Matt Damon proves how versatile an actor he is

Rating: Null/10 (13 September 1998)

Damon carries this thing all the way, which is good because after all he plays the title character. I watched "The Rainmaker" just before watching "Good Will Hunting" and I was blown away by the contrast of Damon's characters and the versatility of his acting. First of all his southern drawl and Boston accent are wonderfully authentic. This is important to the viewer who has to believe in the character. Robin Williams would have been more believable if he'd have stuck with his own accent rather than attempting to muddle through one of the worst "Baastan" accents I've heard. It's distracting listening to him go in and out of it. This is the only downer in an otherwise brilliant performance; his best serious role since "Awakenings," which was a far better performance. Far too little attention has been paid to Stellan Skarsgard's performance. He is wonderful in his role as the domineering math professor attempting to take Will under his wing. Skarsgard's dialogue with both Williams and Damon creates some of the more memorable scenes in the movie. Other great performances include Ben Affleck, Minnie Driver, and Casey Affleck. I'd like to include Cole Hauser as Bill in this list, but he barely has three lines in the whole movie. Over all this film is entertaining, funny, and original. It's refreshing.