John Grisham's The Rainmaker (PG-13) *** (out of ****) Good Will Hunting (R) *** 1/2 (out of ****)
Every year, Hollywood crowns a new "it boy"--a young actor pegged for major movie stardom. Inheriting the mantle from last year's "winner," Matthew McConaughey, is Matt Damon, and, like McConaughey, he proves to be more than just a fresh young face, as evidenced in two radically different projects currently in release--John Grisham's The Rainmaker and Good Will Hunting.
Damon has his first major starring role, a la McConaughey, in a John Grisham adaptation--in this case, Francis Ford Coppola's take on The Rainmaker. Damon plays wet-behind-the-ears attorney Rudy Baylor, who, immediately after passing the bar exam, finds himself representing the mother (Mary Kay Place) of a terminally ill young man (John Whitworth) in a big-league suit against a negligent insurance company. While Rudy's (and the film's) main concern is this case, he also finds time to protect a young wife (Claire Danes) from her abusive husband (Melrose Placer Andrew Shue, in a mercifully brief role).
Written for the screen and directed by Coppola, The Rainmaker is the best Grisham film yet mostly because it does not take itself too seriously. Coppola's most notable--and effective--contribution to the tried-and-true Grisham formula is a sense of humor about itself, which largely comes in the presence of Danny DeVito (as Rudy's unlicensed co-counsel) and Golden Globe nominee Jon Voight (as the insurance company's hotshot attorney). The inclusion of the battered wife subplot feels rather superfluous, but Danes is as superb as always. Then, of course, there is Damon, who nicely juggles the weighty (the insurance case, the spousal abuse) and the humorous (Rudy's often comical naivete) requirements of his role without missing a beat.
As good as he is in The Rainmaker, Damon showcases the depth of his talent in Good Will Hunting, directed by Gus Van Sant and written by actor Ben Affleck and Damon himself. Damon plays the title character, Will Hunting, a troubled young construction worker/janitor at MIT who also happens to be a supergenius. In an attempt to steer this brilliant young mind in the right direction, an MIT math professor (Stellan Skarsgard) taps his old college friend, community college psychologist Sean McGuire (Robin Williams), to counsel the abrasive, standoffish Will and try to help him come to terms with his turbulent life.
Good Will Hunting 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. Even though no one (and, if so, _very_ few people) can directly relate to Will's burden of superhuman intelligence, the insecurities he suffers are universal. The material is brought to life by the terrific ensemble of actors. Williams delivers a nice dramatic turn; Affleck, a hot up-and-coming actor himself (Chasing Amy), turns up in a warm and charming performance as Will's best friend; and the ever-appealing Minnie Driver shines as Will's Harvard-schooled love interest. The clear standout in the cast, though, is Damon, who bravely does not soften Will's prickly nature but has such a natural ease with the audience that it is hard _not_ to care for him.
So many names come and go with the fluctuations of the Hollywood hype machine, but based on his impressive work in John Grisham's The Rainmaker and especially Good Will Hunting, it is a safe bet that Matt Damon is one name we will be hearing a lot more of in the years to come.
Michael Dequina mrbrown@ucla.edu | michael_jordan@geocities.com | mj23@the18thhole.com mrbrown@michaeljordanfan.com | mj23@michaeljordanfan.com mrbrown23@juno.com | mrbrown@iname.com | mst3k@digicron.com
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