Review: Good Will Hunting (1997)
edwin jahiel
BY EDWIN JAHIEL
GOOD WILL HUNTING (1997) *** 1/2 Directed by Gus Van Sant. Written by Ben
Affleck & Matt Damon from a story by Damon. Editing, Pietro Scalia.
Production design, Melissa Stewart. Costume design, Beatrix Aruna Pasztor.
Music, Danny Elfman. Cast: Matt Damon (Will Hunting), Robin Williams (Sean
McGuire), Ben Affleck (Chuckie),Minnie Driver (Skylar), Stellan Skarsgard
(Lambeau), Casey Affleck (Morgan), Cole Hauser (Billy) et al . A Miramax
release. 126 minutes. R (language)
What makes a genius be a genius? One clue in this film is that its hero
Will Hunting has a photographic memory to end all memories. But then, the
great philosopher Henri Bergson, whose works include the seminal "Matter
and Memory" (1896), used to say that "Memory is the intelligence of
imbeciles." So a one-in-a-gazillion case like Will's must ally memory and
stupendous intelligence. But what is intelligence of this caliber? Never
mind.
Will Hunting is a young, tough Southie (from working-class South Boston)
whose miserable childhood (genes are not mentioned) has led to verbal,
mental and physical aggressiveness outside his small circle of buddies.
Self-taught through gobbling up books in public libraries, Will is a genius
in mathematics, perhaps in other areas too.
One of his idiosyncrasies is refusing to join Establishments of any kind,
from universities to government. (In a bar, there's a great, on-the-nose
scene that satirizes Academe and academics). Having opted for menial jobs,
he is currently a janitor at the prestigious M.I.T. As he sweeps a hallway
he spots a problem posted by a famous mathematician, Professor Lambeau, a
major award-winner. The puzzle that defies the best graduate students and
their teachers too is solved by Wil in a jiffy.
Prof. Lambeau tracks down the mysterious and uncooperative savant. As Will
is psychologically troubled, a street fracas leads him to court. His long
rap-sheet results in a $50,000 bond. The judge is talked into placing Will
in Lambeau's custody, for teaching and therapy. In a series of funny
vignettes, sundry psychologists give up on the young man. As a last resort
Lambeau enlists reluctant Sean McGuire (Robin Williams). The two men used
to be university classmates but fell out. Lambeau went on to glory, McGuire
to counseling and to teaching in a community college. The odd relations
between the two are among the film's strong points.
Defensive, aggressive and cynical at first, second, and third, Will slowly
relents, especially as he becomes aware that Sean is another wounded soul
-- in great part because the death of his wife devastated him. Patient and
analyst become good for each other and bond. Will's "cure" is also aided by
an affair with Brit (and Harvard medical student) Skylar (Minnie Driver).
The movie originated as a short story by Matt Damon, an assignment in
creative writing when he was at Harvard. Damon and childhood friend Ben
Affleck then joined forces to transform the story into a movie script.
Conceived as a thriller, the scenario evolved into a character-driven tale.
Its production took the writers through the usual odyssey of film projects.
Maverick Gus Van Sant, has now directed a movie with mainstream appeal and
predictable developments. But is the subject also of a mainstream nature?
Not really. It may create that impression but deep down its is original,
offbeat.
American films are like the USA itself. They are built on a grand scale far
more often than in other national cinemas. They deal with superlatives.
"Good Will Hunting" does not have the gigantism of views, crowds, actions
or disasters, yet it fits the superlative label with Will's mind being
extra-extraordinary. Will is a Superman of the mind and the intellect,
which by itself makes the film a rarity, especially in the way it also
weaves in the intimate Will.
In acting, working parts and details the movie rises above deja vu yarns.
The rich dialogue runs from pungent to "intellectual" to touching as Will
gets "tamed" and Sean comes to terms with his own wounds. The process can
be slow in terms of screen time, but that's a necessity when you don't have
the characters magically undergo transformations with Hollywoodian
celerity. It's all interesting and un-cliched, except in an
audience-courting bit in which Will abandons his last-ditch defensiveness
when he finds out that Sean too is a dedicated baseball fan. Yet even this
cliche is handled with originality. In plot development and spoken lines,
there's a great deal of first-rate writing here, by first-time writers too!
Robin Williams delivers a class A performance, with distant affinities to
that of "Dead Poets Society." Serious, touching yet humorous, he is lively
but not maniacal, frenzied or agitated, does not make with the jokes as
usual. His portrayal is affecting, even memorable in many a scene. The one
of his long speech by the river is heart-rending. Ranking four stars
for its moving eloquence about love, it is also a superb Valentine to his
dead wife.
Whether or not Damon has the great looks and sex-appeal often mentioned in
the press is not for me to judge, but as a performer he too is striking ,
complex and complicated. as in his relationships with Skylar and all
others. His longest speech is a socially-conscious mini-gem that gives his
reasons for not going to NASA.
Minnie Driver was last seen on the big screen as disc the delightful, kooky
disc-jockey Debi in "Grosse Pointe Blank." On the small screen she recently
appeared on the Jay Leno show -- wrongly and bustily dressed. She's back to
charming us in "GWH."
Swedish actor Skarsgard hits the bull's-eye as big-time mathematician
Lambeau, who is astounded, admirative, discreetly jealous and upset before
the genius of the street-kid prole.
The movie misses out on just one thing, its title. Not catchy, too cute,
making little sense, it sounds like a hunt for bargains at GoodWill
Industries.
Jason Overbeck
GOOD WILL HUNTING ****
My mind is constantly at work in all the movies I see. My brain races to
find the ending of a film even before its plot has been fully revealed. I
didn't let my mind race in Good Will Hunting, because I was too caught up
in the dialogue and characterizations. I couldn't ruin the experience of
the film but trying to out-think it.
This is a wonderful film that reminded me of CHASING AMY, another of the
years best films. The writing is very funny and fresh, with some of the
best dialogue spoken all year. I relish in good writing, in a year when we
are enflicted with trash like THE SAINT and DANTES PEAK. I laughed more in
this film than I did in most comidies like LIAR LIAR and THE FULL MONTY.
Matched with the funny comedy is truely heart wrenching moments that
reminded me of TERMS OF ENDEARMENT, one of the best films in the eighties.
Damon and Affleck will probable win the best screenplay oscar and deserve
it. Critics who dismis this film as being overly predictable are not doing
the film justice. SOme of these are the same guys who over-praised the
film SLING BLADE.
review by Jason Overbeck
Christopher Null
. GOOD WILL HUNTING
A film review by Christopher Null
Copyright 1998 Christopher Null
Hype? Sheesh, like no other. This side of TITANIC, GOOD WILL HUNTING
has enjoyed some of the most baffling, gushing praise of the year. Does
either film deserve it? Not really.
Let's look at the facts: You have Matt Damon as Will Hunting --
apparently the smartest man on the face of the earth who can also kick
anyone's ass over breakfast, and has a history of run-ins with the law. Oh
no! Affleck is his down-to-earth best bud. Driver, the hoity-toity love
interest. Williams and Skarsgård as Hunting's mentors, the guys that rescue
him from a prison sentence for assaulting a police officer. And it is made
abundantly clear that the film is also about the class stuggle in Boston.
Now that I've typed it out, it sounds ridiculous, and the more I think
about it, the more it really *is*. The plot and theme of GOOD WILL HUNTING
hinge upon the idea that it's tough for the smartest man in the world to make
the move from crumb-bum to respectable member of society. Why? Because (a)
"just because he has a gift he doesn't have to use it!" and (b) he had a
troubled childhood. Well, boo hoo!
The more I write, the more it sounds like a topic on "Jenny Jones": Boy
Geniuses on the Wrong Side of the Tracks. Right. If any believable character
had this guy's abilities, this movie would have been much different... and
probably much shorter, too.
I realize I'm ranting here, but the pop psychology of HUNTING reaches
such a high level of annoyance so that when Williams tearfully confronts Damon
with the film's signature line of -- I kid you not -- "It's not your fault,"
it just gets silly. And it lost me.
The script, written by Damon and Affleck, is otherwise humorous and keeps
you entertained. Van Sant's direction is inexplicably amateurish and features
some lousy voice dubbing. Williams is pretty good in his role, and for what
it's worth, so is Damon, even though the character is ludicrous. All told,
the film has plenty of enjoyable moments, but it's just not the deep
experience the filmmakers want you to believe it is.
And neither was TITANIC. That ought to guarantee me plenty of hate mail
for the next few weeks. Fire away.
RATING: ***
|------------------------------|
\ ***** Perfection \
\ **** Good, memorable film \
\ *** Average, hits and misses \
\ ** Sub-par on many levels \
\ * Unquestionably awful \
|------------------------------|
MPAA Rating: R
Director: Gus Van Sant Jr.
Producer: Lawrence Bender
Writer: Matt Damon, Ben Affleck
Starring: Matt Damon, Robin Williams, Ben Affleck, Minnie Driver, Stellan Skarsgård
http://www.miramax.com:8888/mm_front/owa/mp.entryPoint?action=1&midStr=497
-Christopher Null / nu...@sirius.com / Writer-Producer
-Visit the Movie Emporium at http://www.filmcritic.com
Kevin Patterson
Film Review by Kevin Patterson
Good Will Hunting
Rating: ***1/2 (out of four)
R, 1997
Directed by Gus Van Sant. Written by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck.
Starring Matt Damon, Robin Williams, Ben Affleck.
I must admit that I was a tad skeptical of "Good Will Hunting", based both on
the previews and the first fifteen minutes of the film, in which the main
character Will Hunting (Matt Damon), an MIT janitor in his early twenties, is
discovered to be an Einstein-level closet genius when he solves two
extraordinarily difficult math problems overnight. The only problem is that
Will is a tough street kid who's had his share of run-ins with the law, and
before long he's being hauled in for assault after a parking lot fight.
Professor Lambeau (Stellan Skarsgard), who had brought up the math problems in
his lectures, tracks him down and strikes a deal with the police: Will is to
be released, provided he works with Lambeau on his math research regularly and
attends therapy sessions.
This sounds like the formula for mildly charming fluff, but "Good Will
Hunting" rises above its fairly mundane premise to deliver a poignant and
clever drama. A conflict gradually emerges between Lambeau and Will's
therapist Sean McGuire (Robin Williams) - Lambeau wants to get Will to use his
brain, while Sean wants him to listen to his heart, both of which he has been
largely neglecting. Will finds that the former is much easier than the latter,
so much so, in fact, that he gets bored with it and grows increasingly
resistant to Lambeau's attempts to recruit him into the academic lifestyle. He
also has his share of problems with his girlfriend Skylar (Minnie Driver), an
MIT student who is moving to California at the end of the school year and
would like a reluctant Will to come with her.
What makes "Good Will Hunting" work so well, aside from the strong
performances (especially from Damon and Williams), is the depth of
characterization and the representation of the conflicts in Will's life. The
script's sympathies seem to lie more with Sean McGuire than with Lambeau, but
neither of them is presented as completely right or wrong. Lambeau, while he
may seem a little cold at times, is still written well enough that we like him
as a character even when we're not sure if we like what he has to say. And
Sean, for all his warm-heartedness, has, as Lambeau and later Will point out,
not lived up to his full intellectual potential either; the therapy sessions
turn out to be just as revelatory for Sean as they do for Will.
Will's reaction to this situation, and the way in which he slowly becomes more
receptive to Skylar and to Sean, is presented in a believable fashion and in a
way that forces the audience to consider all the characters' opinions, rather
than setting up an obvious "right" and "wrong" side and beating them over the
head with it. For a film with such an extraordinary character, "Good Will
Hunting" presents itself as remarkably ordinary; it achieves the difficult
task of making the next Albert Einstein into an Everyman, a character to whom
the audience can easily relate and who must make choices similar to those that
almost everyone faces at one time or another. This film gives us real drama
when it so easily could have given us merely melodrama, by having the
government kidnap Will to use him in covert spy missions or introducing some
other equally far-fetched situation.
"Good Will Hunting" also has its share of fun humor, such as when Will, in an
early therapy session, pretends to be hypnotized and smoothly parodies the
alien abduction scenarios that have become so well known in popular culture.
And in the one scene in which government agents do in fact appear, Will blows
them off with a hilariously scathing accusation of human rights violations in
Africa. Will's relationship with his friends, most notably Chucky (Ben
Affleck), is usually rather amusing, if somewhat crude (the film has 100+ uses
of the 'f' word, which was most likely the reason for its R-rating), and lends
itself well to the development of Will's character.
Add all this to the fact that "Good Will Hunting" even manages to pull off an
uplifting happy ending without getting excessively sentimental, and you might
be wondering why I haven't given this film four stars. Well, for one thing, no
matter how well Damon and Affleck, who wrote the screenplay, and director Gus
Van Sant pull it off, the story is still rather contrived and not particularly
original. There are also a few scenes that did feel a bit formulaic, including
one that was supposed to be emotional but really just seemed like the
Obligatory Crying Scene for any movie involving therapy sessions. Still, "Good
Will Hunting" takes its premise a lot farther than I thought it would, and is
definitely one of the better personal dramas I have seen in the last few
years, and as of right now it stands as one of the top five on my list of '97
films.
- - - - - -
Visit my Film Reviews Page at:
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Chris Webb
REVIEW: GOOD WILL HUNTING (1997)
review by Chris Webb copyright 1998
to appear in Amherst Student 2/4/98
CAST: Matt Damon, Robin Williams, Stellan Skarsgard, Ben Affleck, Minnie
Driver, Casey Affleck, Cole Hauser
Directed by Gus Van Sant
"Good Will Hunting" is one film that had caused me to reevaluate
where my life is going and how I am doing it. Perhaps because I have
friends and conversations like these back home, and I have dealt with a
similar struggle between picking my future and holding onto what is
comfortable. For whatever reason, I could relate to this film. While
many will sympathize with the characters and enjoy the story, young guys
who have not had the world handed to them will benefit from seeing "Good
Will Hunting."
Twenty-year-old genius, Will Hunting (Matt Damon), lives in South
Boston working construction and as a janitor at MIT. He solves the
problems left on a hallway chalkboard by professor Gerald Lambeau (Stellan
Skarsgaard), an internationally acclaimed mathematician. Will does this
anonymously, not wanting any part of the world of academia. He would
rather spend time with his friend, bar-hopping and driving aimlessly,
running up an unbelievable rap sheet. Lambeau takes time to seek Will
out, only to discover him in jail for hitting a police officer. Will can
be free if he agrees to work with Lambeau in higher math and to undergo
therapy. The film hits full speed once Sean Maguire (Robin Williams)
agrees to take on Will as a patient.
Themes that run through "Good Will Hunting" are layered. The
nature of genius, class conflict, and the complexities of love and trust
are all explored, not focusing solely on Will. Maguire and Lambeau old
roommates took different paths after MIT. Maguire will not attend
reunions, looked on as a sellout for leaving the upper echelon of the
academy to teach in a Boston community college, finding his true love in
the process. Lambeau, all awards and success, with little personal
fulfillment, resents that Maguire was "smarter than me then, and smarter
than me now." They argue about whether Will should follow his heart or
his brain, while Will himself becomes lost in their bickering.
The screenplay was written by Damon and best friend Ben Affleck,
who plays best friend Chuckie. They have deservedly won a Golden Globe
for best screenplay and have jumped to the A-list of actors, after seeing
smaller roles in the past. Affleck was found in this year's "Chasing
Amy," for better or worse, and Damon has charged out with simultaneous
roles in this and "The Rainmaker." He opened eyes in 1996's "Courage
Under Fire" as a Gulf War vet turned heroin addict.
Robin Williams, gifted comedian, but better onscreen in dramas,
has pulled himself out of purgatory after the disastrous "Fathers' Day"
and "Flubber." With a character most akin to his teacher in "Dead
Poet's Society," he serves as the mentor for Will in a cynical world.
Skarsgaard, a Swede recently landing English-speaking roles with
this and 1996's "Breaking the Waves" is excellent as the professor who
all-too-keenly recognizes his limitations. Minnie Driver performs well
as a sheltered, wealthy college girl who turns into an emotional wreck as
her relationship with Will becomes deeper.
Before attending "Good Will Hunting" the first time (three times
total), my father pointed out that this was the film that reduced most
guys to tears. A late scene between Damon and Williams will tug at you
emotionally, and is reminiscent of an exchange between Judd Hirsch and
Timothy Hutton in "Ordinary People." Both received Oscar nominations,
with hutton winning as a supporting actor. "Good Will Hunting" is
expected to garner its own slew of nominations, while the principals
should get one. This could be Williams' year, as this character is the
deepest one he has portrayed to date.
"Good Will Hunting" deeply affected me, for while I could not
identify with all the struggles, I have had my share of run-ins with
people. Freshman year I was told by a student here to ignore my friends
from home if I wanted to make it. When Will is reminded by a
pseudo-intellectual Harvard student that he will be serving his kids
burgers, he responds, "That may be so, but at least I won't be
unoriginal." Neither is this movie. It does not get caught up within
itself the way most against-the-odds films do, and that is why this film
will be one of the most fulfilling experiences you could have.
My grade: A
Michael Redman
GOOD WILL HUMAN BUT STILL HUNTING
Good Will Hunting
A Film Review By Michael Redman
Copyright 1998 By Michael Redman
*** (out of ****)
Nearly everyone has exceptional talents of some type and occasional sparks of
genius. It's rare that these skills are ever put to use because there are
thousands of reasons not to. It's so much easier to just keep on keepin' on in
the same old comfortable way.
Will Hunting (Matt Damon) enjoys nothing more than drinking and fighting with
his rowdy buddies from the poor Irish neighborhood of South Boston, but
there's a problem. He's secretly a mathematical genius. Working as a janitor
at MIT, he solves intricate formulas in minutes that took the professors
years. His life changes overnight when his ability is discovered by Professor
Lambeau (Stellan Skarsgard).
Lambeau catches up with him after Hunting has been arrested for assault. He
arranges a release on two conditions: the young man meet with the professor
once a week and also see a psychologist. The former is easy: Will wants to
learn. He isn't much interested in therapy though and burns through several
doctors who refuse to continue seeing him after one session.
As a last resort, the instructor takes him to Sean McGuire (Robin Williams), a
former college friend who now teaches at a junior college. Will and McGuire, a
fellow "Southie", make an instant connection. Both are damaged by their past
and paralyzed in the present. McGuire continues to carry the pain of his
beloved wife's death. Hunting can't get beyond his abusive childhood.
McGuire toils away at his thankless job, going nowhere. Hunting tells himself
that it is noble to continue in his old ways rather than explore possible
futures. Neither can get anywhere because they are more sheltered in the
familiar, as agonizing as it might be. Through their weekly encounters, each
pushes the other out of their complacency.
While Will is trying to decide just what it is he wants to do, he meets Skylar
(Minnie Driver), a Harvard student who steals his heart. Their relationship is
as tumultuous as that between him and McGuire. They fall in love, are filled
with doubts, fight, break up, almost get back together, break up, maybe get
back together...
Damon and Williams have heat in their scenes together. There's something
authentic happening as they challenge each other. As real as the interaction
between the genius and his therapist are, Will's changes don't ring completely
true. It does happen at times that a person thoroughly makes life alterations
as a result of treatment, but it's difficult to accept that it could all
happen so rapidly. McGuire's transformation seems more genuine.
Much more believable is the relationship between Will and Skylar. Director Gus
Van Sant ("My Own Private Idaho", "Even Cowgirls Get The Blues") captures
young love admirably. The intensity of their attractions and their hesitancies
are convincingly passionate. They aren't sure what they are doing and that's
the way that it really is.
Damon looks to be on the fast track towards becoming one of cinema's brightest
bad boys. He's a good looking guy who can look brooding with the best of them,
bringing to mind James Dean and the young Marlon Brando. That alone could
bring him several roles, but the fact that he has impressive acting skills
insure his longevity.
Robin Williams has two modes that he excels in. The first is the manic, no
holds barred wacky guy. The other is Sean McGuire. Similar to his characters
in "Dead Poet's Society" and "Awakenings", Williams plays the therapist with
humanistic depth. He's a human being with genuine emotions.
Ben Afflect ("Chasing Amy" and co-writer of this film along with Damon) is
Will's best friend Chuckie and steals the scenes that he's in. Off-screen
friends, their camaraderie translates to the movie. Chuckie is a tough kid
complete with gold chains, and is in many ways the more colorful of the two.
As good as Damon is in the role, the film might have been even better with
Afflect as the lead.
The subtext of Bostonian classism is handled oddly. The message that manual
labor is virtuous but only for some people is a strange one. It's fine for
Chuckie to continue living in the old neighborhood and working all the
live-long day, but not for Will. This confuses the issue. Is Will embracing
his potential or betraying his roots? Not everyone can be saved, but is
Chuckie, as he claims, in fact living the fullest life he could? The film
tells us "yes", but well, maybe "no". Maybe those guys carrying bricks are
doing honest virtuous works. Or maybe they're just being told that so they
continue carrying bricks. The movie straddles the fence on the very issue it
attempts to address.
Will's situation at the end is a difficult one, much like real life. He is
forced to choose between his passion or his passion. It's a difficult
decision, but he makes the only one possible for a man who has awakened to
himself. Good for him.
(Michael Redman has written this column for over 22 years and has yet to
decide which he believes was the best film of 97. Maybe he never will: stay
tuned. Red...@bvoice.com is one way to influence him.)
[This appeared in the 2/4/98 "Bloomington Voice", Bloomington, Indiana.
Michael Redman can be reached at red...@bvoice.com]
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