I often hear people say that there are no more good actors or actresses any more. While I will agree that too many movies these days are too focused on special effects, the fact that there are no more good actors is just false. In this column previously I have mentioned my appreciation of Kevin Costner's work but he is by far not the only one. Edward Norton, Jake Gyllenhaal, George Clooney, John Cusack, and Jeremy Renner are just some names that come to the top of my mind of actors who generally excel in their roles, even if some of their films fall flat. But the name that would be at the top of that list for me is Matt Damon. Damon has been in a ton of great films and in almost every one, he is the primary reason for the success. One of Damon's earliest roles, and possibly one of his finest, is the title role in Gus Van Sant's 1997 Best Picture nominee Good Will Hunting. In addition to starring in the film, Damon and best buddy Ben Affleck, who also stars in the film, were awarded the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for writing the script. There have been rumors floating around for years that other more accomplished writers had a go at the script but all of those rumors have been debunked.
The film is about Damon's character, Will Hunting, who on the surface when we first see him seems to be a bit of a loser. He works as a janitor at MIT and hangs out with his 3 friends (Ben Affleck, Casey Affleck and Cole Hauser) who all appear to have no desires except to bust each others chops and hang out at the local bar. The friends are at a ball field one day and see a guy who used to beat Will up when they were in Kindergarten. Later on they see the guy walking down the street with some friends and they jump out of their car and start a fight for no specific reason, other than the guy used to beat Will up many years ago. The scene is pretty brutal as Will appears to beat the guy pretty severely and is arrested. During the arrest he assaults one of the police officers as well. We can tell that Will is a very troubled young man. But there is something deeper with him. Earlier in the movie we see him prove a mathematical theory that stumps all of the students of MIT professor Gerald Lambeau, played by Stellan Skarsgard. When Lambeau calls on his students to identify who solved the problem, none of the students comes forward. He put another theory on the board which is even more difficult. This time Lambeau and his associate stumble upon Will working the problem and try to confront him but Will runs off. Thinking he is a janitor who was just messing around, they are shocked to find that Will was able to prove the theory which has stumped the greatest Math minds of all time. Lambeau tracks down Will through his parole officer and makes a deal with the judge to look after Will. Lambeau wants Will to work Math problems for him and to also seek counseling, which Will thinks is a waste of time. We go through a handful of therapists who are mocked by Will and can't get through to him. As a last resort, Lambeau goes to an old college roommate of his, Sean Maguire, who is teaching Psychology at a local community college.
Maguire is the other central character in the film and is played brilliantly by Robin Williams who won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for this role. Williams is known for his manic comedy roles but in my opinion he is at his best when he pulls back the reins and shows that when he wants to he can really act. The scenes between Williams and Damon provide the central story arc for Good Will Hunting and the two feed off each other so well it's as if they have starred together if dozens of films, but that's simply not the case. It's just two actors giving master class performances, pure and simple. The relationship between Will and Sean starts off tenuous when Will mocks the death of Sean's wife causing Sean to threaten Will. Lambeau tells Sean that he will not bring Will back, but Sean wants to see him again. Even though he was insulted by Will, Sean sees through the facade and calls him out on it on their next visit. It is this scene, set in a park, where the movie really starts earning it's stripes and ultimately it's five star rating from me. Sean points out all of Will's genius but challenges him on the true aspects of life. We can see for the first time Will putting his guard down and letting someone inside. We no longer see a punk kid, but a troubled kid who acts like a punk to cover up a lot of insecurities in his life which resulted from years of abuse while in foster care. From this point on, the movie is filled with great scenes that reflect this struggle in Will.
Along with Sean and Prof. Lambeau, there are two other characters who play a major role in Will's life. His best friend Chuckie played by Ben Affleck and his girlfriend Skylar played by Minnie Driver. Both of these characters have a moment with Will similar to the park scene between Will and Sean, and combined they provide the pathway to end of the movie. Chuckie is truly a best friend and we can't imagine him without Will, but in a great scene he explains to Will that it will be an insult to Chuckie if Will is still around at an old age. He recognizes Will's gift and his hope is that one day his friend will recognize what a chance he has at life and try to make the best of himself. Skylar comes into the scene early in the movie when the four friends are visiting a bar near Harvard. Will stands up for Chuckie and draws the eye of Skylar and the two start dating. Their relationship works well until Skylar tries to get into the deepest parts of Will's heart. Once again, the defense mechanisms go up and in one of the other key scenes in the film, Will breaks up with Skylar and tells her he doesn't love her. We know he does, but by this time we know of the struggles Will has with opening up to people. All of these scenes lead to the conclusion when Sean must get Will to finally put those barriers down for good. This scene ("It's not your fault") has been parodied and mocked in pop culture for years but that's unfortunate because it is one of the most touching scenes in cinema history, at least that's my opinion.
Good Will Hunting gets my highest recommendation. The script is wonderful, the acting is all superb, everything just feels "right" about this movie. The movie is rated R based almost strictly on its profanity, but I don't mind the profanity here because it seems real. I have a feeling that 4 buddies growing up in Boston on the streets truly talk like this so there is some authenticity to it I'm sure. Still, even though the language can be harsh I don't think it's anything an older teenager couldn't handle. I'm sure they have heard worse before. The only reason this concerns me is because this is one of those movies that I think everyone could enjoy and it should be available to the widest audience possible. Either way, it's a fabulous film and if you have never given it a chance before I encourage you to seek it out.
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