A magnificent tale of human bonding.

Rating: 9/10 (19 December 2005)

Matt Damon stars as Will Hunting, a twenty year old delinquent working a dead end job as a university janitor. But Will has an extraordinary gift, he is a genius, able to rework mathematic theories and equations at the drop of a hat. With no family, he spends most of his time hanging with his best friend Chucky (Ben Affleck) and others, wasting his talents in order to get drunk and cause problems.
His talents are picked up however by a university professor who takes Will on as a protégé in order to keep him out of prison, but Will must also seek help from a psychiatrist. After numerous failed attempts Will is put on Sean, a shirnk with his own deep problems, mourning the loss of his beloved wife.
Will falls for Skylar, a beautiful girl studying Maths. But things don't go smoothly in their relationship as she finds out about Will's past and how scared he is of getting close to people. Will has a journey to make, one that will take him through his past and re-invent him with the help of his friends and his shrink.
The film deserves all the praise it got. The screenplay by Damon and Affleck is simply nothing short of stunning, with more than believable characters and situations. The dialogue is snappy, warming, harsh and fun all at the same time.
Robin William's excels as Damon's shrink, taking the role by both hands and really bringing out his character that is fun, down to earth and also suffering from his own trauma. Because of this he and Will feed off one another, each learning something new about their own personality.
Gus Van Sant's directing is as practical as it needs to be. No funky camera shots, no gimmicks, just straight into the action, telling the story, and that what makes a film truly great.
If your type of film has to involve gun fights and loose women then steer clear, but if you are looking for a heart warming story that will touch you and perhaps make you look at your own life, then look no further, because Good Will Hunting is simply nothing short of genius.