“Good Will Hunting” An Outstanding, Effective Film

Next up on my list of prior Oscar nominees is a film released in 1997 that ended up becoming one of the best films I have ever seen. Not only did this film receive numerous nominations, but also gave the late great Robin Williams his only Oscar win. The film I’m talking about here is “Good Will Hunting.”

Will Hunting has a genius level IQ but chooses to work as a janitor at MIT. When he solves a difficult graduate level math problem, his talents are discovered by Professor Gerald Lambeau, who decides to help the misguided youth reach his potential.

When Will is arrested for attacking a police officer, Lambeau makes a deal to get leniency for him if he will get treatment from therapist Sean Maguire.

“Good Will Hunting” is a highly entertaining, sometimes emotional drama that also stands as a profound exploration of human potential and self-discovery. This highly acclaimed film is also one of those films that I have to check out whenever it’s available on streaming.

This 1997 film is really thought-provoking and emotional on so many levels. One of the most emotional moments is when Will reveals the trauma that he has endured from the childhood abuse he experienced from foster care. We also see how that abuse makes it difficult for relationships and how he  ultimately pushes people away.

The best moments in the film are the therapy sessions between Will and Williams’ character, Sean Maguire. During those scenes is when Will slowly begins to confront his past abuse. There’s also a slightly humorous moment that Williams improvised about his character’s wife that made Matt Damon (and supposedly the cameraman) laugh.

“Good Will Hunting” also features quite a few amazing performances and I’m still in shock that both Matt Damon and Ben Affleck wrote this film in their early career. Robin Williams also gave us one of his best performances in his career and this film shows that he can give us a great dramatic performance and still give us a good chuckle.

This underrated, Oscar favorite is a beautiful, moving story that delivers some extremely good acting and moments that will have you feeling moved.

Cast: Matt Damon (Will); Ben Affleck (Chuckie); Stellan Skarsgard (Lambeau); Casey Affleck (Morgan); Robin Williams (Maguire); Cole Hauser (Billy); John Mighton (Tom); Jimmy Flynn (Judge George H. Malone); George Plimpton (Henry Limpkin); Minnie Driver (Skylar)

Writer/director: Matt Damon (writer) (Promised Land; The Last Duel) (Ben Affleck (writer) (The Last Duel; Live by Night; The Town; Gone Baby Gone); Gus Van Sant (director) (Promised Land; Milk)

Trivia: In 2014, after Robin Williams died, the bench in the Boston Public Garden where he and Damon had their conversation scene became an impromptu memorial site. People left flowers, quotes and various items at the bench. The film was named as one of “The 20 Most Overrated Movies of All Time” by Premiere Magazine.

“Good Will Hunting” won two Oscars for Best Supporting Actor (Williams) and Best Original Screenplay. The film was also nominated for Best Picture, Director, Actor, Supporting Actress, Film Editing, Original Song and Original Score.

MPAA: rating: R for strong language, including some sex-related dialogue   (running time 126 minutes)

Where to find the film? You can currently stream “Good Will Hunting” on Paramount Plus, Hulu/Disney Plus, Pluto TV and rent it via YouTube, Amazon Prime, Fandango and Apple TV.