I look at you and I don't see an intelligent, confident man. I don't see a peer, I don't see my equal. I see a boy. Nobody could possibly understand you, right Will? Yet you presume to know so much about me because of a painting you saw. You must know everything about me. You're an orphan, right? Do you think I would presume to know the first thing about you because I read 'Oliver Twist'? And I don't buy the argument that you don't want to be here, because I think you like all the attention you're getting. Personally, I don't care. There's nothing you can tell me that I can't read somewhere else. Unless you talk about your life. But you won't do that. Maybe you're afraid of what you might say. It's up to you.
Quick, what do actor Matt Damon, actor Ben Affleck, director Kevin Smith, and producer Scott Mosier have in common? One answer would be "Chasing Amy", the indie romantic comedy directed by Smith, produced by Mosier, with Affleck in the starring role and Damon in a cameo. The other answer would be "Good Will Hunting", directed by Gus Van Sant (whose last outing was "To Die For"), co-scripted by and starring Damon and Affleck, with Smith and Mosier serving as co-producers.
Based on a short story that Damon penned while he was a student at Harvard, GWH is a touching reflection on the emotional maturation of an uneducated former foster child, Will Hunting (Damon), who is a mathematical genius with a photographic memory. When a complex mathematical proof left on a chalkboard by M.I.T. mathematics professor Lambeau (Stellan Skarsgard, also seen in "Amistad") is solved within a few days, the mathematical genius turns out to be Will, who works as a campus janitor as part of his parole. However, Will prefers to remain in the safety of his South Boston neighborhood and chum around in bars with his blue-collar friends, particularly Chuckie (Affleck). However, after a brawl where Will is charged with striking an officer, his only option for avoiding a jail term is to agree to two meetings per week: one with Lambeau to go over advanced mathematics, and another for therapy.
At first, Will is uncooperative with the parade of psychologists that Lambeau sets up, and in desperation, Lambeau calls up a favor from an old college roommate, Sean McGuire (Robin Williams, in a role similar to the one he had in "Awakenings"), who teaches at a local community college. And so begins a battle for the heart and mind of Will Hunting between a mathematician who wants Will to reach his full potential as the next big shiny thing in mathematics, a therapist that wants to help Will find a sense of purpose, and Skylar (Minnie Driver from "Grosse Pointe Blank"), a comely British pre-med student who is in love with him. As Will finds himself pulled by the mutually-exclusive alternatives, he must face his own vulnerability, learn to trust the people who play a role in his world, and take responsibility for his own life.
You're sitting on a winning lottery ticket and you're too much of a fucking pussy to cash it in.
The main emphasis of the story is on the relationship between Sean and Will, two contrasting characters with past wounds that emotionally paralyze them. Sean is a man who has lived and experienced the joy and pain of life, marrying the woman of his dreams only to see her whither away from cancer. Will is a boy who has learned everything he knows from reading books, but lacks the wisdom that comes with experience and has not been equipped to deal with the scars from years of abuse. Though this is a story has been told many times before, and admittedly there are moments where the clichés and the forced emotional enlightenment become difficult to swallow, it is still an endearing film rife with touching moments, well-written verbal exchanges, and outstanding performances from Williams and Damon.
Doesn't this violate the doctor-patient relationship?
Only if you grab my ass.
Director Gus Van Sant is at home with this type of film, dealing with the outcasts and underdogs of society, much like his earlier films "Drugstore Cowboy" and "My Own Private Idaho". The cinematography is also characteristic of his earlier work, with a gritty texture to the images, the predominant use of natural light, and a color palate dominated by earthy tones. And being a student at the University of Toronto, I also had the pleasure of identifying the various buildings and classrooms that were used by Van Sant to stand-in for M.I.T.
"Good Will Hunting" has already been bestowed as fourth best film of 1997 by the National Board of the Review, which also honored Damon and Affleck with a special achievement in film-making award. Despite its shortcomings, these accolades are well-deserved for this delightful and enjoyable holiday-season offering, as it strikes a balance between crowd-pleasing moments and poignancy, and I wouldn't be surprised to see this highly-recommended film come up again when the Oscar nominations are announced.