Genuine

Rating: 8/10 (15 November 2016)

Knowing Damon mostly from his tough guy roles like The Departed, and The Bourne Series, I was surprised by his acting in Good Will Hunting, especially because he was so young then. But taking a look at the list of movies he has done now, I have to admit that he is one hell of an actor. He has done so many different roles - which shows his capability and proves his talent. Affleck doesn't have much screen-time in this, but plays his character well enough, as did his brother Casey Affleck, and Hauser. Williams will be missed for making these tear jerking moments, as he is able to portray empathetic characters so well.
The film felt very genuine, mostly because it was unfiltered, and dealt with emotions from the perspectives of different people. Damon and Affleck really did quite a good job with writing the narrative, and Gus Van Sant in directing it. However, there are certain scenes where the monologues are just too long. For example, Sean had one when he and Will were sitting on a park bench after their first meeting. He just went on and on, and the close-ups too are a little unnerving. Then there was another monologue by Will while he was sitting in Sean's office, and kind of went off on a tangent to the point where I realized I had lost track of what he was saying.
Also, I could have done without the slow-motion fighting scenes. Whenever there was a cut, you could tell it is obviously choreographed, and that they were moving in slow-motion themselves. That along with the frequent close-ups took me out of the narrative.
Overall, a great watch with a complicated protagonist who has many levels to him. The cast is great, and the cinematography, for the most part, intriguing. The language may be hard to understand though, and the vulgarity is certainly off-putting, but adds to the characters.
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