still a great film ..

Rating: 7/10 (6 August 2000)

It is interesting to watch "Good Will Hunting" again, nearly three years after its release. It remains as fresh on second or third or subsequent viewings as on its first.
What stands out is not the plot, which is straightforward and really only a device to provide a backdrop to explore the central characters, but brilliance of Affleck and Damon's dialogue.
The combination of wit, naturalness and directness combine to engage the viewer.
Even more amazing is that the film is driven by a series of dialogue sequences and each sequence builds on it predecessor pushing the plot forward.
Rarely has a film been so dialogue driven and yet not been "talky". This is due entirely to Matt and Ben's extraordinary way with dialogue and Gus Van Sant's simple and very effective direction which places no barriers between the characters and the viewer.
I am sure that this, not the plotting, is what impressed the Oscar voters.
"Good Will Hunting" remains one of the finest American films of the decade.