So, its been a long while since I've put up a post on here, so figured it was high time I did one since we are nearly into December. So, this post will be a review of 1997 drama film, Good Will Hunting starring Matt Damon in his groundbreaking role in the title role of Will, a young, troubled mathematical genius.
So, with the film now in its 25th anniversary, its good as any a time to revisit this one and see how it fairs a quarter of a century on from its release...
So, the usual warning is coming up...
PLOT SPOILERS ARE AHEAD!!!
STORY
So, the film begins with Will (Matt Damon) a 20 year old, who lives in Boston and works as a janitor at MIT, one of the most prestigious colleges in America. Will during his spare time also socializes with his step-brother Chuckie (Ben Affleck) and his friends Billy and Morgan (Casey Affleck). However, Will is one day arrested for assault as he beats up on someone he knew from kindergarten who bullied him as a child and he is taken into custody for resisting arrest also.
On his release, Will later goes to a Harvard bar with Chuckie and his friends and while Chuckie tries chatting up a couple of girls at the bar, one of the students, Clark comes over and patronizes him for his lack of education, Will surprises Clark by putting him in his place as he quotes back what Clark was saying perfectly. Afterward, one of the girls, Skylar (Minnie Driver) introduces herself to Will and gives him her number.
A few days after, Will at the arraignment for his assault case is sentenced by the judge however, Will is released under supervision under the guidance of Professor Gerard Lambeau (Stellan Skarsgard) who discovered that Will answered a complex mathematical problem on a blackboard at MIT and wants him to work with more mathematical challenges. Lambeau however also insists that Will meet with a therapist to talk about his troubled past and improve his defensive attitude, which Will reluctantly agrees to.
However, the therapy sessions don't go well as Will mocks the therapists he meets with and in the end, Lambeau resorts to approaching Sean Maguire (Robin Williams) a former college room mate of his, who is now working as psychology lecturer and is a professional psychologist himself. On first meeting with Will, Sean is angered when Will insults first a painting Sean had done and for "marrying the wrong woman" and grabs him by the throat and warns him not to disrespect his wife. Despite being shaken by the visit, Sean agrees to see Will again as he ponders what happened.
Will in the meantime goes on a date with Skylar, which goes pretty well as the two of them hit off but afterward, Will shows signs of fear and reluctance to get back in touch with her. Sean soon meets with Will again and as they talk a walk and sit outside, Sean puts Will in his place and tells him even though he knows a lot from reading books, he doesn't have much life experience and Will needs to open up about himself, so they can work together.
However the next couple of sessions are unproductive as Will sits quietly without talking but he eventually begins to open up and tells him Sean about his date with Skylar but he expresses his fear about contacting her again. Sean however encourages Will to give Skylar a call and give their potential relationship a shot, which Will does and they both soon become close together while Will's work with Lambeau impresses around MIT.
However pressure begins to mount on Will as he is cagey about his background and lies to Skylar about having 12 brothers and afraid to let her see his own squalid house. Will does eventually let Skylar meet with Chuckie and his other friends but he remains cagey about where he lives. Lambeau also sets up a number of job interviews for Will to attend so he can utilize his skills however most cases Will doesn't show up to them as he is not interested.
Will then becomes panicked when Skylar asks him to come to California with her, which he turns down as he doesn't want to leave Boston and be in a relationship where he might lose interest and no longer want to be with her. Skylar however challenges Will on why he's so scared and Will finally tells her that he is an orphan and was a victim of abuse as a kid and becomes angry when she says she wants to reach and help him. Skylar tearfully tells Will that if he says she doesn't love him, she won't be in his life and Will coldly tells her doesn't and leaves Skylar in tears.
Will next decides to burn his bridges with Lambeau as he loses his temper with him for questioning a math proof that he did for him and Will burns the proof before leaving Lambeau's office, who expresses his regret or having ever met Will as he didn't want to see him throw his potential away. Will then returns to his construction job with Chuckie, who advises Will not to waste his talent hanging around with him and he should be grateful for his chances and hopes one day he will move out of Boston and someplace else.
And its from here Will must make his choices for what he will do with his life, while Sean and Lambeau also fight for his attention in an effort to give him the direction they think he needs...
THOUGHTS
There is little doubt that Good Will Hunting is an excellent drama film, which also even manages to be both funny and charming at the same time, yet the film never undercuts the drama surrounding Will's troubled past and insecurities as a person as a result. The film also was a great springboard for the careers of both Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, who co-wrote the script, which also won them an academy award and they both put in excellent performances themselves, particularly Damon in the titular role as Will.
However, the film also works so well thanks to Matt Damon's onscreen relationship with Robin Williams as Will meets with Dr Sean Maguire, a psychologist who has a sad past also he lost his wife to cancer two years ago. The two of them also share some funny moments and great dialogue together in their therapy sessions as well as some powerful moments that are quite moving and dramatic. But the film also is helped by its supporting characters that are equally engaging such as Skylar, Will's bubbly and kind girlfriend and Chuckie, Will's loyal step-brother.
PERFORMANCES AND NOTABLE SCENES (Warning: this section contains strong language and some spoilers!)
As for the performances in the film, they are all simply top-notch as the cast are in great form and chew the scenery and great dialogue they are given.
Starting with Matt Damon who is great in the film's title roll of Will Hunting, a troubled young genius, who show incredible mathematical skills as well as ability to digest any knowledge from books but he also proves to be difficult to deal with because of his cocky, defensive nature.
And Damon has his share of great scenes such as the one where Will confronts Clark at the Harvard bar and put him in his place for trying impress people with his extensive education but Will regurgitates back to him verbatim.
So, in the scene Will says to Clark "See, the sad thing about a guy like you is, in 50 years you're gonna start doin' some thinkin' on your own and you're going to come up with the fact that there are two certainties in life: one, don't do that, and two, you dropped 150 grand on a fuckin' education you could have got for a dollar fifty in late charges at the public library!". Clark then tells him "Yeah well at least I will have a degree and one day you will be serving my kids fries at a drive thru on our way to a ski trip". Will then laughs and says "Maybe! But at least I won't be unoriginal! By the way a problem with that then we could just step outside" and Clark backs off and says nervously "No problem, man. Its cool" and Will smiles and says "We're cool? Cool".
Then there is the scene where Will first meets with Sean at Sean's office and Will looks around the office and at Sean's books and his painting. And as Will looks around he says to Sean "You fuckin people baffle me! You spend all your time surrounded by books and they're the wrong fuckin books!" and Sean asks "What are the right fuckin books, Will?" and Will says "Hey whatever blows your hair back!".
Will looks at Sean's painting and says to him "Its a piece of shit" and Sean says "Oh, tell me what you REALLY think!" and Will looking at it says "Its just impressionistic and colours are pretty muddled. Its also a Winslow-Homer rip-off except you've got whitey rowing the boat there". Sean then says "You know what the real bitch of it is? Paint by number" and Will asks "Is it colour by number? Because I think the colours are fascinating to me. I think you're one step away from cutting your fuckin ear off!". Will then surmises "Maybe you married the wrong woman" and Sean angrily says "Maybe you should watch your mouth! Watch it right there chief!". And Will after a moment says "Well, that's it isn't it? You married the wrong woman. What happened? Did she run off and bang some other guy?". Then without warning, Sean grabs Will by throat and warns him "If you ever disrespect my wife again, I will end you! I will FUCKING END YOU! Got that, chief??!" and Will stunned says "Time's up".
And then there is the scene where Will breaks his silence during one of his therapy sessions with Sean and tells him "You know, I was on this plane once. And I'm sitting there and uh...the captain gets on, he does his whole, you know, we'll be cruisin' at 35,000 feet. But then he puts the mic down n forgets to turn it off. And so he turns to the co-pilot n he's like, "you know, all I could use right now is a fuckin' blow job and a cup of coffee." So the stewardess fuckin' goes bombin' up from the back of the plane to tell him that the microphone's still on. And this guy in the back of the plane is like, "Hey, hon, don't forget the coffee!"
Then there is one of the most dramatic scenes in the film where Will rows with Skylar as he becomes defensive when she asks him to travel to California with her and he becomes angry as he is forced to tell the truth about his past. So, in the scene Skylar asks Will "What are you so scared of?" and Will says "I'm not scared" and Skylar says "OK, well what aren't you scared of? You live in this safe little world where nothing challenges and you're scared to leave it". Skylar then asks Will about his brothers "What about your 12 brothers?" and Will makes to leave and Skylar get's in his way and says "No, you're not going!" and Will suddenly angrily shouts "What do you wanna know?! That I don't have 12 brothers?! That I'm a fucking orphan!" and Skylar says "I didn't know that!" and Will angrily tells her more "That I used to have cigarettes put out on me when I was little!" and he puts to one of his wounds and shouts "That this is surgery and some motherfucker stabbed me?! You don't wanna hear that, Skylar! Tell me you don't wanna hear that?!".
Skylar then tries to reach out to Will and says "I want to help you!" and Will becomes even more angry and shouts "Help me??!!! Do I look like I fuckin need help?! What have I got a fuckin sign on my back that says save me??!!" and Skylar becoming very upset says "No! No! I just want to help you". However Will pushes her back against the wall and shouts "Don't bullshit me! DON'T BULLSHIT ME!!!" as he hits the wall with his fist. Skylar then tearfully tells him if Will tells her he doesn't love her then she won't call him or be in his life anymore and Will coldly tells her "I don't love you" and he walks out leaving Skylar sobbing uncontrollably.
Then there is the scene where Will tells Sean what he said during an interview with the NSA and how he turned down the job offer. So, Will says to Sean "So what did I think? I'm holdin' out for somethin' better. I figure fuck it, while I'm at it why not just shoot my buddy, take his job, give it to his sworn enemy, hike up gas prices, bomb a village, club a baby seal, hit the hash pipe and join the National Guard? I could be elected president!".
Sean however for once has become fed up with Will's defensive BS and get's up to throw him out after Will tells Sean he wants to be a shepherd. So, Sean says to Will "Look if you wanna jerk off, why don't you do it at home with a moist towel?" and Will says "No, I'm not leaving!" and Sean says "Playtime's over!" and Will angrily says "You're lecturing me?! Look at your life, you fuckin burnout! What winds your clock?" and Sean says "Working with you" and Will asks "Where's your soul mate?" and Sean says "Dead". Will then angrily tells Sean "That's right she fuckin dies! And you cash in your chips and walk away?!" and Sean says "At least I played a hand!" and Will shouts "You lost a big fuckin hand and some people can lose a big hand like that and have the sack to ante up again!!". Sean then asks Will straight up "Look at me! What do you want to do?" but Will for once has no answer and Sean tells him "You and your bullshit! You've got a bullshit answer for everybody but when I ask you a very simple question you can't give me a straight answer because you don't know". Will taken aback just leaves as Sean says "See you, Bo-Beep!" and Will says to Sean "Fuck you" as he walks out and Sean says "You're the shepherd!".
And last of all is the scene where Will has his breakthrough with Sean as Sean makes him confront his feelings over how rough his past has been. So, in the scene, Sean looks at Will's case file for the judge and Will asks if Sean ever had any personal experience of domestic violence and Sean admits he had as his father was an alcoholic.
So, in the scene Will asks "You ever had any experience of that?" and Sean says "20 years of counseling, yeah I've seen some pretty awful shit" but Will asks "No, have YOU had any experience of that?" and Sean asks "Personally?" and Will says "yeah" and Sean admits "Yeah I have" and Will says "Sure ain't good" and Sean tells him "My father was an alcoholic, mean fuckin drunk! Always came home looking to wail on somebody, so I had to provoke him into not hitting my mother and little brother". Will then recalls "Yeah, he used to just put a belt and a wrench on the table and said choose" and Sean asks "Your foster father?" and Will says "Yeah" and Sean says "I gotta go with the belt there, Vanna." but Will says "I always went with the wrench" and Sean asks "Why?" and Will defiantly says "Cos fuck him, that's why".
So, Will then asks Sean about his file "So, what is it? Will has like an attachment disorder? Is it all that stuff? Fear of abandonment? Is that uh...why I broke up with Skylar?" and Sean says "I didn't know you had" and Will says "Yeah I had" and Sean says "You want to talk about it?" and Will says "No". Sean then puts Will's case file down and tells him "Hey Will, I don't know a lot but see all this shit, its not your fault" and Will quietly says "Yeah, I know that". Sean however continues to say "its not your fault" until Will begins to tear up and he says softly "Don't fuck with me..." but Sean continues and Will pushes him back and emotionally says "Don't fuck with me, Sean! Not you!". Sean continues to say "Its not your fault" again and this pushes Will over the edge and he breaks down in tears and hugs Sean desperately and cries "Oh God, I'm so sorry!" and Sean finally says "Fuck them okay?".
Robin Williams next is great in his role as Sean Maguire, the therapist who meets with Will to try and get through to him and break down his difficult attitude.
And Williams has his share of good scenes that include the one where Maguire meets with Will for the first time and Will insults Sean's painting and then his late wife.
So, in the scene Will looks at Sean's painting and says to him "Its a piece of shit" and Sean says "Oh, tell me what you really think?!" and Sean says to him "You know what the bitch of it is? Its paint by number" and Will says "Is it color by number? Because the colors are fascinating to me. I think you are one step away from cutting your fuckin ear off!". Sean then smiles and says "Maybe I should I move to the South of France and change my name to Vincent?". Will then asks if Sean has heard of the term "any part in a storm" and how that it maybe symbolises Sean and that's why maybe he came a psychologist. So, Sean tells him "That's right, let me do my job it and start with me".
Will however then says to Sean "Maybe you married the wrong woman" and Sean annoyed says "Maybe you should watch your mouth. Watch it right there chief!". Will however unfazed by Sean continues "Well that's it isn't it? You married the wrong woman? What happened. Did you she leave you and bang some other guy..." Sean then grabs Will by the throat without warning and angrily tells him "If you ever disrespect my wife again, I will end, I will FUCKING END YOU! Got that, chief?!". Will stunned says "Time's up" and Sean angrily says "yeah" and let's Will go, who leaves casually with Sean left shaken at what happened.
Then there is the great scene where Sean meets with Will again and they sit outside while Sean tells Will what he thinks of him and while he is cocky and knows a lot from books, he doesn't know much about life.
So, in the scene Sean says to Will "Thought about what you said to me the other day, about my painting. Stayed up half the night thinking about it. Something occurred to me... fell into a deep peaceful sleep, and haven't thought about you since. Do you know what occurred to me? You're just a kid, you haven't the faintest idea what your talking about" and Will sarcastically says "Why thank you".
This speech is super long, so I will refer to the last part where Sean lays it on the line about where they go from here. So, Sean says "You think I know the first thing about how hard your life has been, how you feel, who you are, because I read Oliver Twist? Does that encapsulate you? Personally... I don't give a shit about all that, because you know what, I can't learn anything from you, I can't read in some fuckin' book. Unless you want to talk about you, who you are. Then I'm fascinated. I'm in. But you don't want to do that do you sport? You're terrified of what you might say. Your move, chief" and he leaves Will to ponder what he said.
Another good scene is when Will and Sean finally start to chat in their sessions and Will tells Sean he went on a date with Skylar but he doesn't want to ruin it by going out again just now.
So, Sean says to Will "Well, I think that's a super philosophy, Will. That way you can go through your entire life without every knowing anybody!". Sean then changes the subject and tells Will about his wife "My wife used to fart when she was nervous. She had all these wonderful little idiosyncrasies, she used to fart in her sleep. One night it was so loud it woke the dog up! She woke up and said "Is that you?" and I didn't have the heart to tell her!" and Will bursts out laughing. Sean gets his breath back and says "She's been dead two years, Will and that's the stuff I remember! People call these things imperfections but no that's the good stuff!". Sean then tells Will "You're not perfect sport and let me save you the suspense, this girl you met, isn't perfect either. But the question is whether your perfect for each other? That's the whole deal, that's what intimacy is all about. But the only way of knowing that one is by giving it a shot".
Then there is the scene where Sean has it out with Will over his defensive and annoying attitude where he sarcastically keeps answering him and eventually ends his session with him.
So, in the scene Sean asks Will " I just have a little question here. You could be a janitor anywhere. Why did work at the most prestigious technical college in the whole fuckin' world? And why did you sneak around at night and finish other people's formulas that only one or two people in the world could do and then lie about it? 'Cause I don't see a lot of honor in that, Will". Sean then asks Will "So, what do you really want to do?" and after a pause Will glibly answers "I wanna be a shepherd" and Sean annoyed asks "Really?" and Will says "I wanna move up to Nashua, get a nice little spread, get some sheep and tend to them". Sean then gets up and tells Will "Maybe you should go do that" and he crosses to the door and says "You know, if you're going to jerk off why don't you just do it at home with a moist towel?" and Will asks "You chucking me out?" and Sean says "Yeah get the fuck out!".
Will however then protests "Hey no, no! Time's not up yet!" but Sean says "Yes it is" and Sean tells him "Look, if you're not gonna answer my questions, you're just wasting my fuckin time!" and Will taken aback says "But I thought we were friends..." and Sean tells him "Playtime's over!". Will then affronted says "Well, what about you? You're lecturing me on life? Look at you, you fuckin burnout! What's winding your clock?" and Sean says "Working with you?" and Will asks him "Where's your soul mate?" and Sean tells him "Dead".
Will then becomes even more defensive and says how Sean lost a big hand and he should ante up again. Sean however then asks Will "Look at me, what do you want to do?!" and Will is speechless for once an cannot give an answer. Sean then shakes his head and says "You and your bullshit, you've got a bullshit answer for everybody but when I ask your very simply question you can't give me a straight answer. Because you don't know". Sean then opens the door and says "See you Bo-Peep" and Will walks out and says "Fuck you" as he walks by and Sean spits back "You're the shepherd!" and he sits down and says to himself "Shepherd! White little prick!".
Then there is the great scene near the end where Will has his emotional breakdown with Sean as they go over his case file. So, Will asks Sean "You ever had any experience of that?" and Sean says "20 years of counseling, yeah I've seen some pretty awful shit" but Will asks "No, have YOU had any experience of that?" and Sean asks "Personally?" and Will says "yeah" and Sean admits "Yeah I have" and Will says "Sure ain't good" and Sean tells him "My father was an alcoholic, mean fuckin drunk! Always came home looking to wail on somebody, so I had to provoke him into not hitting my mother and little brother". Will then recalls "Yeah, he used to just put a belt and a wrench on the table and said choose" and Sean asks "Your foster father?" and Will says "Yeah" and Sean says "I gotta go with the belt there" but Will says "I always went with the wrench" and Sean asks "Why?" and Will defiantly says "Cos fuck him, that's why".
So, Will then asks Sean about his file "So, what is it? Will has like an attachment disorder? Is it all that stuff? Fear of abandonment? Is that uh...why I broke up with Skylar?" and Sean says "I didn't know you had" and Will says "Yeah I had" and Sean says "You want to talk about it?" and Will says "No". Sean then puts Will's case file down and tells him "Hey Will, I don't know a lot but see all this shit, its not your fault" and Will quietly says "Yeah, I know that". Sean however continues to say "its not your fault" until Will begins to tear up and he says softly "Don't fuck with me..." but Sean continues and Will pushes him back and emotionally says "Don't fuck with me, Sean! Not you!". Sean continues to say "Its not your fault" again and this pushes Will over the edge and he breaks down in tears and hugs Sean desperately and cries "Oh God, I'm so sorry!" and Sean finally says "Fuck them okay?".And last of all is the scene where Will and Sean have their final meeting and Sean tells him "You're done, you're a free man!" and the two of them hug and Will says "Thank you, Sean" and Sean says "Thank you, Will". And as they hug, Will asks Sean "Hey doesn't this violate the doctor patient relationship?" and Sean says "Nah, only if you grab my ass!". Sean then tells Will "Good luck son, you do what's in your heart and you'll be fine".
WARNING: BIG SPOILER TO END OF THE MOVIE!!
And just as an add on (BIG SPOILER!!!) in the last scene, Sean gets the final line as he reads Will's letter that he left for Sean. So, Will's voice narrates "Sean, if the professor calls tell him sorry about that job, I had to go and see about a girl" and Sean smiles and says "Son of a bitch! He stole my line!" and he shuts his apartment door.
Stellan Skarsgaard is also great in his role as Professor Lambeau and he also has plenty of dialogue in the film but I won't get too bogged down in it as this review is already long enough as it is, so I might just mention a few of his scenes at the most.
So, to start with there is the scene where Lambeau meets with Sean at a bar and the two of them discuss Will and where they go with him. So, Lambeau says to the bar owner, Tim "Tim, can you help us? We're tying to settle a bet?" and Tim says "Uh-oh!". Lambeau then asks "You ever heard of Jonas Salk?" and Tim says "Sure, he cured polio" and Lambeau then asks "You ever heard of Albert Einstein?" and Tim smiles. Lambeau then asks "How about Gerald Lambeau? You ever heard of him?" and Tim says "No" and Lambeau smiles and says "Thank you, Tim" and Tim asks "So, who won the bet?" and Lambeau says "I did" and Tim walks off.
Lambeau then says to Sean "This isn't about me, Sean. I'm nothing compared to this young man. In 1905 there were hundreds of professors renowned for their study of the universe, but it was a..it was a 26 year old Swiss patent clerk, doing physics in his spare time who changed the world. Can you imagine if Einstein would have given that up just to get drunk with his buddies and bombed (?) every night. We all would have lost something. Tim would never have heard of him".
Sean however insists that they Will more time work out what he wants to do but Lambeau mocks him for it and says "That's a wonderful theory, Sean, it worked wonders for you, didn't it?" and Sean looks angrily at him and says "Yeah it did, you arrogant fuckin prick!". Lambeau then sighs and says "Well, I'm sorry I came here today. I came out of courtesy and wanted to keep you in the loop" and Sean says "Thanks for keeping me in the loop!" and Lambeau tells Sean "The boy's in a meeting right now, over at McNeil".
Another good scene is when Will shows up with a proof for Lambeau at his office at MIT and Lambeau is not sure its correct but Will insists it is and he loses his temper when Lambeau suggests otherwise and also how he doesn't want the job offers.
So, in the scene Lambeau asks Will "What happened at the McNeil meeting?" and Will says "Oh, I couldn't go, I had a date, so I sent my chief negotiator". Lambeau warily says "On your own time, you can do what you like Will but when I set up a meeting with associates and you don't show up, it reflects poorly on me". Will says "Alright, well don't setup anymore meetings" and Lambeau says "Alright, I won't, I'll cancel them. I'd give you a job myself, I just wanted you to see what was out there" and Will tells him "Well maybe I don't wanna spend the rest of my fuckin life explaining shit to people!". Lambeau sits forward and says to Will "You could at least show me some appreciation?" and Will angrily says "Appreciation?!" and he holds the proof up to him "You have any idea how easy this is for me?! Its a fuckin joke! And I'm sorry you can't do this, I really am because then I wouldn't have to sit and watch you fumble around and fuck it up!". Lambeau annoyed says "Then you would have more time to sit around and get drunk, wouldn't you?" and Will with his back turned says "You're right this probably a total waste of my time!" and he turns around having set light to the proof.
Lambeau then grabs the proof and desperately tries to put it out and he kneels on the floor and says "You're right, Will. I can't do this proof. But you can, and when it comes to that it's only about..it's just a handful of people in the world who can tell the difference between you and me. But I'm one of them". Will says "Sorry" and Lambeau angrily says "Yeah, so am I!" and he continues sadly "Most days I wish I never met you. Because then I could sleep at night, and I wouldn't...and I wouldn't have to walk around with the knowledge that here's someone like you out there" and Will walks out the door and Lambeau says to himself "And I didn't have to watch you throw it all away...".
And last of all is the final scene between Lambeau and Sean where they have a big row over Will but also personal digs at each other's varying levels of success.
So, in the scene Lambeau is furious with Sean and says to him "This is a disaster, Sean! I brought you in here because I wanted you to help with the boy, not run him out!" but Sean says "I know what I'm doing with the boy". Lambeau then warns Sean "Don't try and undermine what I am trying to do with the boy here. He's at a fragile point right now" and Sean says "He is at a fragile point right now, he's got problems".
Sean then goes onto explain that Will is pushing people away because he was abandoned by his family and that he hangs with his friends because of loyalty but Lambeau is angry that Sean would turn Will away from his opportunities. So, Lambeau angrily says to Sean "Don't you do that, Sean. Don't you inflict him with the thought that its ok to be a failure. And if you are angry with me for being what you could have been..." and Sean holding back says "I'm not angry with, Gerry". Lambeau insists "Oh yes you angry at me, Sean, you resent me! But I am not going to apologise for any success I've had. But ask yourself, if you want Will to feel that way, if you want him to feel like a failure".
And Sean disgusted at Lambeau hits back and says "You arrogant shit! That's why I don't go to the goddamn reunions because I can't stand that look in your eye! That condescending, embarrassed look!" and Lambeau sighs and says "Oh come on, Sean!". Sean then defends himself and says "You think I'm a failure? I am proud of what I do! It was a conscious choice! I didn't fuck up! And you and your cronies think I'm a pity case! You and your kiss-ass chorus who follow you around going "The fields medal, the fields medal!". Lambeau then laughs and says "Oh, its about my medal! Oh, I can go home and get it, you can have it!". Sean then goes on at Lambeau and says how he knew him as a student before he was mathematical God and when he was "homesick and didn't which side of the bed to piss on!". Lambeau then says "Well you were smarter than me then and now, so don't blame me for how your live turned out! Its not my fault!".
Sean then yells back "Its not about ME you mathematical dick! Its about the BOY! He's a good kid! And I won't see you fuck him up, like you're trying to fuck me up just now!". Lambeau then gets up and says "He won't BE a failure!" and Sean tries to reason "But if you push him, Gerry! If you ride him!" and Lambeau says "Sean! I am myself today because I was pushed and I learned to push myself!" and we see Will has quietly walked in at the door as Sean shouts "HE'S NOT YOU, YOU GET THAT?!" and both men turn and see Will.
And last of all is their final scene together where Lambeau makes amends with Sean at Sean's office and Lambeau says "I just wanted to say..." and Sean smiles and says "Me too, Gerry". Lambeau then says "I heard you were taking some time out" and Sean says he will be traveling and doing some writing. Sean then mentions a flyer regarding another class reunion and he says "I got this flyer and its says the class of 72 is having a reunion in six months". Sean then says "Why don't you come, I'll buy you a drink" and Lambeau says "The drinks at those things are free" and Sean says "I know, Gerry I was being ironical" and Lambeau laughs and he says "How about a drink right now?" and Sean smiles and says "Good idea" and as the two men walk out they chat about the lottery as Sean holds his "winning ticket".
Minnie Driver is terrific in her role as Skylar, Will's girlfriend who falls for Will when she meets him at a Harvard bar giving an arrogant student, Clark, a dressing down and they begin a relationship but Will's past soon causes tension between them.
And Minnie's notable scenes include her or second one rather, where Skylar gives Will her telephone number. So, in the scene Skylar says to Will "You're an idiot" and Will asks "What?" and Skylar says "You're an idiot! I've been waiting 45 minutes for you to come over and talk to me but I'm tired now and I couldn't go on waiting for you". And as they greet each other, Skylar says of the arrogant student "By the way, Michael Bolton clone...he wasn't with us, so to speak" and Will smiles and says "Yeah, I kinda got that impression". Skylar then puts down her number infront of Will "Here's my number, if you ever fancy meeting up for a coffee" and Will says "Or we could just eat a bunch of caramels. When you think about it, it just as arbitrary as drinking coffee!" and Skylar smiles and says "Oh ok, well then.." and heads off.
Then there is the funny scene where Skylar meets with Will and his friends and they both share stories and Skylar tells a dirty joke. So, Skylar says to them "There's an old couple in bed. Mary and Paddy. And they wake up on the morning their... fiftieth anniversary. And Mary looks over and gazes adoringly at Paddy, she's like, "Aw, Jesus, Paddy. You're such a good lookin' feller. I love you. I want to give you a little present. Anything your little heart desires, I'm going to give it to ya'. What would you like?" And Paddy's like, "Aw, gee, Mary, that's a very sweet offer. Now, in fifty years, there's one thing that's been missing. And uh... I would like you to give me a blow job. I would like that." And Mary's like, "All right." She takes her teeth out, puts them in the glass and she gives him a blow job. And afterwards, Paddy's like, "Ah, geez, now THAT's what I've been missin'. That was the most beautiful, Earth-shatterin' thing ever. Beautiful Mary, I love ya'! Is there anything that I can do for you?" And Mary looks up at him and she goes...". And Skylar puts her glass up to her mouth and sips some and let's it dribble down her face and she says "...give us a kiss!" and the guys react with laughter and disgust.
And then there is the scene where Will tries explain how he understands mathematics so well as she works on something as they are outside. So, Skylar "Let me ask you something. Do you have a photographic memory?" and Will says "How do you remember something? You just remember it, like your phone number" Skylar then asks "have you studied organic chemistry?" and Will says "Yeah, a little bit" and Skylar says "For fun?" and Will says "Yeah, for kicks!". Skylar smiles and say sarcastically "Yeah, its just SO much fun studying organic chemistry. Are you mad?! Have you completely lost your mind?! No one studies it for fun. Its not a necessity, not even for people like you!".
Will then tries to explain to Skylar how he can do what he does and asks her "Do you play piano?" and Skylar says "I wanna talk about this!" and Will says "No, I'm trying to explain it to you. Do you play piano?" and Skylar says "A little bit". Will then says "Right, so when you see a piano you see Mozart" and Skylar says "I see chopsticks!" and Will says "Alright, well Beethoven okay, he looked at a piano and it just made sense to him. He could just play". Skylar then asks "Can you play?" and Will tells her "Not a lick, but Beethoven and Mozart saw it they could just play. I mean couldn't paint you a picture, I probably couldn't hit the ball out of Fenway and I can't play the piano". Skylar then says "But you could do my o chem paper in under an hour" and Will tells her "Well when it came to stuff like that I could always play. That's the best I can explain it". Skylar then leans toward Will and says "I have to tell you something" and he leans in and asks "What is it?" and Skylar says "Well..." and she kisses him and smiles and says "Its not fair, I've been here for four years and I've only just found you!" and Will smiles and says "Well, you found me!".
And last of all is Minnie's most dramatic and best performed scene of the film where Skylar has a big row with Will as she asks him to come to California with her and he refuses out of fear, which makes her confront him over the truth of his past.
So, in the scene, Skylar and Will lie in bed together and Skylar says "Will, come to California with me" and Will lying face down says "What?" and Skylar says "I want you to come to California with me". Will however then becomes defensive and talks about not wanting to be stuck in California in a situation where they both don't want to be together. Skylar then taken aback says "Look if you don't love me why don't you just..." and Will says "I didn't say I didn't love you" and Skylar then asks "Then why won't you come? What are you so scared of?". Will asks "What am I so scared of?" and Skylar then turns the question back on him "Well, what aren't you so scared of. You live in this safe little world where no one challenges and you're scared shitless to do anything that means you'd have to change".
Will however becomes angry and asks her "Don't tell me about my world. You don't know about my world! You just wanna have the fling with the other guy from the other side of town and then go off and marry some big rich prick and you can tell the other trust fund babies you went slumming it too once!". Skylar now angry says to Will "What is your obsession with this money?! My father died when I was 13 and I inherited this money. Nearly every day I wake up, I wish I could give it back in a second if I could have one more day with him. But I can't and that's my life and I deal with it, so DON'T put your shit on me when its you that's afraid!"
Will then becomes angry and asks "What the fuck am I afraid of?!" and Skylar then says "You're afraid of me! You're afraid that I won't love you back! And you know what?! I'm afraid too! Fuck it, I want to give it a shot and at least I'm honest with you!". Will then asks "I'm not honest with you?" and Skylar asks "What about your 12 brothers?" and Will then goes into an angry tirade where he tells Skylar that he doesn't have 12 brothers and that he's an orphan who was abused as a kid which makes Skylar tearful. And as Skylar tries to reach Will and help him he pushes her back and shouts "Don't BULLSHIT ME! Don't FUCKIN BULLSHIT ME!" and Skylar in tears says "I want to hear you say you don't love me, because if you do then I won't call your or be in your life". And after a moment, Will coldly tells her "I don't love you" and he walks out leaving Skylar in tears who says to herself "You do" which you'd actually miss if you don't listen out for it and its ironically her best moment in the film.
Ben Affleck is great in his role as Chuckie, Will's step brother, who looks out for Will and he has some good scenes worth note but for time I will just mention his best one where Chuckie lays it on the line for Will that he better not hang around Boston and make something of his life.
So, in the scene Will tells Chuckie as they take a break on their construction job about his job interviews coming up and how he is not to keen on them and that "I'm gonna be a fuckin lab rat!" and Chuckie says "Better than this shit. Way outta here!". Will then says "What would I want a way out of here for? I'm gonna live her for the rest of my life. We'll be neighbours, have little kids and take them up to Little League at Foley field...".
Chuckie however then tells Will "Look, you're my best friend, so don't take this the wrong way but, in 20 years if you're still livin' here, comin' over to my house, watchin' the Patriots games, workin' construction, I'll fuckin' kill ya. That's not a threat, that's a fact, I'll fuckin' kill ya!". Will puzzled asks "What the fuck are you talking about?" and Chuckie sighs and says "You've got something none of us have..." and Will tired of hearing this says "Oh come on! Why is it always this, I owe it to myself?! What if I don't want to" and Chuckie says "No. No, no no no. Fuck you, you don't owe it to yourself man, you owe it to me. Cuz tomorrow I'm gonna wake up and I'll be 50, and I'll still be doin' this shit. And that's all right. That's fine. I mean, you're sittin' on a winnin' lottery ticket. And you're too much of a pussy to cash it in, and that's bullshit. 'Cause I'd do fuckin' anything to have what you got. So would any of these fuckin' guys. It'd be an insult to us if you're still here in 20 years. Hangin' around here is a fuckin' waste of your time!".
Will then says "You don't know that!" and Chuckie says "I don't know that. Let me tell you what I do know. Every day I come by your house and I pick you up. And we go out, we have a few drinks, and a few laughs, and it's great. But you know what the best part of my day is? It's for about ten seconds from when I pull up to the curb to when I get to your door. Because I think maybe I'll get up there and I'll knock on the door and you won't be there. No goodbye, no see you later, no nothin'. Just left. I don't know much, but I know that".
Casey Affleck next up is pretty funny in his role as Morgan, one of the Will's friends, who often bears the brunt of Chuckie and also enjoys watching pornos a bit too much!
And I will mention two of his scenes that include the one near the start where Morgan complains to Chuckie about not getting his burger from him, so Chuckie teases him and says he will keep it for Morgan until he pays for it.
So, Morgan says to Chuckie "Double burger, I got a double burger" and Chuckie annoyed says "I know what I ordered!" and Morgan says "So, give me my fuckin sandwich" and Chuckie teases him "I know its your sandwich, I ordered it for you, how much money you got?". Morgan now really annoyed says "I set our your change right, get the snowcone I said that before. Why don't you give me my sandwich and stop being a prick?!". Chuckie then teases Morgan some more and says he will set a payment plan for Morgan and put his sandwich aside for him till he pays up. Morgan that says "Can I have my sandwich now?" and Chuckie angrily throws it at him and shouts "There's your fuckin double burger!".
And last of all is the scene where Morgan is caught out by Chuckie for watching pornos in his house upstairs. So, in the scene we hear noises coming from upstairs as Chuckie and Will sit downstairs with Billy. And Chuckie shouts up "Morgan, if you're watching pornos in my mother's room I'm gonna give you a fuckin beatin!". So, a few moments later, Morgan sheepishly comes down the stairs and says "What's up fellas?" a bit out of breath and BIlly says "Why don't you jerk off in your own house. That's fuckin filthy" and Morgan says "I don't have a VCR in my house".
Chuckie then notices that Morgan is wearing a baseball glove and Chuckie says "Come on, not in my glove!" and Morgan says "I didn't use the glove" and Chuckie says "That's my little league glove!" and Morgan says "What am I gonna do?". Chuckie then says "You hump a baseball glove?! What's the matter with you?" and Morgan sheepishly says "I just used it for clean up" and Chuckie disgusted says "Stop jerkin off in my mother's room!".
And last of all is Scott William Winters as Clark, the arrogant Harvard student who get's a dressing down from Will for trying to be smart-assed about his education with Chuckie who tries to chat up Skylar and another girl at a bar.
So, in the scene Clark comes over as Chuckie says he took a class at Harvard and Clark asks him "What was that class?" and Chuckie says "History" and Clark teases him "I think I remember that class, it was between recess and lunch". Skylar now annoyed says "Clark, why don't you go away?" and Clark says "Why don't you relax? I'm just having fun with my new friend". Chuckie smiles a little and says "What are we gonna have a problem?" and Clark smugly says "I was just hoping you might give me some insight into the evolution of the market economy of the Southern Colonies. My contention is that uh...prior to the Revolutionary War, the economic modalities, especially in the Southern Colonies, could most aptly be characterized as agrarian precapital...". And at this point Will steps in and puts Clark in his place as he parrots back at him the stuff he is spouting.
And Will says that next year Clark will be back in quoting Gordon Wood and Clark says "Well, as a matter of fact I won't because Wood drastically underestimates the impact on social dis..." and Will interrupts finishes his sentence "Wood drastically underestimates the social distinctions predicated on wealth, especially inherited wealth". Will then goes on to says that Clark should learn two things, one not to do what he's doing and that he dropped "150 grand on an education he could have got for $1.50 in late charges at the public library". Clark then says "Yeah but I will have a degree and you will be serving my kids fries on our way to a skiing trip" and Will laughs and says "Maybe but at least i won't be unoriginal. But if you problem we can maybe step outside and figure it out" and Clark backs off and says as cool as he can "No, man there's no problem. Its cool" and Will smiles and says "Yeah? Cool".
DIRECTOR
Finally moving onto the director, Gus Van Sant does a great job here with the film as he paces it out pretty well at a leisurely pace and the film never lags at any time with its run time just over 2 hours and 5 minutes. Van Sant was chosen by Damon and Affleck as they were impressed with his direction of Drugstore Cowboy back in 1989. And Van Sant also brings his own visual style to the film and he makes interesting use of slow motion during the fight scene near the start where Will and his friends beat up on some of Will's childhood bullies. So, overall Van Sant does great here and this easily ranks as one of his best films.
MUSIC
As for the music score, Danny Elfman composed the soundtrack and its a very good score overall and quite different from the ones we are used to hearing from Elfman, which are usually bombastic in volume. However here Elfman has gone for a softer more piano driven score here and the tone of the score fits the film perfectly well. The film also features some tracks by the late songwriter, Elliot Smith of which the song "Miss Misery" was nominated for an Oscar. Smith himself sadly later died tragically only aged 34 in 2003.
FLAWS
As for flaws, does Good Will Hunting have any??? Well, yeah there are some.
For starters, I think at times one of the big drawbacks of the film in a way is the character of Will himself as there quite a few times in the film where he comes across as being an unlikable dickhead and he really quite arrogant and ignorant to many people around him. To be fair though, you could argue this is down to his defensive nature and his troubled childhood and upbringing and his sessions with Sean work on that to an extent. However, there were certainly quite a few scenes where I thought Will was just being a knob for the sake of it particularly where he mocks the therapists, or turns down the NSA job in such an overblown way and even has a go at Skylar for just wanting him to go with her to California although these are I guess all born out of fear. But I still think that Will can at times be a bit insufferable to watch in the film when he is being an asshole regardless.
Another issue I had was to do with the fact that Will seems to wear the same pair of trousers for nearly the ENTIRE FILM! I mean you see him wear these crappy looking pale old trousers with specks of paint on them! I mean doesn't this kid believe in buying a new pair of trousers at least once? Especially when we see that Will has a decent wardrobe of clothes yet only one pair of trousers to go with them! The one exception of course later on, or two rather is he does wear a better pair when he goes for his interviews but that aside he wears just the same old crappy ones!
I also thought it was a bit silly how Will's friends did a really good thing of getting a new car for him put together but they didn't actually paint it! So, the car basically looks like crap without a decent paint job and even Will mentions how ugly the car looks as a result with the job being done. But then again I guess that was the point and paint jobs are quite expensive.
Anyway that's it for the flaws.
SUM UP
So, to sum up Good Will Hunting is an excellent drama film, which is dramatic, powerful, moving and funny all at once and the film is also helped by its great script and top-notch performances from the cast particularly Damon, Williams and Driver. The film's direction and music are also both excellent and this is generally just a very solid drama that remains well worth checking out 25 years after its release.
So I will give Good Will Hunting:
9 out of 10
So, that's it for now and I will be back sometime this month for a few more posts before 2022 finishes.
Until then its bye for now!
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