Noutions Good movie, but best of all time? Hardly . . .

Limerculer A waste of 90 minutes of my life

Bergorks If you like to be scared, if you like to laugh, and if you like to learn a thing or two at the movies, this absolutely cannot be missed.

Brennan Camacho Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.

krismancini After a second viewing of this film, I give it a solid 8. Open yourself and be vulnerable before you watch this film, and it will humble you.We all need a little guidance in our lives, and we might not know as much as we think we do about the lives of others. This is just one of the many lessons this movie shares.

hfhotaling Good Will Hunting's plot follows troubled custodian Will Hunting (Matt Damon) as he tries to navigate relationships and life in 1997 Boston and Cambridge. Throughout the 126 minute film, Will's ego and psyche are challenged by the weathered Sean Maguire (Robin Williams) while finding something inside of himself he did not know he had with Skylar (Minnie Driver). This excellent and complex plot coupled with the outstanding music from the late Elliot Smith create an unforgettable atmosphere from start to finish. The screenplay finds a precise balance between distress and happiness which gives the film a unique footprint for future scripts to follow. The script is penned by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, who also has a role in the film. During the writing stage of the production Gus Van Sant- the director of the film- visited Damon and Affleck frequently and later critiqued their writing method in the Introduction to the published screenplay: "Ben and Matt would fly into action and create something almost spontaneously with Matt standing in the middle of the hotel room demonstratively gesturing and editing ideas by drawing dotted lines in the air with his hands, with Ben writing down dialogue on his laptop computer." This spontaneous yet structured dialogue can be seen throughout the film, excellently mastered by the acting chops of Robin Williams and film royalty Stellan Skarsgård. Robin Williams delivers a more controlled and stable character as opposed to his mostly zany and comical repertoire. His character arguably grows as much as the main protagonist throughout the film as he needs to open up in order to mentor Will Hunting. In the famous "pond scene" Williams delivers- in my opinion- one of the greatest film monologues of all time, creating a father-figure character in less than five minutes. However, Williams does not waste a chance to shine in comedy during a completely improvised scene about two thirds through the film.Independent films today have grown to focus more on art than narrative, which lowers the quality of the film. When there is little-to-no narrative in your film, there is nothing for your audience to connect with. An example of this problem in more modern cinema is the film The Mountain Between Us. While the film captures awe-inspiring landscapes, the dialogue and narrative is so poor it is hard to feel any sort of connection with the characters whatsoever. For reasons and examples like these, this is why I believe that Good Will Hunting stands as a model on how to do a low-budget film right.

lyndecreviston Good Will Hunting is a story about a young man who is struggling to find himself. Will, Played by Matt Damon was raised in foster homes and finds himself on the wrong side of the law after an assault charge on an officer finds himself working as a janitor per the court orders instead of serving time. Will finds himself sweeping the hallways of MIT where he sees mathematical equations scribbled on a dry erase board for one of the classes. Will, solves the problem with ease and is recognized by Professor Lambeau played by Stellan Skarsgard. Will is then sent on a roller coaster ride of finding love, trusting his therapist Sean, played by Robin Williams, and not leaving his friends behind who have been the only loyal people in his life. The theme of this movie is trying to find yourself. Will was raised by the state and was in foster homes most of his life. He lived a hard life and never played by the rules, in fact, Will usually made his own rules. Wills friends were the only sense of family he ever had so trusting others, especially adults, was not going to happen. Will finds himself in trouble with the law after an assault on an officer earns him a deferred prosecution becomes a janitor at MIT. Will comes across as just a product of his environment and nobody could predict the genius that was hiding behind his thick walls. Will becomes a client of a therapist that little beknown to him came from a very similar background. Sean, played by Robin Williams, digs deep to the inner core of Will trying to help him find the true person he was meant to be. Sean is there for Will and teaches him that not everyone he encounters has a set motive. Sean spends a lot of time during their therapy sessions talking about his own life to try to gain the trust of Will. All Will has ever known was this town and his friends that he grew up with. When a girl named Skylar comes into his life he initially pushes her away and breaks up with her before she can hurt him. Nobody expects Will to be so smart based on his upbringing. Professor Lambeau even stated that Will just "got lucky" solving his math problem. There is a special bond that is built between Will and Sean and he finally starts to let his guards down when they are comparing the beatings that they used to take from the hands of their fathers. In the end the biggest scene that gets stuck in my head was Will and Sean's last session when Will overhears Sean arguing with Professor Lambeau regarding Will's future. I think this is the first time Will has ever experienced somebody sticking up for him. Will enters the room and it is just him and Sean and Sean tells him, "it's not your fault". At first Will is a little skeptical but Sean keeps repeating it until the final wall that Will has built breaks and he breaks down in Sean's arms. Will then decides to take the biggest risk he has ever taken, leave the only town he has ever known and all of his friends to "go see about a girl". Another movie that compares to Good Will Hunting in my eyes would be Stand By Me. This movie was produced in 1986 directed by Rob Reiner but follows the theme of finding yourself. This one is not just one boy trying to find himself but 4 boys that grew up as friends but had 4 completely different backgrounds that had to overcome obstacles of bullies and just being treated differently by others.

Chowchow This movie has a lot of talking. For those who doesn't like movie which has it's power on the narrative and dialogue, this movie just doesn't for you. However, if you just sit down for two hours and pay attention to the story, you will definitely be touched. Good Will Hunting is uplifting but in the same time heart-breaking. The portrayal of Will Hunting is just so REAL, I am sure that many people are related to his personality and character, and so do I. For those who has a bad past in their life, and became more defensive and always pretending that you are a strong and complete person, please watch this movie. This will open your eyes, that sometimes you just have to lower your pride and ego, and be opened to other people so they can help you.