in essence , good will hunting is an ordinary story told well . taken as a whole , there 's little that 's special about this tale -- it follows a traditional narrative path , leaves the audience with a warm , fuzzy feeling , and never really challenges or surprises us .
but it 's intelligently written ( with dialogue that is occasionally brilliant ) , strongly directed , and nicely acted
.
so , while good will hunting is far from a late - year masterpiece , it 's a worthwhile sample of entertainment .
like scent of a woman , which was released around this time of the season five years ago , good will hunting is about the unlikely friendship that develops between a world - weary veteran and a cocky young man .
the formula for the two films is similar -- both of the principals learn from each other as they slowly break down their barriers on the way to a better understanding of life and their place in it -- but the characters are different .
al pacino 's slade was a larger - than - life individual ; robin williams ' sean mcguire is much more subtle .
and matt damon 's will hunting uses pugnaciousness to supplant the blandness of chris o'donnell 's charlie .
will is a troubled individual .
as a child , he was the frequent victim of abuse .
an orphan , he was in and out of foster homes on a regular basis .
now , not yet 21 years old , he has accumulated an impressive rap sheet .
he has a short temper and any little incident can set him off like a spark in a tinder box .
but he 's a mathematical genius with a photographic memory and the ability to conceive simple solutions to complex problems .
while working as a janitor at mit , he delights in anonymously proving theorems on the math building 's hall blackboards .
then , one evening , his anonymity is shattered when professor lambeau ( stellan skarsgard ) catches him at work .
will flees , but lambeau tracks him down .
unfortunately , by the time the professor finds him , will is in jail for assaulting a police offer .
the judge agrees to release will under two conditions : that he spend one day a week meeting with lambeau and that he spend one day a week meeting with a therapist .
eventually , once several psychologists have rejected the belligerent young man , sean mcguire , a teacher at bunker hill community college , agrees to take the case .
after a rocky start , the two form a rapport and will begins to explore issues and emotions he had walled up behind impregnable armor .
and , as will advances his self - awareness in sessions with sean , he also learns about friendship from his buddy , chuckie ( ben affleck ) , and love from a harvard co - ed named skylar ( minnie driver ) .
the script , by co - stars matt damon and ben affleck , is not a groundbreaking piece of literature , and occasionally resorts to shameless manipulation .
the characters are well - developed , however , and there are times when the dialogue positively sparkles
.
at one point , will comments that a session with sean is turning into a " taster 's choice moment .
" later , will gives a brilliant , breathless diatribe against the nsa that has the rhythm of something written by kevin smith .
( note : since smith co - executive produced good will hunting , it 's not out of the question that he had some input into this scene . )
director gus van sant ( drugstore cowboy , to die for )
culls genuine emotion from his actors , and this results in several affecting and powerful scenes .
there 's an edginess to some of the sean / will therapy sessions , and
the offscreen chemistry between matt damon and minnie driver ( who became romantically linked while making this film ) translates effectively to the movie
-- the will / skylar relationship is electric .
likewise , the companionability of damon and affleck is apparent in the easygoing nature of will and chuckie 's friendship .
many of the individual scenes are strong enough to earn good will hunting a recommendation , even if the overall story is somewhat generic .
matt damon , who recently starred as the idealistic young lawyer in the rainmaker , is solid
( although not spectacular ) as will .
minnie driver ( last seen in grosse pointe blank ) adds another strong performance to a growing resume
( and it 's refreshing that she was allowed to keep her british accent rather than having to attempt an american one ) .
the outstanding performance of the film belongs to robin williams , whose sean is sad and wise , funny and somber .
arguably the best dramatic work in the actor 's career
( alongside what he did in the fisher king ) , williams ' portrayal could earn him a best supporting actor oscar nomination . adequate support is provided by ben affleck ( chasing amy ) and stellan skarsgard ( breaking the waves ) .
like most of what comes before it , the ending of good will hunting is completely predictable .
but meeting expectations and following a familiar path are n't always bad things in a movie , provided the film accomplishes those goals with a modicum of style and an attention to detail .
good will hunting does both , and , as a result , earns a rating commensurate with the " good " in the title .
Output: P