90s Movie Review - Good Will Hunting

Director: Gus Van Sant
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 126 minutes
Year: 1997
Starring: Matt Damon, Robin Williams, Minnie Driver, Ben Affleck, Casey Affleck, Stellan Skarsgård
Description: A therapist (Robin Williams) counsels Will Hunting (Matt Damon), a janitor with e genius IQ.

Review: Matt Damon and Ben Affleck are big names now, but in 1997 that was not the case. “Good Will Hunting” was a real career starter for the two. They don’t only star in the movie, they wrote the screenplay as well. And for the last, they won an Academy Award.

We meet Will Hunting, a janitor at Harvard who also happens to have a very high IQ. While in mandatory sessions with therapist Sean Maguire, Will is clear about the fact that he doesn’t have any ambition of doing anything with his intelligence.

Matt Damon and Robin Williams’ performances are central to the film. Together they portray a beautiful and believable friendship. The two actors are very well attuned to each other and the scenes between them are the backbone of the film. Both performances are amazing, and Williams deservedly won an Academy Award for it.

The film is character driven, the plot comes second. It takes some time to develop. Will’s struggle between choosing for himself and what others expect of him is portrayed in a beautiful way.

The story grabs you and doesn’t let you go, yet the film isn’t too heavy. This combination is hard to find. It’s been a while since I last watched it, but after the rewatch I realized how much I really love this film.

Rating: 5/ 5

Marry, Kiss, Cliff - Round 9

Round 9: Will Hunting (“Good Will Hunting”), Bruce Wayne (“Batman”) and Leonard (“Memento”)

 

Marry: To be honest Will Hunting is the only one with a somewhat normal life. He’s well-read and I like him. He’s nice.

Kiss: Bruce Wayne is loaded and also a little bit of a ladies man. Just one kiss would be enough and he would probably move on to the next girl or start chasing people dressed as penguins and cats. (Yes, I choose a Michael Keaton picture because he’s the best Batman. I love Christian Bale, but when I think of Batman I think of Keaton)

Cliff: Leonard would probably forget about me. Or he would kill me and then forget that as well. No, Leonard isn’t the perfect guy.

Top 5 Thursday: Movies from 1997

No, “Titanic” won’t be on this list, because it’s an overrated film and I hate it. All these movies on the list are better! Here are my favourite movies from 1997.

5. Good Will Hunting
This film put Matt Damon and Ben Affleck on the map. Especially Damon is fantastic in this film.

4. Kiss the Girls
This movie is thrilling every time I watch it, even though I have seen it many times. It’s so creepy.

3. Donnie Darko
Not a great success when it came out, but a big cult hit now. I did like it from the beginning, it’s such a good and interesting film.

2. The Lost World: Jurassic Park
Off course I have to put this one on the list. The first “Jurassic Park” is obviously better, but this also entertains me every single time. Kinda missing Sam Neill, but still.

1. The Full Monty
“Magic Mike” sucks compared to this. “The Full Monty” is hilarious and endearing at the same time. All those guys win over your heart and British humour wins again!

They Almost Made the Top 5: Face/ Off, Grosse Point Blank, L.A. Confidential, Lost Highway, The Fifth Element