With A Stroke Of Good Will, Unknown Matt Damon Becomes A Star

Rating: 7/10 (18 March 2006)

"Good Will Hunting" is a movie about a young man from the south side of Boston, the rough and tumble neighborhood of Southee, who is having tremendous difficulty coping in the adult world. He is reaching his twenty-first birthday and the age when he is no longer a ward of the state. The question is can he conquer his demons, grow into adulthood and be a contributing member of society.
Will Hunting (Matt Damon), an orphan approaching adulthood, has moved in and out of several foster homes as a child, and has had several run-ins with the law. But he is also a genius, who can solve math problems on the level of Euclid and Pythagorous. The only question is: In which direction will he turn? Will he stay with his street-wise gang of friends? Or will he grow up, start looking for a career job, and start taking some responsibility for his own predicament? Will Hunting is cocky, belligerent, and downright nasty at times until he finally meets his match with Dr. Sean McGuire, (Robin Williams). McGuire talks Will's language, sports, sex, and even profanity to try to get inside the boy's head, to see what's really bothering him.
Comic relief plays a large part in the movie. In one scene, Will accuses his first therapist of being gay and making a pass at him, sexually. Also at a local bar, Will is trying to protect a friend from getting humiliated, and gets into an argument about colonial imperialism with a smart aleck. This bar scene is also very enlightening.
"Good Will Hunting" is the movie that made Matt Damon a star. Matt Damon, along with good friend Ben Affleck won an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. Robin Williams won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.