GOOD WILL HUNTING

(Miramax)
Director: Gus Van Sant
Producer: Lawrence Bender
Executive Producers: Bob Weinstein, Harevey Weinstein, Jonathan Gordon, Su Armstrong
Screenwriters: Ben Affleck, Matt Damon
Director of Photography: Jean Yves Escoffier
Editor: Pietro Scalia

Cast: Matt Damon, Robin Williams, Ben Affleck, Minnie Driver, Stellan Skarsgard, Casey Affleck, Cole Hauser, Stu Linder

Quick Review: GOOD WILL HUNTING is a character study and an emblematic film for twentysomethings. Matt Damon and his old Harvard roommate, Ben Affleck, worked for five years to get their script produced the way they wanted it. So, what emerged is what they meant, and what they meant is making contact with their peers (as well as wowing older critics). On the surface, it's a familiar story of a working class guy born with mental gifts that should easily take him beyond his South Boston roots and friends. However, he doesn't know what he wants. When he meets a sensitive therapist, with baggage of his own, played by Robin Williams, a father/son relationship develops and the growth to adult freedom begins. Young people identify with the maverick in Will Hunting. Older ones remember their own Easy Rider period, whether in reality or fantasy, and everyone likes someone whose loyalty to loved ones and his root values is greater than the easy road to riches. Damon and Affleck will be rewarded for their acting and especially for their script and determination, but it's director Gus Van Sant who keeps it all from becoming a second-rate Ordinary People.

Rating (on a four-star scale):

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Interview with Matt Damon.
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