Liking these apples

Rating: 9/10 (16 October 2011)

When people have a hidden talent, or can do something that very few other people can, they tend to show it off or even brag about it. Not the case in Good Will Hunting. Matt Damon plays Will Hunting, a closet-genius who works as a janitor at the prestigious College MIT. He spends his days mopping hallways, and solving complicated math problems outside on the chalkboard.
Will spends most of his time with friends Chuckie (Affleck), Billy (Hauser), and Morgan (Casey Affleck), but once they all get in another fight on a basketball court, Professor Gerald Lambeau (Skarsgård) from MIT says that he must look into seeing a therapist and agree to study mathematics at MIT. Will agrees, and after a few failed therapists an aging man named Sean (Williams) is called in to help Will overcome his struggles.
On the side note, Will meets a girl named Skylar (Driver) at a bar, and after a while they begin seeing each other. The problem is Will keeps pushing away at her, when really, he should be pulling closer.
The script, written by actors Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, is outstanding and certain monologues are so well written and originally acted that they rank up there with some of the dialog scenes from a Kevin Smith film. Ironically, both Affleck and Damon appeared in Dogma two years later reciting the same amazing dialog, only this time, by Kevin Smith.
Certain scenes where Sean is telling his life-story to Will are lengthy, but you never see the film lose your attention. Good Will Hunting is a rarity in story and in story-telling. And having two amazing youths write a script so advanced and so powerful just is the icing on the cake.
If there's anything the film lacks is its scenes with Affleck and Damon. Both create amazing chemistry on screen, and when brought together show off creative dialog, intense arguments, and shocking realism. The final dialog scene between the boys takes place at a construction site, where both the boys work. Chuckie tells Will that it would be an insult to the other workers here if he was still here in twenty years. Chuckie can't understand why someone like Will wouldn't want to show off his smarts, and I think I kind of sympathize with Will on that note.
When someone posses a talent in something they don't always want to show it. I know a number of people who are very good at a different variety of things, but none willing to show off their true potential. For me, I always want to show people what I can do, and am afraid of saying some things because I worry that they will get the wrong idea about me. I always want to show everyone my true abilities, and what makes up someone like me. But in Will's case, he doesn't want to do that for comfort purposes.
Good Will Hunting is authentic and rare. It's a film where almost everything is powerful and everything is so well done. The theme of "self-worth" is discussed in frequent films, but here, it is discussed stronger and with more heart than many films. It's a gem, shining stronger in places where others don't even show a glare.
Starring: Matt Damon, Robin Williams, Ben Affleck, Minnie Driver, Stellan Skarsgård, Cole Hauser, and Casey Affleck. Directed by: Gus Van Sant.