GOOD WILL HUNTING??? How about, ASSHOLE WILL HUNTING? That title is more appropriate and least insulting really. But to be more specific, the title character played by Matt Damon is just an arrogant little prick, plain and simple. Worse yet, he stays this way throughout 99% of the film. Some have argued that this was the point, and it was all about Will Hunting’s redemption and growth as a character. To them I say, SO WHAT! If you can’t even stand the main character, then you’ve blown it! A similar mistake was made in the film, WYATT EARP (1994), starring Kevin Costner. In that film, Wyatt Earp is such a jerk that you can’t feel a bit of sympathy for him. This is a problem! I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of having mean characters glorified, especially ones as obvious as this. Let’s be honest, most of us would despise a guy like this if we ever knew him for real. So why are we so passive now?

      When HUNTING was finally over (which I couldn’t wait for), I was shocked that it had been so wildly praised. The only saving grace is Robin Williams, whose performance was outstanding. Besides that, GOOD WILL HUNTING doesn’t offer much more. The direction is amateur, which is inexcusable considering Gus Van Sant has directed other films. And secondly, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck may be good actors, but they are both at a loss when it comes to screenplays. Come on, the story was predictable and the jokes fell flat most of the time. The fact that they won an OSCAR for it only proves that you can still sell your soul in Hollywood. As for Minnie Driver, I feel sorry for her. Her character is so ridiculous that you just want to smack her, as she continually puts up with Hunting’s crap. Still, this is true to life because we all know people who have significant others that treat them badly, and yet they put up with it. Of course, we sometimes want to smack them too.

      While it may seem so, I’m not completely dismissing this movie. There were moments of excellence that make it worth watching. But in the end, the film as a whole is only okay and not the breakthrough it’s being hailed as. And since there are much better movies out there, I cannot recommend it.


      *NOTE: I have received more E-mail from people disagreeing with me on this one review than any other. And just to let you know, I am listening. I admit that I was hard on this film, but I still gave it an okay rating, thus saying that it wasn’t bad or comparable to some films that are truly horrible. However, many of you still seem to think that I’ve missed the point entirely, and that is your right. Personally, I feel I came down somewhere in the middle.

      I’ve been hesitant about this, but I’m about to provide a link to another reviewer who truly did not like this movie. I’m only doing this because many of you seem to think my review was the harshest. After you read this, I hope you’ll see that it wasn’t. And just so you know, I don’t like this reviewer at all. Click here.