Abundance of interesting characters in a polished film

Rating: 7/10 (27 December 1998)

I 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.