Gus van Sant Gets Sappy

Rating: 6/10 (16 July 2009)

Every once in a while, director Gus van Sant gets sappy, and movies like "Good Will Hunting" are the result.
The director of terrific films like "To Die For" and "Paranoid Park" is nowhere in evidence in this story about a math phenom (Matt Damon) working as a janitor while a bunch of dumber and richer kids get all the good stuff life has to offer. Robin Williams plays a counselor, Minnie Driver plays a love interest and Ben Affleck plays a best friend. The film launched the careers of Affleck and Damon, who won an Oscar for writing the film's screenplay. But the screenplay is one of the worst things about the film, full of lines and speeches that maybe looked good on paper but aren't at all believable as things people would actually say in any version of reality I know.
Not a bad movie, but not one I'd waste any more time on, and certainly wildly overrated.
Grade: B