GOOD WILL HUNTING (1997) ***1/2 It's not an uncommon scenario really, only at this magnitude. Every university in America no doubt has a janitor more intelligent, and integritous, than some of its students. At USD law school our janitor was smarter than about half the graduating class, and knew more about Criminal Procedure than easily three/quarters. They don't make janitors that write like this though, that I know of, particularly at Matt Damon's age: hell, at his age they haven't even attained janitor (from beach bum, marijuana salesman, stockbroker, etc.) yet. The script is absolutely brilliant, full of insights from one who has walked the road he writes on, beyond psychological clichés well across the boundary into the profound. The acting is almost too natural to be genius: Damon, the Afflecks...townies we've all drank or fought with, maybe both twenty minutes apart, along the road somewhere. Robin Williams' portrayal of the Vietnam vet shrink may be his greatest ever, especially when he gets mad and slips into the southie brogue he's tried so hard to overcome. Minnie Driver moves among them as an equal, expressing critical mass feminine emotion without reminding of that lady who keeps getting nominated for the soap opera award but never wins. Gus Van Sant doesn't ruin things, or unnecessarily sugarcoat them, in fact here's my nomination for best ever cinematic use of a Gerry Rafferty song. Still, it's Damon's baby. He wrote it, he acts pythagorean theorems around his brilliant co-conspirators, and he very loudly tells his very limited number of peers not to sell out. It's an old message, but one that's never been so desperately in need of being paid heed. Speaking of paying, that scene between Damon and the NSA is the most comprehensive 45-second critique of contemporary American government that I've ever heard. Jeffersonian, Marxist, blue collar, white collar, liberal, conservative, and moderate all at the same time...just like real religion. It's a damn important post on the roadmap for anyone with a pumping brain in their head, anyway.
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