A true motion picture phenomenon, this triumphant story was nominated for 9 Academy Awards winning Oscars for Robin Williams (Best Supporting Actor) and hot newcomers Matt Damon and Ben Affleck (Best Original Screenplay). The most brilliant mind at America’s top university isn’t a student … he’s the kid who cleans the floors! Will Hunting (Damon) is a headstrong, working-class genius who’s failing the lessons of life. After one too many run-ins with the law, Will’s last chance is a psychology professor (Williams), who might be the only man who can reach him!
A director who is capable of crafting both deeply unconventional independent films and mainstream crowd-pleasers, Gus Van Sant has managed to carve an enviable niche for himself in Hollywood. Since debuting in 1985 with Mala Noche, Van Sant has become one of the premiere bards of dysfunction, populating his films with a parade of hustlers, junkies, psychopathic weather girls, homicidal teens, and troubled geniuses.
The son of a traveling salesman, Van Sant was born in Louisville, KY, on July 24, 1952. One constant in the director’s early years was his interest in painting and Super-8 filmmaking. Van Sant’s artistic leanings took him to the Rhode Island School of Design in 1970, where introduction to Avant-Garde cinema quickly inspired him to change his major from painting to cinema. After mobving to LA, Van Sant became fascinated by the existence of the marginalized section of L.A.‘s population, especially in context with the more ordinary prosperous world that surrounded them… read more
It has some great lines, and good performances. The script on the other hand is movie psychology 101, where all the problems of a character can be fixed with a crying sequence.
This film has a huge sociological side that I was stunned never to have seen before. It's a masterpiece.
Nonostante il talento di Will sia trattato in modo fin troppo semplice e vago, il film è davvero ben fatto. Ben girato da Van Sant, recitato alla grande da Matt Damon e, sopratutto, da un Robin Williams che è impossibile non amare (incredibile come ogni scena guadagni della sua presenza). Inoltre non annoia mai e se pure pecca di qualche ingenuità, si riscatta con un finale perfettamente nello spirito della vicenda.
I've heard a lot of good things about this film and I was glad that the rumors were true. The film tells a great story, and while irritating at times, it has a sense of austere comfort behind it. The tale may have been a bit dragged out, but it held me throughout and was a welcome experience all around.
A great film not only because it traverses a path that is not just original but in a little way, reinvigorating this kind of genre film.
This is a big directorial achievement for Gus Van Sant… read review