Inspirational and enjoyable style, but too much of the film is recycled. **1/2 (out of four)

Rating: 6/10 (28 February 2001)

GOOD WILL HUNTING / (1997) **1/2 (out of four)
The tremendous, puzzling critical and public praise "Good Will Hunting" received utterly astounds me. What has America come to in order to get such great satisfaction out of a movie like this, jumping back and forth between presumptive concepts and a shameless plot; Gus Van Sant directs a script by Matt Damon and Ben Afflect, who think they are much better than they are. The two screenwriters actually took home the Oscar in 1997 for their work. But why? The movie certainly has an inspiring style, and if you do not try to hard you might find yourself having a good time watching it. But with more thought this script could have actually been worthy of the Awards it caught.
The movie takes place at a Boston University where we meet an egotistical and youthful janitor named Will Hunting (Matt Damon). Nobody would ever guess beneath his tough and cocky attitude, urges to get nowhere in life, series of problems with the law, and rebellious actions that he is the smartest individual in Boston, if not the planet Earth. It feels so customary, the most unexpected person in the university is the smartest. Most of us will not find ourselves surprised when we learn this character has a deeply troubled past.
Will Hunting beats the crap out of a police officer and finds himself with a demanding prison sentence. This is where the movie puts a new spin on an old cliché: instead of a father pushing a rebellious offspring to live the life he wants him to live, here we have a college professor and a young janitor going at the notion. The professor (Stellan Skarsgard) realizes this young man has an extremely complex ability to solve mathematical problems and offers Will an alternative to jail time. He gets the reluctant juvenile a kind psychiatrist named Sean (Robin Williams). The filmmakers use this character to inject a bunch of other irritating dramatic contrivances in the story, dealing with previous child abuse, professional competitiveness, alcoholism, social class conflicts, jealousy, remorse, and guilt, but Damon and Affleck use these as predictable and formulaic tools to grab our emotions. They come off as amateurish and intractable.

Will is emerged in self-discovery when his relationship with Sean stabilizes. He also meets a nice, charming young girl (Minnie Driver), who provides the plot with some romantic tensions. Her character's presence is needed so we can actually witness the impact of his counseling. But Will's moral awakenings are hammered in our heads. It's like the filmmakers did not think we could figure things out on our own so they felt the need to spell things out. This is absurd; most audiences can perfectly see the intentions and emotional turmoil Will is going through. This movie insults our intelligence.
The plot and theme of this movie hinge too much upon the idea that it is difficult for an intelligent person to move from low-class to a honorable member of society. This is why the contrivances are so obvious. Even after some of the thoughtless writing, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck make the amazingly egotistical choice of starring in the film themselves. Both are talented actors, and Affleck does no harm here; his character does not make much of an impact. It is Matt Damon who is one of the biggest examples of miscasting in recent movie history. Damon does not look like a tenement citizen regardless of how hard he tries. His performance is riddled with indolent character traits, like smoking and the frequent use of profanity.

Damon's character is also spectacularly aggravating. He originates no sympathy because Will is such a selfish idiot. Why should we root for him to succeed if he does not want success himself? Granted the character has a traumatic past and troubled emotions, but none of those things are executed in a convincing method, therefore it is up to Damon to fill the character with inspiration and livability, but I hated, hated, hated Will. I wanted Robin Williams to put a fist in his mouth. Is this what the filmmakers wanted, for us to despise the main character?
Damon makes the performances by Stellan Skarsgard and Robin Williams standout. Robin Williams inhabits the only sensible character here; I felt so good when he kicked Will out of his office. No wonder he won best supporting actor at the Academy Awards, he is terrific. The performance captures his character's emotional and comical perspectives. Sean is also supplied with an absorbing circle of being, depth and dimension. Damon's character also perspires of such material, but Will seems to be altered for the script's needs. One scene he is ambitious and defends his friends, other times he is arrogant and cocky, yet sometimes gentle and charismatic. Minnie Driver is also charming, but her character also feels somewhat controlled. She is a plot puppet, but at least she portrays the character with personality and zest.
Most of the movie has an enlightening and pleasant style, and if you are not too critical this movie does achieve its own goals. With so many problems with its plot, characters, and borrowed material, it's startling that "Good Will Hunting" feels uncluttered, organized, and so entertaining and human at times. But even the good substances contribute to a plate that may be a just bit too full for prosperity.