Good Will Hunting is a 1997 film, set in greater Boston, Massachusetts, which tells the story of a troubled young genius (Will Hunting played by Matt Damon) who works as a janitor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, even though his knowledge of and facility with mathematics is superior to that of most of the school's faculty. It also stars Robin Williams, Ben Affleck, Stellan Skarsgård, Minnie Driver and Casey Affleck.
The movie was written by Damon and Affleck and directed by Gus Van Sant. The widely-spread rumor that "Good Will Hunting" was written by legendary screenwriter William Goldman was refuted in Goldman's book Which Lie Did I Tell? More Adventures In The Screen Trade as a joke that got out of hand.
It won Academy Awards for Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Robin Williams) and Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen. It was nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role (Matt Damon), Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Minnie Driver), Best Director, Best Film Editing, Best Music, Original Dramatic Score, Best Music, Song (Elliott Smith for Miss Misery) and Best Picture.
Plot Summary - wikipedia contains spoilers
Will and Chuckie hang out together with their friends, drinking and fighting in Southie. Will works as a janitor at MIT, suppressing his talent for memorizing books in a single, page-at-glance reading and solving arcane math puzzles that baffle grad students until his 21st year, when his life suddenly changes.
Will and his friends pick a fight with a gang harassing a girl on the street, but Will resists arrest when the cops come and faces jail time. The judge says, "You hit a cop, you're going in."
External links
