GOOD WILL HUNTING was to me a very warm-hearted, intelligent and well-conceived story of a 20-year-old boy, Will Hunting (Matt Damon), whose skills in maths and general science are excellent. He suffers from a difficult childhood, and together with his friends, he has been involved in robberies, fighting, and vandalism. A maths professor, Gerald Lambeau, discovers Will’s great abilities, and attempts to make use of him in his mathematical research. But upon realizing that Will is unco-operative and difficult to handle, professor Lambeau persuades Will to see a therapist, Sean Maguire (Williams), who was Lambeau’s room-mate in college. Throughout the rest of the movie we follow the growing friendship between Will and Sean, and Will’s new-found love, Skylar (Driver). Will Hunting must understand who he really is, and attempt to deal with his past. Only then might he be ready to face the future.
Ben Affleck (starring Will’s friend Chuckie) and Matt Damon have written a very impressive screenplay, and I was definitely not surprised that they snatched an Academy Award for it. Although the story is somewhat predictable (some times we know what the next move will be), I find it charming and quite good. I thought the ending was a bit slow, but it’s surprising and lovely. Robin Williams shows once and for all that he can do drama roles, and Matt Damon is very convincing as Will Hunting.