Spoilers

Its time, its finally time to watch Good Will Hunting. This if the first film on my a to z of physical media ive not let others pick for me. This is going to make me think & feel so much isnt it. But its time & this is the perfect reason to watch this so i am really really looking forward to this.

I am of the firm opinion that Ben Affleck is only good in films he has written, produced or directed because he cares about them & the craft of making them good. The only exception to this rule is Gone Girl, where he is the weakest part of the film, but he plays a clueless husband so well. Good Will Hunting, he might not be the lead (which is Matt which we will get to in a bit) but when he is on screen (& yes they were much younger then) but he is so so good in this.

But hes not Matt. I know this makes Matt life this film & makes him the star he is, but hes so vulnerable in this & you really do see his inner trauma & decision making. Its wonderful & he should have been up for best actor that year. I dont care if people accuse me of adoring Matt, this shows how far he has come & shows why he is such a compelling actor in any role he plays. Theres just something so raw & fresh about this performance.

But lets be honest, there is one person who steals the show, as he always did. Robin! Miss you Robin, so bloody much. It probably makes everyone else up there game as they are all so young. You just watch a man who in the mid 90s let be honest was the king of comedy at his peak. His performance is personal & emotional & its just…. words cant describe or do it justice. ITs not often we all agree on oscar wins, but this one, even before his passing, it was always going to be his. He always just had the magic.

The therapy session… well thats what they would be called today, start off as distant but there are some which are truly gut wrenching. I cried when they hugged it out. The storys & horrors & how trust & a relationship slowly forms, its so so good. Its powerful & so well written. It feels like an invasion of privacy.

How had no one else notice him before the moment of oh god hes a fucking maths nerd? Also is this just a film thing leaving an equation on a board for anyone to solve. What if someone from science had walked past & gone ahhhh. Its not all maths people. HE left it somewhere very public. Another teacher could have done it.

Is this why there are a load of kids born at the end of the millennium called Skylar, because of the girl in this film. Minnie was a very good love interest & plays off damons shy Gorky guy really well. Shes the perfect complement to him.

Violence is never an answer, but lets be honest we all do wish we could go back & beat up our high school bullies dont we. I mean they seemed to get into a few too many scuffles in this film. No wonder they were all seen a little poorly & not accepted by society, which is why the end is so nice that he gets out of the cycle & the rest of them do recognise it but know he should have always gone on to better things.

Is this also why we all hope for love at first sight because of how he explains how he met his wife? Its so beautifully written. Everyone in the world hopes to have that moment with someone & feel everything.

Sending a negotiator before going to a job interview… thats why this film doesnt get 5 stars from me. In what kind of world does that happen. They arent even being a rep. Its just a little too obnoxious even for the guys in this film. Proves some men really always will be urgh & just a waste & now good & have no clue.

For the 90s at the point where a guy challenges a friends about whats best for them must have been seen as ground breaking. I mean there are still some guys who dont do that now. For this era thats rather important. The whole waiting on the door step hoping he doesnt answer because hes found greatness, thats wonderful & so true.

Everyone in this film gets there own arch of reconciliation & its okay not to be okay moment. Argument & stand offs & fights all end up resolved which shows that everyone can be willing to be forgiven & truest again. It might take a while, but its a lesson some people still need to learn now almost 30 years later.

Im also glad he got the job but then he decided to go about it on his own terms & the adventure.

There is a lot of hard topics talked about in this film, especially about abuse & the victim still blaming themself when they should do that. It shows some trauma can never be gotten over without the right person to speak to.

This might not be perfect but for two guys to write this & create it & have it still strike a cord with an audience all these years later, its more then essential viewing. Im willing to forgive the few moments that irritate me in it. It pulls at your soul & makes you want to talk to people about your own issues. If youve not seen it, please search it out.