An Important Movie For Me Personally

Rating: 10/10 (23 April 2002)

My opinion of this movie will never be objective, and I suppose that's a fact I'll simply have to deal with when addressing its detractors. The fact is, for me, this movie came along at a time when I really needed a movie to help me center myself. I was struggling in school and fighting depression when this movie came out, and, after I saw this film, I felt like I would be able to cope with my life more. The fact is, the movie simply spoke to where I was in my life. I was letting people down, struggling and failing to meet the expectations of others and expecting constant failure, setting my personal goals in life lower than they should have been, letting my cynicism and self-hatred get in the way of pursuing my goals.

I just loved everything about this movie from the clever dialogue to the interesting compilation soundtrack between Elliot Smith and Danny Elfman. The acting was top notch feeling real and unstaged, thanks in no small part to the fact that Affleck and Damon didn't hold back with the dialogue choosing a real conversational manner over moviespeak. Though I am nowhere as smart as Will, I can appreciate his struggle with his own feelings of self-doubt and Matt Damon managed to get those feelings across without overplaying his hand. I suppose more than anything else, this movie convinced me to try again, and for that I will always be grateful. It helped me get where I got today through its hopeful, yet true message.
10/10