Overuse of F-Word Kills A Good Film

Rating: 7/10 (14 March 2007)

There are some excellent moments in Good Will Hunting. Matt Damon, the genius, conceited, janitor working nights at MIT, doing the bars, and eying the women with his (real life) buddy and best friend Ben Affleck along with the Psychiatrist, Robin Williams, who tries to keep Damon out of jail and on the straight and narrow path.
It's a very good coming of age character study, mixed in with some powerful scenic changes and moods. Director Gus Van Sant creates a genuine feeling for the characters and their situations so that you can (almost) feel empathy for Will Hunting and his troubled past. BUT...
The film's tender moments are ruined to the point of destruction with the F-bomb coming out of Damon's mouth at every other breath. This approach seems to be more for shock value, and it is overdone so much that friends of mine who had seen this movie thought it was overkill as well. A couple of relatives walked out of the theater because the language became so bad it was like, "OK, when is it going to stop?" The movie becomes a chore, a task to sit through when it shouldn't be because of the non-stop profanity. Many will think Damon doesn't need therapeutic guidance, but his mouth washed out with soap instead.
This is a movie where I actually like the censored TV print better! Without the F-bombs, the story is so much better and delivers a richer meaning than leaving them in.
The bad language really hurts what could have been a GREAT movie.