Wonderful vehicle for every actor involved

Rating: 9/10 (6 May 2015)

Good Will Hunting is a wonderfully paced, highly engaging drama that focuses on each character with painful emotional authenticity. I mean, literally, painful. The human struggles facing Matt Damon and Robin Williams' characters are so universal and beautifully realized. Every man must face one of their points of view, at some point. The hurt that Robin portrays is touching, sad and moving. You never see his wife. He just reminisces of her and it couldn't have felt more real. The subtleties in Robin's performance in this film are breathtaking as he laughs, cries and has his patience pushed over the edge.
I really cannot imagine a better filmmaker to direct this picture than Gus van Sant. The way in which he portrays the troubled gifted young man, Will Hunting, cannot only be seen in this film, but in Elephant, as well. His ability to direct young talent is seen in the handling of Matt Damon as a new actor; the fearlessness with which he tackled demanding emotional close-ups and expressive subtlety is remarkable. The plot setup is traditional, yet flawless, with a slow reveal of more dense emotional conflicts in an eventual, memorable series of climactic peaks involving Will's closest acquaintances.
Structurally, I do not think Good Will Hunting breaks any new ground. That is fine. If you are expecting a new type of storytelling or narrative formula, don't.
Any lack of narrative experimentation is completely overshadowed by the powerful performances provided by every single cast member, except for Ben Affleck. Nothing personal, I actually like him, but, in this film, he is still clearly a new actor with potential to be achieved. He undoubtedly holds the reigns on one of the single most emotionally charged moments of the film, but, just doesn't shine in my opinion. Affleck is perfectly likable and I would say he was well cast - I don't think his chops were quite on Damon's level yet, though, which only became obvious in the latter half of the film.
The tension of everyone's intellect crashing together is a real treat. Typically, this kind of heightened drama is based on violence or stunts, but, the way Good Will Hunting carries its highly taut narrative is through the intellectual conflicts amongst some very smart characters, not through empty spectacle. It was nice to see the love interest as a highly educated equal to the male lead and not a damsel-in-distress. She challenges Will emotionally and intellectually, something he is not used to in his even closest of relationships. You can understand everyone's point of view whether you disagree with them or not.
Damon, Williams, and Skarsgard's roles are highly charged and particularly well executed. They all deserve major recognition for their acting talent in this film.