“How do you like them apples?” said Will Hunting, a twenty-year-old genius through a thick South-Boston accent . 

It’s hard to not find somebody in this day and age that hasn’t heard of big-name actors such as Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, and the late Robin Williams. With this classic 1997 film, Good Will Hunting, you can witness all of them pull your heartstrings with this Oscar-winning flick.

Will Hunting, a lower-middle-class janitor at MIT, portrayed by Matt Damon, whom the viewer finds out early on possesses a genius-level intellect.  One day at his job, he notices a very complicated math equation on a chalkboard, which was posted by an MIT professor, Gerald Lambeau (Stellan Skarsgård) for his students to solve.  Hunting, while alone in the room, decides to put down his mop and solve the equation. Professor Lambeau catches him solving the problem, and this is where the story starts to get interesting.

At the beginning of the film, we see Will and his friend, Chuckie (Ben Affleck), get into a huge fight with some old classmates from the South Side of Boston, ending with the police showing up. After getting arrested for attacking one of the officers, both the court and Lambeau make a deal to keep Hunting out of jail by allowing him to help out the school if he attends therapy with Dr. Sean Maguire (Robin Williams).

After days of fighting off the urge to speak, Hunting finally opens up to Maguire by discussing his relationships, social class, sports, and many more personal subjects. 

Throughout the film, the viewer watches Hunting grow as a person as he finds love with Skylar (Minnie Driver), a British Harvard student. He also continues to work with Lambeau on multiple projects and equations, while forming a great connection with Maguire.

I, personally, love this film for multiple reasons. 

Firstly, it’s hilarious. Ben Affleck and Matt Damon’s screenplay; there’s so much humor that will make viewers laugh out loud. Damon and Affleck produce some classic one-liners such as “Double burger”, “How do you like them apples”, “My boy’s wicked smart” (heavy South Boston accent), “Your move chief”, and “I had to see about a girl”.  One can really see the results of their time working together on Saturday Night Live and the chemistry they’ve developed.

Second, the love story is original and romantic. In the film, Hunting meets Skylar, a privileged Harvard undergraduate student who falls instantly in love with him. While talking to Maguire about this, Hunting expresses how he’s never had true feelings for a specific woman until he met her, showing that he’s nervous to show her his true colors growing up on the south side of Boston. Janet Maslin of the New York Times says, “Young genius janitor. Bright and knowing, with a very warm heart.”

Third, the character development is strong and realistic. At the beginning of the film, we see Hunting as a wannabe tough boy who doesn’t care much about other people and does not live up to his full potential in life. By the end of the movie, however, we’re introduced to a whole new man, someone who shows how intelligently driven he’s become and how  open-minded Will Hunting really is. Bob McCabe of Empire says “Good Will Hunting is, simply, as good as movies get.”

If there’s one thing I took away from this movie, it would be that no matter where you come from, no one can ever take away your education and ability to succeed intellectually. 

To check out the trailer and multiple clips from the film Good Will Hunting, click the links down below!

Good Will Hunting Trailer

Good Will Hunting (6/12) Movie CLIP – Game Six (1997) HD 

Good Will Hunting | ‘It’s Not Your Fault’ (HD) – Matt Damon, Robin Williams | MIRAMAX