...Good Will Hunting is a diamond in the rough

Rating: 10/10 (29 September 1998)

On a shoe-string budget, with a less than well-known cast, Good Will Hunting once again proves you don't have to spend a lot of money in Hollywood to produce a first rate movie with a first rate ensemble cast. Matt Damon (Will Hunting) and Ben Afleck are buddies who wrote the Oscar winning screenplay together. Damon also garnered a well-deserved Best Actor Oscar nomination. Minnie Driver (As Will's girlfriend Skylar) and Robin Williams (as Will's counselor Sean Maguire) were also nominated as Best Supporting Actress and Best Supporting Actor respectively. Both are superb in their supporting roles.
The plot concerns an MIT school janitor (Damon) from South Boston ("Southie") who has a special gift when it comes to numbers. Rather than apply that skill, Will prefers hanging out with his childhood friends drinking, getting into fights and carousing with women. When Will completes a mathematics equation posted for the "real" students at MIT, a math professor becomes curious and tracks down Will. Seeing his potential, he takes Will under his wing. As a condition of his freedom (Will's arrested for assault), Will must undergo therapy. After running through "shrinks" like women run through nylons, the professor seeks out his old college roommate (Sean), also a hard case and when Will and Sean finally begin to trust each other, things change for Will in his thoughts about his future and in his relationship with Driver.
Well-written, with a down to earth, realistic look at New England life, Good Will Hunting is a diamond in the rough. With some of the best lines (had me laughing out loud) and well-crafted dialogue, this film soars above most of the movie fare. With a running time of 2:05, this film never drags and leaves you wanting more. For an uplifting, intelligent, thought-provoking and, most importantly, entertaining film, put Good Will Hunting at the top of your must see list.