Good Will Hunting (Collector's Series) (1997)

USA Today
"?...Matt Damon delivers the movie year's No. 1 breakthrough performance..." -- 3 out of 4 stars 04/17/1998 p.10E

New York Times
"...A smart and touching screenplay....Directed with style, shrewdness and clarity..." 12/05/1997 p.E10

Box Office
"...An impressive scripting debut....Williams delivers an honest portrayal that adds greatly to the film's character interplay..." 01/01/1998 p.45

Premiere
"...A funny, affecting tale of friendship and self-determination..." 01/01/1998 p.22

Chicago Sun-Times
"...Smart, involving....The film has a good ear for the way these characters might really talk..." 12/25/1997 p.38

San Francisco Chronicle 8 of 10
We've got a winner in Good Will Hunting. The glow goes well beyond a radiant performance by Matt Damon as a misunderstood, rebellious genius. Intimate, heartfelt and wickedly funny, it's a movie whose impact lingers... A smart cast led by top-billed Robin Williams, along with Minnie Driver and Stellan Skarsgard, keeps it fresh. The film is a departure for director Gus Van Sant (My Own Private Idaho) -- this one has warmth as well as edge. That may disappoint hard-core Van Sant fans, but it shows the director applying a sure hand to a more mainstream story without forsaking the offbeat. Damon plays Will Hunting, a night janitor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He's a tough Boston "Southie"who relishes hanging out with his foul-mouthed Irish-American buddies, a group of aimless rowdies who hit bars and bully guys from other neighborhoods. His best friend, Chuckie, is played with smart-alecky affection by Affleck. But there's more than swagger and mysterious rage to Will Hunting. Behind the tough guy there's a genius... The film, though often riotously funny, is a powerful study of a young man whose tough facade and bullying charm are masks for the monster genius he can't shake... Good Will Hunting becomes a poignant, embracing drama of hurt, scared humanity learning to reach out. Damon is sensational. Even in quiet moments, torment seems to roil under his skin. He turns every gesture of defiance and denial into a revelation. His acting is earthy, audacious and intelligent. Williams also turns what might have been a star walk-through into a soulfully rich performance. His character is a kind, wise man, but Williams makes him bristle with feelings that reveal his vulnerability... - Peter Stack
 
The New York Times 8 of 10
Everybody loves a Cinderella story and Good Will Hunting has two of them: one on screen and one behind the scenes. That's why this film's single sweetest moment comes during its opening titles, as the new stars and old friends Ben Affleck and Matt Damon walk proudly toward the camera while their writing credit appears. Two young actors with soaring reputations have written themselves a smart and touching screenplay, then seen it directed with style, shrewdness and clarity by Gus Van Sant. There couldn't be a better choice than the unsentimental Van Sant for material like this. As Francis Ford Coppola does with The Rainmaker, Van Sant demonstrates how entertainingly a real pro can direct a strong if not especially groundbreaking story. The script's bare bones are familiar, yet the film also has fine acting, steady momentum, a sharp eye and a very warm heart. Never one to condescend to restless young characters, Van Sant (Drugstore Cowboy, My Own Private Idaho, To Die For) neither romanticizes the angst of the film's college-age hero... Good Will Hunting [is] a film much more graceful than the pun in its title... - Janet Maslin