Good Will Hunting Movie
Storyline
TAGLINES
Some people can never believe in themselves, until someone believes in them.
Wildly charismatic. Impossibly brilliant. Totally rebellious. For the first 20 years of his life, Will Hunting has called the shots. Now he's about to meet his match.
Will Hunting is a boy genius who was severely abused as a child and has been in trouble with the law ever since. When Will finally agrees to get counseling to keep himself out of jail and with his girlfriend, he meets Sean, the therapist who will change his life. Good Will Hunting tells the poignant story of Will and Sean's coming to terms with the blows life has dealt them and with the questions that lie in the future.
| 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 |
| Gus Van Sant |
8.00 out of 10 (111585 votes)
Visitor Reviews
Contrived and unrealistic
posted on 09 Aug 2009*POSSIBLE EARLY FILM SPOILERS*After watching this movie, I plan to file suit against Damon & Affleck to get my two hours back.The characters are thoroughly unrealistic; never in my life have I met anyone who was anything like these people. Damon is thoroughly unconvincing as either a genius or a blue-collar working stiff, and certainly not as a combination of the two. Affleck is completely script dependent yet again, portraying one of his weakest characters yet. And Williams is at his worst.Please, Robin, stick to comedy and playing psychopaths, that's what you're good at. Not "serious" drama.But the sad thing? It's pretty obvious that neither Damon or Affleck took much college-level math. That first problem Will Hunting solves in the hallway can be done with just graph theory, combinatorics, and a little linear algebra. The first problem was trivial; anyone with some discrete math background should be able to solve it. Please, aspiring screenwriters, don't underestimate your audience. You never know who might be watching.
Almost lives up to the hype
posted on 06 Aug 2009Despite some annoying flaws, I would still have to call this a great movie. I didn't at all mind that the film was a little far-fetched. Instead, what bothered me was that the scenes that were supposed to be the most emotionally charged did nothing for me. Considering how effective the movie usually was, it was very irritating to have a couple of scenes that didn't seem to work. But it was still a great movie, thanks in large part to a generally solid script and terrific acting by everyone involved, especially Robin Williams, who should give up comedies entirely, since he's such a tremendous talent when given a dramatic part. This film isn't the instant classic that many have built it up to be, but it is still a really good film that is definitely worth seeing.
Fantastic portrayal of life's outsiders
posted on 22 Jul 2009Good Will Hunting is fantastic! A story written by Matt Damon and Ben Afleck which is a little mastermind that leaves you with a large smile at the end, after the emotional roller-coaster throughout. Will Hunting (Matt Damon) is a mathematical genius and has potential that only one wishes to have, however there is real personal issues that has affected Will, stopping his own potential to be full-filled because of his life experiences growing up as a child. In more specific terms Will is like a terrified child who stays at home on his couch, so he doesn't have to go into the real world and feel the kind of hurt that has affected him before in life. Will hangs around with so called "no brainers" and his best friend Chuckie (Played by Ben Afleck) who is the type that really would lie in the middle of the road for Will we gradually begin to admire this genuine loyal friendship that in the middle class world seems to be rare for some people. Great sub-plot with therapist Sean Maguire (played by Robin Williams) which is like cat and mouse with each meetings they have. Will has always called the shots and kept in control of what he wants people to no and understand about him, but Sean is finally his match, and with great dialogue this kept me locked and fascinated throughout the film as i generally wanted to no more about Will and understand him! There is love in Will's life called Skylar (played by Minne Driver) and Skylar has everything charisma, looks, intelligence and a very sweet/caring side. Will struggles throughout being able to allow himself to love Skylar and become vulnerable for a women once in his life. Good Will hunting is a film that educates and provokes human ignorance for roughly 2 hours and definitely changes people perceptions of judging people who they truly don't understand!
"It's not your fault."
posted on 16 Jul 2009Matt Damon says, to the Oscar reviews on this movie , that "the voters aren't always right", and he's so correct. This is so far the most soul-clutching movie I've ever seen. It's as simple as that.For people who never understand how emotionally bruised teens end up in various symptoms of depression, go watch this movie. WATCH CLOSELY.Watch and see for yourself, how pain builds over pain, and eventually bricks up a thick, cold, ugly wall that resists sunlight to come in. How he who with such a wall established inside "pushes people away before they have a chance to leave him", and that however much he may in a corner of his heart longs for genuine warmth or intimacy, he's just not able to open up and let them in. And, most importantly, watch for when the WALL is being melted down, how much emotion can explode from and flood out of that person and break you, the watcher, down into wild tears, if you are able to comprehend the amount of pain behind it.Matt Damon did it, with incredible accuracy. Point is when you approach such subject with emotionally bruised characters,even the slightest hint of inauthenticity could easily give you away----for the people who did experience it know exactly how it is. And any mishandling of such emotion, too far-pushed or too slow, will inevitably cause the audiences to resent----for they felt like being misexplored at their most painful spot.But he did so well. He causes you to resonate with your own bruises, face up to your own pain. No patronizing, no preaching, no trivializing. Every scar was revealed in an authentic, respectful, humane and serious kind of way that you end up in gratitude that the creator of this film truly cares----it's not just about a movie, it's about psychological wounds many share in common. It's about human, and humanity.I wonder how Matt Damon did it so well. I'd rather assume that he did, for himself once had a similar experience in life, than that he simply achieved this by outstanding acting skills. The latter would be nearly impossible to do, having known for myself what this type of pain was really like.Affleck and Damon are an unbelievable team, both in acting and writing this movie. Robin Williams sure as hell deserves the Oscar he got for his role here, and the rest of the cast all did a great job. The movie has a very smooth and well-structured storyline. No waste scenes, one step tightly after another, unfolding the character's emotion progresses. When you finally witness Williams's role gets to the soul of Damon's role with a number of "It's not your fault", your icy wall if you have one too, shattered with it.Most soulful movie I've ever seen. For me it's mostly because I suffered similar bruises myself, but note this, you do not need such thing to appreciate it. All you need to be, is a true human being.Go see Good Will Hunting.
Astounding, it is the realism that moves us
posted on 13 Jul 2009Good Will Hunting was one of the most moving movies I've ever seen, dealing with themes of hope, potential and abuse it gave such a real-life portrait that almost everything in the film was something you could easily relate to and felt very familiar. The choice of locations and backdrops were very appropriately atmospheric, as the film was shot in pubs, bars and coffee bars. The film was original and worked on a deeper level throughout, it was able to drop all the usual clichéd characters and scenarios that populate so many of the mass bulk of formulaic films that account for the vast majority of Hollywood's output. This never strayed far from scenarios real ,and a storyline that could be related to, I first believed and then upon realisation wanted to believe that it was a true story, because the degree of observational accuracy on real-life and the familiar feel of real-life that is believable and credible ,the film had been quite remarkable. It is ironic that many people are not convinced that Matt Damon's character could be a genius and yet could have come from such circumstances of abuse and now be living such a 9-5 philistine lifestyle of laying bricks and nights on the town, as the film manages to persuade us that it is more than just the usual triumph over adversity case. It is a film about abuse ,and in it we are shown that the loss in normal family values and the resulting towing of society's line that that would probably normally cause ,brings up strongly other aspects of a person's character, and this might explain the heightened creativity or ability as depicted by Will Hunting. The story is very psychologically real and is refreshingly not so simplistic as most other popular films. It is so re-assuring to know that the films of this type can be made and can be profitable and that it doesn't always have to be the lowest common denominator that we so feared having a monopoly on the majority of films. He is a maths genius but he doesn't know it, he naively just gets on with it, just like Mozart with the box of wood known as a piano. But when he is discovered by a maths professor ,he must be brought out of himself, and his cocky, confident front that hides a deeply insecure individual whose fundamentals have been rocked by abuse. After being exposed to and brushing off a number of conservative and conformist psychologists he is brought under the wing of a very philosophical psychologist who he has some common ground with. Some of their procrastinations and profundities are alone worth the two hours. For a deeper, more philosophical film that will make you truly think and feel in this realistic view of human nature, there is Good Will Hunting.
Realism and fantasy blended with snappy dialogue
posted on 07 Jul 2009GWH stands out as soon as the actors breathe their first lines of dialogue, Matt Damon's character has been given some of the sparkiest lines in recent memory. Overall the language used is in keeping with the location and the setting in both the upper (Harvard) and lower (South Boston) parts of the city.I am really amazed about the number of complaints about the use of colourful language, this sort of dialogue is necessary to portray Will and friends realistically, to leave it out would be like taking the soldiers out of Saving Private Ryan or the food out of Babette's Feast.Let's not be too hard on the writers for using a well used plot line, in the end everything is derivative and the story does offer an excellent portrayal of the way success is measured, the loneliness experienced by the intellectually gifted and how knowledge does not necessarily guarantee wisdom.
A beautiful film that provokes viewers to watch again and again...
posted on 07 Jul 2009"Good Will Hunting" is a terrific film that ticks all the boxes of what a great film should possess; great dialogue, original story, fantastic acting and also conveys true inspiration.Possible Spoilers The story is based around Will Hunting (Matt Damon), a janitor at one of the most prestigious schools in the world for mathematics, but with one catch - he is a genius. We follow Will through obstacles such as learning to trust and overcoming his fears of abandonment, with Ben Affleck playing Chuck, his best friend, as well as Casey Affleck, Robin Williams and Stellan Skarsgård delivering great performances, you will want to watch this film again and again. With great lines such as "Well I got her number, how do ya like them apples?" and "I gotta see about a girl", at the films conclusion the viewer will be left with a feeling of inspiration and accomplishment. This film deservedly won two Oscars and deserves all of the hype it has received. Go and see it for yourself.
Abundance of interesting characters in a polished film
posted on 04 Jul 2009I was very surprised at the variety and depth of the characters in the GWH script. (This is after all a Hollywood movie.) Several of them (Robin Williams, Minnie Driver and Affleck and his friends) could have been the center of their own movies.Also it is rare when a brat pack type of film does a good job handling adult issues, as was done with William's and Skarsgard's characters coming to terms with what is success, commitment as well as pride and jealousy.The therapist client relationship which can be so off base to be a joke as in the "Prince of Tides" had a semblance of reality to it. The intense issue of child abuse was dealt with very briefly but in a fairly honest way.In a sense the story about the Matt Damon character being very bright was not that interesting to me. What I responded to were these characters trying to reach out and connect. This is overall a very polished package by the film makers, including fine acting - making GWH a positive experience.
Deserves much more credit than it gets
posted on 25 Jun 2009I avoided seeing "Good Will Hunting" for years due to its reputation as a "bad pic disguised as an Indie flick". Then, one night, I decided to try it. How bad could it be? If it was awful, I figured, at least with Affleck it oughta be funny (in an unintentional way).But guess what? It wasn't funny. It wasn't bad. In fact, it was pretty near great.The story has been done before, albeit in slightly different form, so don't look for anything too special here. Young Will Hunting (Matt Damon) is, secretly, a mathematical genius, who puts out a rebellious attitude to disguise this. While working as a janitor, his talent is discovered by a college professor (Stellan Skarsgard), and from there Will's life is changed forever. He meets his dream girl (Minnie Driver) and undergoes psychological therapy in an attempt to fix up his attitude. The only shrink who has any chance with Will, however, is another college professor: Sean Maguire, played by Robin Williams. Along with his best friend Chuckie (Ben Affleck), Will embarks on a journey that will change his life forever.Damon and Affleck, at the time relatively new to film-making, grabbed an Academy Award for "Best Original Screenplay" for writing the tale of "Good Will Hunting". Williams also received an Academy Award for "Best Supporting Actor", and the film was nominated for seven other awards including "Best Picture". The cast is terrific here - even Affleck isn't horrible - but it's Damon and Williams whose performances really reach out and grab you.Someone who should have won an Oscar was director Gus Van Sant. His unique directing style gets moving performances from the entire cast and really brings to life Damon and Affleck's otherwise ordinary script. There's also a not-so-remarkable score by Danny Elfman.I find this film to be severely underrated. If you give it a small chance, it will really have an effect on you. "Good Will Hunting" is one of the best films of the year, a shlock flick turned into a touching wonder. This movie really deserves much more credit than it gets.
Real life
posted on 19 Jun 2009i have read at least 60 other reviews for this movie. i smiled at the good, and twitched at the bad. i do believe that everyone has the right to express their opinion, but some people get out of hand. one review said that Matt and Ben did not write the script, they did write the main script, but may have had help with editing. Several reviewers don't even know the names of the writers.
in my opinion, Good Will Hunting would've won Best Picture had it been released only a week later, putting it in 1998. readers of this review are probably thinking that i am some over-obsessed teeny-bopper. in some ways i am. i do think that ben and matt are "hotties". but that it not the reason that GWH is my favorite movie. i read the screenplay. i pictured the scenes as matt and ben may've pictured them. i recited the lines. i laughed at the jokes. i read background information, such as how they wrote it, why they wrote it, and why they cast the people they cast. i looked past the swearing, past the reviews, i saw the raw screenplay. all i had was that.my copy of Good Will Hunting is barely one week old and has been watched in full, only 3 times. in those 3 times, however i have looked deeper. i looked at the actors, i listened to their dialogue, i watched their actions, i connected with the characters. many people were offended at the language, because it is real. not hollywood real, but really real. parents shield their children from "four letter words", yet they will let them walk out the door.
the purpose of this review is not to yell at those who hated it, it is to convince them, look deeper. the purpose of the movie is to make people aware of how young men spend their time, how real people talk. Ben Affleck does not over exaggerate his movements, he does what he would naturally do. Good Will Hunting is more fact than fiction, the diologue, the people, the actions, they are are real. the plot was made up.
in conclusion, i would like to say that only those true to boston can do a boston accent. and only an idiot would overlook this movie, or to label it "over pulicized". give Will a chance, i guarantee that if you look at the heart, you will find it entertaining. Good Will Hunting gets 10/10 and Matt and Ben get my respect. Have a nice day! KD
Feels like it was written by two guys in their mid-twenties. Oh wait...
posted on 29 May 2009Good Will Hunting is a very frustrating movie. It feels like it should be good, and I very much wanted it to be good, but it never quite reached that point. A movie with so much going for it--a good cast, a great setting, and an interest basic story--shouldn't be as simple-mindedly written as Good Will Hunting is. Hardly Oscar-worthy, the script plays more like a final assignment from a first year screenwriting class. Almost completely lacking in invention and subtlety, the script seems aimed toward the lowest common denominator of the age group that wrote it--in this case, early to mid-twenties. While the movie is not completely devoid of meaning or entertainment, there is so little of either one present here that the movie is only worth watching if you don't know there are a number of better and more mature ways the story could have been told.
Thought provoking
posted on 17 May 2009This movie will always have a special place in my heart.Maybe it is because it was the last movie I saw together with my seven year long girl-friend before we split...Maybe it is because I am on my way of becoming a psychotherapist for children and adolescents just like Robin Williams is in this movie...Or maybe it is just because it is a damn good movie with brilliant actors Williams, Damon and Affleck.I loved nearly every minute of it. The characters were complex and very realistic, and the inner conflict of Matt Damon was so strongly played you could actually see it in the air.I especially loved the scene where Affleck shouts at Damon who wants to carry on being a construction worker instead of using his incredible talent...One of the most splendid movies of the 90s.
One of the best movies of the decade? It goes beyond that......
posted on 11 May 2009First of all, Good Will Hunting is the best movie I've ever seen. Period. It has such a moving plot, and all the main characters, (Driver, Damon, etc.) did a great job. I saw Good Will Hunting first in a motel room, and have seen it many times after that and will probably buy it soon. Anybody who hasn't seen this movie has to see it as long you're not offended by bad language, something this movie has a LOT of. It's the best movie I've ever seen, it should have won the Best Picture Oscar, and anyone who hasn't seen it HAS to see it. Period.
Titanic got best picture?!
posted on 08 May 2009It is ever so apparent that James Cameron bought his oscar, but had he not had paid out the academy, this film would've surely recieved the so called greatest accolade. This film is so moving, Ben and Mat have put together a magnificient story which can only be described as genius (no pun intended). I don't know what else to say but watch this movie. It is more of an experience than just a "movie". It is absolutely brilliant!
Wow. And Wow again...
posted on 08 May 2009I try to read other user comments before adding my two-cents worth. If others have said what I would say...why waste your time and mine? I have a very small video library. You see, to be in my video library, the film has to be SO good it will stand repeated viewing. This film is IN my video library. The script is very nearly perfect. The message is true, and honestly told.
The acting...PARTICULARLY Matt Damon, Minnie Driver and, of course, Robin Williams...is superb. Let me admit, I am a Robin Williams fan...almost against my own nature. He irritates me at times, and frustrates me other times..and I'll be the first to say he's turned in some horrifically over-done performances. Then, you see him in something like "Awakenings"...and you see him in something like THIS movie..and you realize that Williams has the potential of being one of the BEST! Damon turns in a wonderful performance. Indeed, if it were not for the strength of his performance, Williams would probably still overwhelm the film. As it is, there is a "checks and balances" thing that happens between them that is simply a joy to behold. Minnie Driver, whom I adored when she was X pounds heavier in "Circle of Friends," startled me. I hadn't seen her since she lost all the weight.
Minnie is one of those faces that...let's be honest...can't be called "fashion model beautiful" ...yet she is (to me) a kind of real-world sexy.
And her acting can be marvelous, and IS, in this film. Her heartbreak is so real in one scene, I almost can't stand to watch that scene. I have to leave the room and fiddle with a soft-drink or something. I want soo badly to sweep her in my arms and comfort her...now THAT's acting! Ben Affleck is a perfect foil to Damon's character...and this very believable story (to me) is wound out in a compelling manner that literally leaves me drained at the end. This is simply a movie with lots of pluses and almost no flaws. Given the story, its length is right...there are a few scenes that could have been tightened in my opinion (mainly between the math professor and Williams character)...but this is ensemble acting par excellence. Please try to give this one an honest look. IT might ALSO end up on your video shelf!
I had a harder time than others with this movie
posted on 08 May 2009An incredibly handsome working class boy with little formal education who knows absolutely everything and can outthink the finest university mathematician is not unlikely--it is impossible. Take it from a mathematician. If you care for a shred of credibility in your movies, forget this one. It is pure fantasy, as is the director's other shamelessly self-indulgent movie, the low-budget "My Own Private Idaho."
Close, but no cigar
posted on 05 May 2009Good Will Hunting is a good movie, no question. It is a long way, however,
from a great movie. As I watched the film I honestly enjoyed it and found it credibly done, but
as I came away, I had a lingering sense that I had been duped. This movie is not worth all the hoopla (and awards) it garnered, something I
can only attribute to Ben and Matt's 'fresh' faces. The story is a long way from original, following fairly predictable routes,
some scenes badly expose the immaturity of the writers.
Once again, a good movie, not a great movie.
A beautiful, soul-touching experience.
posted on 29 Apr 2009I first saw Good Will Hunting in February of '98. It blew me away. I happily disregard comments by people who say: "The probability of something like that happening..." This film is bold in that giving Will such a mind colors outside of the lines. It simply aims to tell a story. It is a beautiful story told in a magnificent manner. Robin Williams was superb in his role, his effect on Damon electric. Minnie Driver and Matt Damon's on-screen chemistry was undeniable. More films like this one are needed. And yes, the ending was predictable. That made it perfect. I wouldn't have had it any other way.
An excellent feel good film...
posted on 29 Apr 2009This drama features great acting, storytelling, and direction. Though the story may be somewhat familiar and predictable, the actors draw you into their lives and characters so that we care about what happens to them. This is an excellent feel-good film!...10/10.
Worth watching, even if you have to put it on layaway!
posted on 21 Aug 2009One might think of Matt Damon and Ben Affleck as one-hit-wonders after watching their one and only writing credit come to life in the magnificent "Good Will Hunting." In the wake of its success, both went on to become quite prominent in Hollywood, but only for their acting abilities, leading some to question if they really wrote it themselves or not. But surely, if someone (whether it be William Goldman or Kevin Smith) served as a ghostwriter, they wouldn't have been able to keep their mouths shut all this time. We are speaking of an Oscar winning movie here, afterall. No, the two men (especially Damon) deserve all the credit in the world and it's a shame that they haven't written another movie since, because "Good Will Hunting" has enough soul to eclipse any big-budget block-buster they may have done after the fact.Meet Will Hunting. Will has had a tough childhood. Because of this, he chooses to stick close to his three buddies, drinking and laughing it up, cleaning up the halls of a prestigious college, ignoring his true calling. His gift, it turns out, is that he's more than just a brilliant mathematician – he's a bonafide genius! When a professor catches him at the blackboard solving a problem no one else can, he insists on helping him. In an attempt to break through his tough shell and promote his talent, a therapist (Robin Williams) is brought in and the two find out they are more similar than they care to admit, as Will comes face to face with his brutal past in an attempt to better his future. Ben Affleck stars as his best friend Chuckie. Chuckie has perhaps one of the finest moments towards the end of the film, in a speech where he tells Will that leaving town without saying goodbye would be the best repayment he could ever give his friends. This is without a doubt one of the most moving moments of the film, and surely, one of Affleck's finest roles. As close friends, Damon and Affleck have chemistry that glows in the film; in fact, they seem like brothers from birth. Robin Williams plays the catalyst and almost-father-figure in Will's life, and turns in another fine performance in a serious role. Some improvised bits help keep things feeling natural and he brings the charm in full force, so much so that it's become a cliché for him. "Good Will Hunting" is that rare kind of inspirational film that may actually inspire some. While Will's story may not be the story of Matt Damon's life, it certainly feels real and hits close to home with anyone who doesn't believe in themselves enough. Directed by Gus Van Sant, it's got little style, instead, focusing tightly on its characters, showing them in their most vulnerable moments. The script, afterall, is the star of the film. What you take away from this film will be its message and its humanity; the fact that it stars Robin Williams in a script written by two Hollywood heroes will only be an afterthought. I tried to find a flaw in it all, and alas, there is none. If anything, the story is a little too predictable -- right up to the telegraphed ending -- but that would be side-stepping the whole purpose of the story. If it takes a little cliché and predictability to drive home such a powerful story, than so be it. The true meaning of "Good Will Hunting" is invincible in that respect.