Brilliant

Rating: 8/10 (17 August 2014)

Matt Damon is Will Hunting; an underachieving math prodigy working as a janitor at M.I.T. He is discovered by a professor who, through a series of unusual events, is able to recruit the young genius to work on complex math formulas. Hunting has a severely deprived upbringing, involving foster care and physical abuse. Robin Williams; in his Academy Award winning role, shows up as a sympathetic psychiatrist who is recruited to rescue Will from his many demons. Williams and Damon are excellent, and the script is well written and smart, although it turns a bit too sentimental for my taste at the end of over two hours. Van Zant could have tightened up the editing; noisy bar scenes are always an unnecessary tool; and there are at least one too many in Good Will Hunting. Even with its slight defects, the film is well worth watching.