GOOD WILL HUNTING
RATING: **1/2 (out of ****)
Miramax / 2:06 / 1997 / R Cast: Matt Damon; Robin Williams; Minnie Driver; Ben Affleck; Stellan Skarsgård; Casey Affleck; Cole Hauser Director: Gus Van Sant Screenplay: Ben Affleck; Matt Damon
Just in time for the holidays comes "Good Will Hunting," a well-cast drama intent on delivering that warm-and-gooey feeling, so much that it's a surprise to learn this wannabe-uplifter comes from usually-dark director Gus Van Sant. A December 25th release date actually couldn't be more appropriate, because this movie is so much like the big Christmas dinner you'll be downing on that day -- it certainly looks appetizing, but it'll leave you overstuffed, even ending with a send-off so drawn out that it's the cinematic equivalent of L-tryptophan.
Good's icky title refers to its main character -- Will Hunting (Matt Damon), a janitor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Will's secretly much brighter than most of the students attending there; said attribute is revealed after esteemed Professor Lambeau (Stellan Skarsgård from "Breaking the Waves") posts a too-tough math problem on a blackboard for his students to solve, and only Will is bright enough to crack the answer. Initially, Will and Lambeau are rivals, but the latter comes to the former's aid after the young ruffian is jailed on an all-too-frequent assault charge.
Lambeau has a couple conditions for keeping Will on the streets: One, they work side by side on math theory; two, Will see a psychiatrist on a regular basis. After several unsuccessful pairings, a spark is ignited with unorthodox therapist Sean McGuire (Robin Williams), an old friend of Lambeau's. Will's time is then divided between being helped by McGuire and hanging out with his old Boston buddies, namely best pal Chuckie (immensely likeable Ben Affleck from "Chasing Amy"). There's also time for a romantic subplot involving Skylar (Minnie Driver), a beautiful, brainy Harvard student who falls for Will.
Van Sant, who last directed the explosive media satire "To Die For," keeps things moving in a conventional way. The movie bears none of his eccentric trademarks; just when you think things are about to get engaging, they stay steady with disinteresting development. The screenplay, co-written by Damon and Affleck, is pretty standard; they know how to create compelling characters but don't do much compelling with them. At best, "Good Will Hunting" is watchable, but it's rarely moving or sentimental.
If the heart of "Good Will Hunting" is the relationship between Will and McGuire, then it's a shockingly empty one. Their first few sessions, as they begin challenging each other's minds, hold promise, but future interaction is formulaic, predictable and uninvolving. Far better is the screen time devoted to Will with Skylar and Chuckie. There might be a better movie there, but the problem is that this development is secondary to Will's therapeutic process. Damon and Affleck are close friends in real life, and their chemistry is apparent, adding much potency to scenes that aren't very important. Driver, as she did in last April's "Grosse Pointe Blank," turns what could have been a throwaway role into something special; I found her scenes with Damon to be far more concentrated than anything else in the film.
Because "Good Will Hunting" is a performance-driven piece, I can recommend it. There's an abundance of good acting here, including Williams scoring big with an atypically serious role; he does that goofy shtick so often (most recently in tripe like "Flubber" and "Fathers' Day") that it's easy to forget what a good dramatic player he is. It's just that there's little emotional investment made in the story. When "Good Will Hunting" stacks on a plethora of stirring climactic events, it's akin to going to a party where you don't know anyone and something disastrous happens -- you really just don't care.
© 1997 Jamie Peck E-mail: jpeck1@gl.umbc.edu Visit the Reel Deal Online: http://www.gl.umbc.edu/~jpeck1
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