It was... OK

Rating: 6/10 (1 May 2017)

Goodwill Hunting is a generally well developed moralistic story that focuses specifically on the development of the character Will Hunting. However, I feel that story and characters are sometimes detailed to an unnecessary level and that the movie included scenes that does not aide necessary character or plot development. Without doubt one of hallmarks of the movie is the energetic but, at first, semi-aimless Sean Maguire (Robin Williams). Taking on the role of a widower-psychologist he casts light on Will's life and assumes the position of a wistful father who knows all the answers. He helps guide Will; unlike other characters in the movie (mainly Gerald Lambeau) does not attempt to force a life upon Will.
Another interesting aspect of the movie is the conflict. At first, the movie appears to be an example of man v. man (Hunting v. Lambeau) as Lambeau tries to push Will to become what he never could; as the story develops it changes into a man v. himself (Hunting) situation. The man v. himself conflict is eventually revealed when Sean Maguire opens Will's file to pictures of bruising.
Continuing, the setting of Boston was one of the best choices made by the directors. It was a prime location as it is home to some of the best universities in the world like Harvard and MIT, both of which were used in the film. It therefore was a good setting because it provided a good backbone for the movie plot of a disadvantaged but bright youth, Will Hunting to be discovered.
Acting in the movie was adequate on average only because of Robin Williams; without Mr. Williams, it was rather subpar. The major downfall of the acting being the attempt at accents. Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, and the rest of the gang (despite being from Boston) heavily over accentuate their speech in a way that distracts from the movie. The same can be said for Skylar. The accents do not add to the movie and almost distract from the plot. Aside from the accents, the actors do a perfectly fine job but (again excluding Robin Williams) seem to lack the magical "something" that truly makes the audience fall for a character. Robin Williams, as mentioned, was the exception to all this. His character is exuberant and portrays the role perfectly.
While the acting may have not been of the highest quality, the cinematography was excellent. The director's frequent use of extreme-close-ups and close-ups make the viewer feel more emotionally connected to the characters by bringing us physically close to them. Another example of great cinematography is when Will burns his math proof paper and the professor falls to the floor to catch it. The director uses a high-angle shot that shows the professor in a position of vulnerability but Will in a position of power as he is shown above him.
Finally, what brought the whole the whole movie together was the music. Just as music in any movie, it was quiet enough not be consciously noticed but loud enough to still be noticed. It added to the overall nostalgia and highlighted the emotions meant to be felt in each scene.
The movie has good scenes but they are often lost in the flurry of other scenes. The acting is OK but not otherwise positively noticeable. The camera shooting was excellent as well as the setting. In the end, good directorship and Robin Williams made this a perfectly average movie.