
Good Will Hunting
1997, Drama, 2h 6m
80 Reviews 250,000+ RatingsWhat to know
critics consensus
It follows a predictable narrative arc, but Good Will Hunting adds enough quirks to the journey -- and is loaded with enough powerful performances -- that it remains an entertaining, emotionally rich drama. Read critic reviews
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Movie Info
Cast & Crew
Will Hunting
Sean Maguire
Chuckie Sullivan
Skylar
Gerald Lambeau
Morgan O'Mally
News & Interviews for Good Will Hunting
Critic Reviews for Good Will Hunting
All Critics (80) | Top Critics (25) | Fresh (78) | Rotten (2)
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Good Will Hunting is lyrically directed, efficiently written, side-splittingly funny, quietly devastating.
June 5, 2020 | Full Review… -
The headline story from this slice of honestly earned sentiment is Matt Damon, who delivers the year's No. 1 breakthrough performance directly atop his agreeable high-profile turn in John Grisham's The Rainmaker.
January 9, 2018 | Rating: 3.5/4 | Full Review… -
It's a movie that captures (in a way that perhaps an older screenwriter could not convey) the limitless possibilities of youth, a movie in which a character can tell another, without cynicism, "You could do anything you want. You are bound by nothing."
December 15, 2017 | Full Review… -
The best thing about Good Will Hunting is not in its well-crafted, psychological symmetries but in the just-plain messiness of its humanity. It's rowdy, it's funny, it's heartbreaking -- it rings of life.
December 5, 2016 | Full Review… -
A crowd-pleaser, with bags of charm to spare.
August 15, 2014 | Full Review… -
Towering performance by Matt Damon as a troubled working class who needs to address his creative genius elevates this drama way above its therapeutic approach, resulting in a zeitgeist film that may touch chord with young viewers the way The Graduate did
February 5, 2008 | Rating: A-
Audience Reviews for Good Will Hunting
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Nov 12, 2020Good Will Hunting is to me a film of authentic experience. The soul of this movie is undoubtedly Robin Williams and his powerful ability to portrait genuine compassion woven with pain and hurt. Matt Damon is also no slouch in that department. That sentiment and barriers we all face accessing that virtue is the core of this movie. The narrative is pretty standard: someone greater than their class and start held back by the legacy of that life trying to find a way out. All the usual stages of psychological development play out: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and eventual acceptance of life's trauma. The formula isn't this story's big hook. It is how the characters manage to feel so real. Everyone in this movie shows moments of honesty, failure and humanity. They all do it in ways that remain true to the characters they're cast as. This is not all moments of feel good triumph or acceptance, but people growing struggling and advancing with the materials put in front of them. I cannot think of a more satisfying way to tell this type of story. Good Will Hunting is an excellent movie that falls short of the upper crust because it was maybe not daring enough. When you re-watch the movie, at least for me, I am struck how I stopped focusing on the narrative at all and really focused on the scenes, the bottled moments and witty dialogue. That is the magic in this movie and for that, it is a real masterworkShane S Super Reviewer
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Oct 13, 2017Good Will Hunting's characters, realism, heart and humour all fuse together perfectly, resulting in an outstandingly human film.Sean T Super Reviewer
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Apr 29, 2017The class struggle at the film's core, while a bit obvious, is undeniably compelling. That said there are few too many pointed speeches and the whole thing gets a bit maudlin at times.Alec B Super Reviewer
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Apr 27, 2017At first I was not a big fan of this movie because it moved kind of slow, but it in turn moved me. The story is woven almost seamlessly, and the acting is of a diffrent caliber when it comes to the leads. There are uncomfortable close ups and spanning wide city shoots, no angle is missed and neither can this film be.Jarrin R Super Reviewer
Good Will Hunting Quotes
Sean McGuire: | It's not your fault. |
Will Hunting: | I know... |
Sean McGuire: | No, you don't. It's not your fault. |
Will Hunting: | I know. |
Sean McGuire: | No, listen to me, son. It's not your fault. |
Will Hunting: | I know that. |
Will Hunting: | ... |
Will Hunting: | Don't fuck with me, Sean. Not you. |
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