Good Will Hunting

Will Hunting, a young janitor at MIT, keeps a secret. His mind is extraordinary- his memory is photographic, he easily deciphers problems which harass the mathematics faculty at MIT, and he reads books in a matter of minutes. Facing a prison sentence , Will is bailed out by an MIT professor who discovers his genius. The court stipulates that in exchange for his freedom, Will must divide his afternoons between research with the math professor and a psychiatrist chosen by the professor.

Will Hunting’s only consistently successful relationships are with blue-collar ne’er do wells, and perhaps this can be attributed to a cynicism of life and his genius. These friends cannot stimulate Will intellectually, nor even begin to fathom the pr ofundity of his mind. During an early scene in Good Will Hunting, the brilliant Will analyzes a painting created by his new psychiatrist. In a malicious role reversal, Will studies the painting, its strokes and different colors, and within two min utes, he has discerned with prophetic clarity the deepest secrets of the life and mind of his astonished shrink. In a later episode, Will insults his girlfriend when she is most vulnerable, leaving her emotionally naked. These scenes represent Will Hunt ing at a spiritual trough - angry, bitter, and intellectually vindictive. Yet by the movie’s end, Will has abandoned his misanthropic ways, supplanting a true love for himself and others. "Good Will Hunting" is the story of a young man’s catha rsis.

The movie stars Matt Damon, playing the troubled prodigy passionately, remarkably convincing in a very difficult role. Ben Affleck also triumphs as the blue-collar best friend, who often expresses his disappointment that Will spends too much time with the "construction guys." Minnie Driver is good as the girlfriend, though she does not elicit quite the degree of sympathy required to be a moral foil for Damon. But the film’s tour de force belongs to Robin Williams, who gives arguably the best performance of his career. He plays the psychiatrist who is able to handle the difficult Will, and the scenes with doctor and patient are the film’s best. After the painting incident, the initially despondent Williams resolves to playing hard- ball with his delinquent genius. Eventually the clever psychiatrist’s approach strikes the right cords with the unhappy Damon, and the emotional wall which the genius has constructed begins to crumble.

Gus Van Sant is generally a talented director while portraying society’s seedier elements (My Own Private Idaho, Drugstore Cowboy), but in Good Will Hunting his direction is uneven. The action in gritty downtown often feels like i t belongs in a different movie, and in these scenes, Damon’s attitude toward his friends is unclear. It often feels as though Van Sant decided to leave a number of key scenes on the cutting room floor. Furthermore, it is unclear how much time passes dur ing the course of the film. This uncertainty hinders the believability of Damon’s development, as well as our appreciation of his relationships with Williams and Driver.

The film’s screenplay, co-written by actor-pals Damon and Affleck, is well written, and although it has a good chance of taking home an Oscar, this distinction is probably undeserved. Hollywood tends to judge less strictly when actors try their hand a t writing or directing (How else can one explain Kevin Costner’s win for best director for Dances With Wolves vs. Scorsese’s Goodfellas?). The dialogue is effective in Damon’s scenes with Williams, but cliche-ridden and unfunny with his cit y friends. The romance with Driver has some good scenes, but there is little here, if anything, that we have not seen previously.

Yet the film is still an impressive one, and certainly a breakthrough for Damon and Affleck. It also revitalizes Robin Williams, who has meandered in drivel like Flubber, Father’s Day, and Jack. Major themes like genius, love, an d relationships may be just what the Academy of Arts in Sciences is looking for come late March.

(out of four)