A Not So Beautiful Mind Surrounds An Impressive Innate Intellect

Rating: 9/10 (14 May 2014)

Will Hunting's Mind has been Damaged with that Cringe Inducing Cliché Known as an Orphan who Suffered Severe Physical and Mental Abuse from Foster Parents. This is at the Cracked Center of His Character with an Innate Intelligence that is Off the Scale. It is that Battered Baggage that He Carries that Suffocates a not so Innate Ability to See Himself for what He is. A Genius with a Gift that can Benefit Mankind.
A Professor Discovers Will's Genius and makes it His Duty and Assignment to Bring Him out of the Closet Attempting Psychoanalysis. It can be Frustrating Watching Matt Damon's Character Pooh-Pooh Advances of Concern with Belligerence and Condescension. But Robin Williams as the Last in a Long Line of Uppity Shrinks that Failed is more Earthy and Will Hunting Bonds with the Bearded One and the Demons Inhabiting His Psyche are there to be Exorcised.
The Movie is Charming and Co-Writer and Co-Star Ben Affleck is Here as a Childhood Chum. In this Film Affleck Shows Signs of being a Better Writer than Actor but that is a Discussion for a more Lengthy Exercise. He is Adequate but it is not much of a Stretch since He is Basically Playing Himself. The Professor Part is Intensely Played by Stellan Starsgard and Minnie Driver is the Love Interest.
Gus Van Zant's Direction is Surprisingly Unintrusive and He Delivers a Nice Calm Atmosphere to Surround the Volatile Story that has Many Confrontational Scenes, Physical, Intellectual, and Emotional. Overall, the Movie may be Overrated a bit and not Everything Works to Perfection (this is no Masterpiece), but it is a Highly Engaging, Energetic Exercise that Convinced Critics, the Academy, and the General Public that this was Indeed Something Special. It is.
Note...Casey Affleck is on board with another "need subtitles" embarrassment as not one line of his dialog is decipherable and this may be his most mumbling "performance" ever and almost ruins every scene. Definitely the low-light of the Movie.