GOOD WILL HUNTING

We've all heard of this kind of story line before: a genius boy gets discovered by someone wanting him to succeed, then works for a company, and later on have some bad guys come after him. This plot has been widely used but the writers Matt Damon and Ben Affleck took a very different approach. I know that these best friends write scripts for movies but I never knew that they were really good. With this, they proved that they have a mind to match their faces.

There are no acts of natural disasters and gangland violence in Good Will Hunting. This is a film simply about people and about estrangement and untapped potential. Not the usual rags-to-riches with a dash of romance story that we usually see. It was such good thing the writers thought of something different.

Will Hunting,remarkably portrayed by actor Matt Damon, is a 20 year-old who works as a janitor at a very prestigious university,specifically the MIT. He could solve complicated mathematical problems that couldn't be solved by mathematicians, nearly without thinking. The story becomes interesting when a professor found his potentials,wanting to hone it, and benefit from his gift. However, Will just wanted to be an average man and live just like his friends. His friends on the other hand wanted him to leave and use his potentials to live a very good life and succeed. His therapeutic sessions with Mr. Rogers(Williams) began to help him and soon freed them from their troubled pasts.

Scenes and dialogues between the two (Williams and Damon)are sometimes funny yet witty because I'm not used to seeing Williams in a drama flick. Many would probably disagree because they casted Williams as a serious Mr. Rogers in the movie.However, it was fine for he deserves a break in making comedy flicks. I guess it's time for him to venture in drama and good thing he accepted the role.

The film is the first I've seen of Matt Damon. One film is enough for me to say that he is a good actor. He's very natural when it comes to acting. And I can say that he has a very nice future ahead of him in the business. Ben Affleck 's performance on the other hand, that I cannot say remarkable for he only had a minor role here. Minnie Driver, who played as the love interest of Damon was good although there were occasional slips in her British accent.

The title "GOOD WILL HUNTING" actually has a double meaning. First could be understood as a story of a man named Will Hunting who is good. And the second meaning could be as hunting for good will. Tricky as it may seem but the title got my attention the first time I heard it. Now that I've seen the flick, I now understood the reason behind it.

Good Will Hunting is a very good film and a very good effort by its two young writers, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck. A movie funny in the right places, and also touching in the right places. Predictably, this story is about a man's learning to trust other people and find his place in life. A story of a man looking for directions in life and using his intelligence to succeed. A very unique and touching movie with a simple presentation.

Featuring award winning performances by equally award-winning actors, splendid direction, and a very well presentation, surely this movie has come a long way. The nominations and the Oscar received are worth the hard work and efforts of the makers of the film.