him are wonderful to watch, especially with Skylar (Minnie Driver) - there was real chemistry between them. I also liked to watch how Will behaved around his buddies; the four guys really seemed as if they had known each other all their lives.

Overall, I thought this movie was believable and touching, without your typical ending. Matt Damon and Ben Affleck really have done themselves proud. My advice: Forget the Oscar nominations, the rave reviews, the famous faces, and sit down to watch this movie with a completely impartial attitude. You will see that it really is beautiful.

By the way, I very VERY rarely cry at movies. But if there's any scene that will have me in tears, it's the one where Will finally breaks down and starts to cry. That's saying something!