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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.
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
Reviews for Good Will Hunting
For the first time in his career, Van Sant is invisible as a filmmaker, simply getting out of the way of the story and his performers. The film is richer for it.
Good Will Hunting is a confident film with great performances and an authentic look, sound and feel.
The film succeeds not because of an overall arc, but as a chain of smaller moments that glimmer in their minuscule perfection.
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.
Touching, without being sentimental, and feelgood without appearing contrived, this is one shrink-wrapped drama that's worth unpacking.
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.
An impressive scripting debut for actors Matt Damon and Ben Affleck...
The outcome of the movie is fairly predictable; so is the whole story, really. It's the individual moments, not the payoff, that make it so effective.
É realmente impressionante que dois jovens como Matt Damon e Ben Affleck tenham sido capazes de escrever um roteiro tão complexo quanto o de 'Gênio Indomável'.
Uno sale del cine y se da cuenta de por qué la película recibió tanta atención.
Can get overly sentimental at times, but Gus Van Sant's sensitive direction... and his excellent use of the city make it a hugely entertaining and effective film.
Despite its schematic layout and predictable outcome, the ensemble acting is of such a high level -- particularly that of Robin Williams, Matt Damon and Stellan Skarsgard -- that the impact on his audience is spellbinding.
Damon and Affleck show a wisdom beyond their years with some of the dialogue, which is alternately poignant and humorous.
Between this film and John Grisham's The Rainmaker, Damon surfaces as one swell addition to the front line of screen actors.
There's nothing original in this picture, yet it's intensely likable just the same.
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