"Good Will Hunting" had the kind of advance buzz that most studios would kill to get for their new releases. Its star, Matt Damon, reached celebrity "It-boy" status late last fall with "The Rainmaker" and he even graced the cover of "Vanity Fair" before anyone knew who he was.
The celebrity-making machine has been working full speed ahead on the young actor, and to add to the hype, he wrote the "Good Will Hunting" script with costar and boyhood pal Ben Affleck giving this film an "aww . . . isn't that sweet" feel.
Hollywood likes to take seemingly nice boys that are hard-working and relatively good-looking and put them up on pedestals, and now must be a nice time to be either Damon and Affleck.
Released nationally only a few weeks ago, all of the hype in the world would not matter if this film were a real stinker. Luckily for Damon, Affleck and the studio heads that are praying for hefty weekend box office grosses, it is anything but. In fact, it is excellent.
"Good Will Hunting" is the story of troubled genius Will Hunting(Damon), a janitor at MIT. Will's mathematical gifts are discovered when a professor learns that he is the one that is solving the brain teasers that are casually left on school blackboards for math students.
The teacher manages to coax Will into working as his math buddy by convincing a judge to allow the aggressive twenty-something to skip jail-time for a fight that he instigated. Instead of serving time, Will is to work closely with the professor and must agree to see a psychologist.
After a number of shrinks walk out on the difficult and manipulative Will, the young upstart meets his match in widower/therapist Sean McGuire (Robin Williams) who has some serious issues of his own.
Let the healing begin.
All of this may seem mushy and unimaginative, but it is to the film's credit that it approaches its subjects from a sharper angle than one may expect. The film is prevented from sliding into Velveeta thanks to its sharp writing and directing. Golden boys Damon and Affleck certainly know how to come through on the dialogue front, and the convincing Boston-speak they fashion for their characters gives the film a specific tone and setting.
Director Gus Van Sant, fresh off of the brilliant "To Die For," is the perfect director for this material; his hard-edged style compliments the dialogue and does not allow the film to sink into the sappiness with which its subject matter may otherwise have dragged it.
Perhaps the smartest move from the director and writers is the downplaying of the "boy genius" aspect of the story. This potentially obnoxious theme is used as an instrument in forcing Will to face his demons rather than being a major issue in its own right. Over-emphasis of Will's genius would be off-putting and divert attention away from Will's very human problems. While a few lines in reference to Will's intelligence come off poorly, they do not upset the balance of the picture.
Since the math prodigy theme does not take center stage here, Will's relationships occupy the heart and soul of the picture. His relationship with Harvard student Skylar (Minnie Driver) is charming and provides one of the best pick-up scenes in recent memory.
Even better is Will's relationship with Sean. The verbal sparring between the stubborn Will and the sensitive shrink is memorable, well-written and expertly played. Their eventual understanding of each other is predictable as hell, but the scenes manage to speak for themselves.
Besides the writing and directing skills on display here, the film is dotted with plenty of strong performances by its principal actors. Affleck, so bland and lifeless in "Chasing Amy", surprises by scoring major points here as Chuckie, Will's blue-collar best bud.
Driver is typically engaging as the girlfriend and cements her status as one of today's most promising young actresses. And, for the first time in a long time, Williams puts aside his kiddy comedy routine to inhabit the soul of a sad, real grown-up.
Best of all is Damon. He has written himself a role of a lifetime, and he plays it like a seasoned pro. His turn ranks among the year's most heart-felt and moving performances, and, in this case at least, the advance praise is appropriate. His powerful final scenes with Williams proves that he is more than just another Matthew McConaughey flash-in-the-pan. He has serious acting chops, and he deserves the Academy Award nomination that critics say that he is bound to receive.
Besides great acting and writing, however, "Hunting" has a little something extra going for it. It has real heart. It also has feel-good cheer that plays surprisingly well on-screen.
Venturing outside of the actual film for a second, though, it would be remiss to fail to point out that the film's strongest message comes from its creation -- the proof that sometimes real talent is appreciated and justly rewarded. Watching Damon and Affleck turn out strong performances in a film that was their own brain-child is inspiring and sweet.
Sure, it may be the typical "hometown boys make good" story, but sometimes the way a story is told makes up for a lack of an original concept.
