... an engrossing, emotional roller coaster with peaks and valleys of perceptive wit, unsettling anger, coarse humor, and touching affection.
Good Will Hunting (1997)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:59
Fresh:57
Rotten:2
Average Rating:8.1/10
Consensus: Van Sant, working from Affleck and Damon's script, lends warmth and real emotion to the film's somewhat basic story.
Runtime: 2 hrs 6 mins
Genre: Dramas
Synopsis: A South Boston whiz kid elects to clean the halls of learning rather than enter them, slumming his way through life as a janitor at MIT. But his natural ability to unravel complex equations... A South Boston whiz kid elects to clean the halls of learning rather than enter them, slumming his way through life as a janitor at MIT. But his natural ability to unravel complex equations attracts the attention of a professor who won't let him quit, a beautiful Harvard student who wants to save him, a sympathetic buddy who wants him to escape South Boston, and a counselor who encourages him. A soundly acclaimed, homegrown effort from lifelong Boston buddies Damon and Affleck, who pushed their script through development by disguising it as a suspense thriller. [More]
Starring: Matt Damon, Robin Williams, Ben Affleck, Minnie Driver
Starring: Matt Damon, Robin Williams, Ben Affleck, Minnie Driver, Stellan Skarsgaard, Casey Affleck, Cole Hauser, John Mighton, Rachel Majowski, Colleen McCauley, Alison Folland, George Plimpton
Director: Gus Van Sant
Director: Gus Van Sant
Screenwriter: Ben Affleck, Matt Damon
Composer: Danny Elfman
Producer: Lawrence Bender
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Release:
Jan 5, 1999
Reviews for Good Will Hunting
As Francis Ford Coppola does with The Rainmaker, Van Sant demonstrates how entertainingly a real pro can direct a strong if not especially groundbreaking story.
Even rarer than a breath of fresh air is a breath of fresh Hollywood film. Brainy and heartfelt and right on target, Good Will Hunting is such a film.
Good Will Hunting represents the firmest step into the mainstream yet for director Gus van Sant.
Damon and Affleck show a wisdom beyond their years with some of the dialogue, which is alternately poignant and humorous.
Van Sant makes Good Will Hunting a lot livelier than it might have been.
This has not been a great year for language in movies, but people are going to be memorizing and reciting some of these lines for years to come.
Good Will Hunting is a most accomplished writing debut for two young actors with a solid future as Hollywood hyphenates.
An impressive scripting debut for actors Matt Damon and Ben Affleck...
Part character study, part redemptive drama, and all cheesy heart, it's Boston-baked melodrama, a little too gooey at times, but still pretty delicious.
A good movie allows its characters to learn and grow. It doesn't just happen; it takes a good script, good acting, and good direction. Good Will Hunting has all three.
Will's relationships with his best friend, Chuckie (Affleck), and new girlfriend, Skylar (Minnie Driver), resonate with a depth that unfortunately few other movies approach.
... a very good film which is well worth your hard-earned time and money.
Good Will Hunting narrowly avoids many sentimental pitfalls thanks to what doesn't happen...
It is the touchy-feely enterprise its plot synopsis suggests, but to simply dismiss it as that would be to discount the true emotional chords Affleck and Damon's intelligent script touches.
Mature teens will appreciate this story, written by its appealing two stars, of a brilliant young man with a troubled past.
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| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 36% 36% | Angels & Demons |
| 25% 25% | Four Christmases |
| 68% 68% | Funny People |
| 95% 95% | Star Trek |
| 14% 14% | The Ugly Truth |
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|---|---|
| 32% 32% | Terminator Salvation |
| 44% 44% | Night at the Museum: B… |
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