Spilling on... Good Will Hunting [Review]

Director: Gus Van Sant
Writers: Ben Affleck, Matt Damon
Starring: Matt Damon, Robin Williams, Ben Affleck, Minnie Driver, Stellan Skarsgad
Length: 126 minutes

"So this is a Harvard bar, huh? I thought there'd be equations and shit on the wall." – says loveable Chuckie Sulivan in the 1997 Academy Award winning, Good Will Hunting.

Good Will Hunting is no typical self-discovery film, thanks to the smart team behind it, will also win both your heart and your mind.

Future A-list actors, Matt Damon, mostly known for the successful Bourne series, and Ben Affleck, an acclaimed director and former husband of Jennifer Lopez, who grew up two blocks away from each other in Cambridge, Massachuesetts use their love of working class Boston to bring the film  to life.

Good Will Hunting follows the story of a genius, high school drop-out, Will Hunting (Damon), a janitor at the prestigious Machuessetts Institute of Technology, a school full of geniuses. Outside work, he has a close-knit group of friends from childhood, the closest being charismatic Chuckie Sullivan (Affleck).

One day, Field Medal winning, Professor Lambeau (Skarsgad) challenges his students to solve a difficult equation. In a turn of events, it is Will who solves it first. The professor seeks out the solver’s identity disovers Will, and bails him out of jail and avoids assault charges ,mentors him in mathematics, and requires him to see a therapist. After many failed attempts in finding someone able to get through to Will, the professor turns to his old college friend, Sean McGuire (Robin Williams), a community college professor, with whom he has had a tense relationship filled of jealousy and resentment. In the meantime, Will falls in love with a charming British Harvard student (Minnie Diver) who is willing to love him despite all his flaws and troubles.

Sean, a widower, is also dealing with numerous personal problems while breaking through to Will. In the beginning, he and Will have a tumultuous relationship filled with witty exchanges, anger, and tears. Eventually both men open up and form an unbreakable bond, leading to Will to accept his exceptional gifts, let go of his past troubles, and live his life to the fullest.

Good Will Hunting benefits from exceptional efforts from both the actors and those behind the scenes. Kudos goes to the excellent Affleck-Damon writing team (the Academy Award winners for Best Original Screenplay) and the actors for creating such an emotional, engaging story with copious amounts of realism. The moments of comedy and drama were delivered with balance and sincerity.

Two specific moments stood out. The first being Chuckie’s passionate monologue to Will, a harsh, but caring demand that Will leave the working class life and put to use the gifts that others are not as luck to have. The second was an emotional therapy session in which Sean assures Will, “It’s not your fault,” breaking the emotional barrier with best man hug a person can imagine.

Damon, Williams, and Driver all received nominations at the Academy Awards for their roles, with Williams winning Best Supporting Actor. In addition, the film was nominated for Best Picture, Director, Song, Original Music Score, and Film Editing.

This film contains strong language, but his highly recommended!