hype ? sheesh , like no other . this side of titanic , good will hunting has enjoyed some of the most baffling , gushing praise of the year . does either film deserve it ? not really . let's look at the facts : you have matt damon as will hunting -- apparently the smartest man on the face of the earth who can also kick anyone's ass over breakfast , and has a history of run-ins with the law . oh no ! affleck is his down-to-earth best bud . driver , the hoity-toity love interest . williams and skarsgård as hunting's mentors , the guys that rescue him from a prison sentence for assaulting a police officer . and it is made abundantly clear that the film is also about the class stuggle in boston . now that i've typed it out , it sounds ridiculous , and the more i think about it , the more it really * is * . the plot and theme of good will hunting hinge upon the idea that it's tough for the smartest man in the world to make the move from crumb-bum to respectable member of society . why ? because ( a ) " just because he has a gift he doesn't have to use it ! " and ( b ) he had a troubled childhood . well , boo hoo ! the more i write , the more it sounds like a topic on " jenny jones " : boy geniuses on the wrong side of the tracks . right . if any believable character had this guy's abilities , this movie would have been much different . . . and probably much shorter , too . i realize i'm ranting here , but the pop psychology of hunting reaches such a high level of annoyance so that when williams tearfully confronts damon with the film's signature line of -- i kid you not -- " it's not your fault , " it just gets silly . and it lost me . the script , written by damon and affleck , is otherwise humorous and keeps you entertained . van sant's direction is inexplicably amateurish and features some lousy voice dubbing . williams is pretty good in his role , and for what it's worth , so is damon , even though the character is ludicrous . all told , the film has plenty of enjoyable moments , but it's just not the deep experience the filmmakers want you to believe it is . and neither was titanic . that ought to guarantee me plenty of hate mail for the next few weeks . fire away . 
