" good will hunting " is two movies in one :
an independent take on the struggle of four boston pals and a traditional hollywood , " prodigy child " film complete with upbeats , downfalls , sporadically moving situations and plenty , plenty of shtick .
unusually directed by gus van sant , " good will hunting " overcomes the banalities of its story by affirming the emergence of fresh , new talent .
the film stars matt damon as will hunting as a mathematical , rebellious whiz kid inadvertly discovered by a college professor ( stellan skarsgard ) , who places him under psychological supervision with robin williams .
in a nutshell , that 's it .
the core of the " good will hunting " is damon , who infuses the script ( co- written by " chasing amy 's " ben affleck ) with just the right amount of warmth , sensitivity and humanity to accentuate his position as a refreshing multi- talented performer .
but it 's the acting that hits the mark , and damon hits all the right notes , flying over robin williams ' deja - vu role
( " awakenings " was written all over this ) as a devastated shrink who has closed all contact with society due to his wife 's tragic death .
damon effortlessly blends the carelesness of a gregarious , confused thug with the absorbing ingeniousness of someone like einstein .
his rich , complex character is the pulp of " good will hunting .
" everything else pales in comparison .
"
good will hunting " exposes the lack of profoundness of deliberately schmaltzy storytelling , but , unlike " little man tate " or " phenomenon " , it does n't set up its story in a black and white , point a to point
b be manner , but as the saga of an extraordinary individual whose feasibility for success does n't automatically signify he must make easy , familiar choices , like the protagonists in the aforementioned .
effortlessly blends just the right amount of warmth , sensitivity and humanity to accentuate his position as a refreshing multi- talented performer rich , complex character overcomes the banalities of its story by affirming the emergence of fresh , new talent it 's the acting that hits the mark , and damon hits all the right notes