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Movies / On DVD / Good Will Hunting
Good Will Hunting

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Good Will Hunting (1997)

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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

[See More Credits]

Reviews for Good Will Hunting

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
02/09/06
Derek Adams
Derek Adams
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Touching, without being sentimental, and feelgood without appearing contrived, this is one shrink-wrapped drama that's worth unpacking.

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
12/10/01
Nev Pierce
Nev Pierce
BBC
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Good Will Hunting may well be the Rocky story of the 90s.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
01/01/00
Bob McCabe
Bob McCabe
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: UK Critic | comment Comment
01/01/00
Ian Waldron-Mantgani
Ian Waldron-Mantgani
UK Critic

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

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
02/05/08
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Despite its coarse exterior, Good Will Hunting proves to be a rather positive and motivational experience.

Full Review Source: Houston Community Newspapers | comment Comment
05/09/07
Gary Brown
Gary Brown
Houston Community Newspapers
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: New York Observer | comment Comment
04/27/07
Andrew Sarris
Andrew Sarris
New York Observer

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.

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
05/26/06
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
12/06/05
Film Threat

The film succeeds not because of an overall arc, but as a chain of smaller moments that glimmer in their minuscule perfection.

Full Review Source: Arizona Daily Star | comment 1 Comment
10/07/05
Phil Villarreal
Phil Villarreal
Arizona Daily Star

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.

Full Review Source: Ain't It Cool Movie Reviews | comment Comment
06/25/05
Moriarty
Moriarty
Ain't It Cool Movie Reviews
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Reeling Reviews | comment Comment
04/09/05
Robin Clifford
Robin Clifford
Reeling Reviews

... beneath their arrogance and crass behavior, you'll find a lot of hurt and many defense mechanisms raised against a compassionless, manipulative society.

Full Review Source: Looking Closer | comment Comment
01/15/05
Jeffrey Overstreet
Jeffrey Overstreet
Looking Closer

Uno sale del cine y se da cuenta de por qué la película recibió tanta atención.

Full Review Source: Cinenganos | comment Comment
06/05/04
Alex Ramirez
Alex Ramirez
Cinenganos

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: rec.arts.movies.reviews | comment Comment
04/21/04
Dragan Antulov
Dragan Antulov
rec.arts.movies.reviews

Not a work of art or great power, but it has some moving moments.

Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | comment 3 Comments
02/27/04
Dennis Schwartz
Dennis Schwartz
Ozus' World Movie Reviews

Though the movie tells a straightforward story, there are enough offbeat touches along the way to balance out its more predictable aspects.

Full Review Source: Kalamazoo Gazette | comment Comment
07/02/03
James Sanford
James Sanford
Kalamazoo Gazette
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Film Blather | comment Comment
05/22/03
Eugene Novikov
Eugene Novikov
Film Blather

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Palo Alto Weekly | comment Comment
05/14/03
Jeanne Aufmuth
Jeanne Aufmuth
Palo Alto Weekly

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Film Quips Online | comment Comment
02/08/03
John R. McEwen
John R. McEwen
Film Quips Online
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 >> >|
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Latest News for Good Will Hunting

June 04, 2008: RT Interview: Ben Affleck Goes After the Critics for a Change
The actor-turned-director on Gone Baby Gone, his relationship with reviewers and, erm, his favourite critical aggregator... RT! More...

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October 17, 2007: Total Recall: Ben (Affleck's) Bits
In Gone Baby Gone, Ben Affleck directs younger brother Casey in a mystery surrounding the case of a missing Boston girl. In the spirit of Total Recall, we decided to take a look... More...

See All

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