Hunky Dory

Directed by Marc Evans and written by Laurence Coriat, Hunky Dory is the story of a drama teacher who decides to update William Shakespeare’s The Tempest by adding the 70s rock music her students are listening to. The film is a period film of sorts set in the mid-1970s in Wales where a woman tries to find ways to connect with her students during a hot summer. Starring Minnie Driver, Aneurin Barnard, George MacKay, Kimberly Nixon, Steve Spiers, and Robert Pugh. Hunky Dory is a charming but messy film from Marc Evans.

Set in a small Welsh town in 1976, the film revolves around an idealistic drama teacher who decides to create an updated version of William Shakespeare’s The Tempest by adding contemporary music of the times to the narrative. It’s a simple story that is set in a summer at a comprehensive school where its students are quite jaded as they’re also going through things in their home life. Laurence Coriat’s screenplay has a lot of characters as well as this teacher in Vivienne (Minnie Driver) who wants to do something different as there are fellow teachers who are aghast in what she’s doing while the headmaster (Robert Pugh) is reluctant to let her do this as he would eventually play the role of Prospero in the play. When the script focuses on the students, it becomes a mess as it is hard to follow the many who are dealing with love, growing pains, and identity crises. It also makes the story feel sluggish and unfocused at times where there isn’t enough depth from the script to let the audience be engaged by these characters.

Marc Evans’ direction is quite simple as it is shot on location in Wales to play into this mixture of middle and working class group of people just trying to live day-by-day with the young teens enjoying the summer. The compositions are lively at times as well as say a lot into the process of creating a play that is unconventional but being very faithful to the source. Yet, the script’s need to cover everything including these character force Evans to try and do so much yet never find a way to balance things or simplify it. It would have these scenes involving these kids that do drag the film as it yearns the audience to wanting to see the musical rehearsal which feel more lively and serves as this needed escape from reality. Yet, that reality would come into the film for its third act but Vivienne would find a way to stage The Tempest as her interpretation of the play is unique as well as the choice of the songs that the students sing. Overall, Evans creates a whimsical but lackluster film about a teacher trying to stage a rock n’ roll version of The Tempest.

Cinematographer Charlotte Bruus Christensen does excellent work with the film‘s cinematography as it largely has a very sunny look for many of the daytime interior/exterior scenes with some low-key scenes at night though it is overwhelmed with bits of sepia hues. Editor Mali Evans does nice work with the editing as it is mostly straightforward despite its sluggish pace. Production designer Jacqueline Abrams and art director Carly Reddin do fantastic work with the look of the staging of the play as well as the look of the homes of some of the characters. Costume designer Stewart Meacham does terrific work with the costumes from the bellbottom pants the boys wear to the stylish clothes the women wear in those times.

Hair/makeup designer Jo Evans does brilliant work with the look of the hairstyle the kids wear during the 70s as well as the makeup they would wear for the stage presentation. Sound editor Stephen Griffiths does superb work with the sound as it play into the rehearsal process on the stage as well as how music sounds live and other things in the locations. The film’s music by Jody Talbot is pretty good for its mixture of low-key orchestral music with bits of rock while music supervisor Liz Gallacher creates a fun soundtrack that play into the period as well as the songs that the students singing ranging from acts like David Bowie, Roxy Music, Electric Light Orchestra, the Beach Boys, Nick Drake, and other music ranging from soul to pop.

The casting by Jessica Ronane is wonderful as it does feature some notable small roles from George MacKay as a musician who is dating one of his bandmate’s sister, Kimberly Nixon as young girl who is dating her brother‘s best friend,, Adam Byard as a musician who is upset to learn his friend is dating his sister, Darren Evans as a troubled skinhead named Kenny, Kayleigh Bennett as a young woman who has a crush on a classmate who could be gay, Julia Perez as Vivienne’s French friend Sylvie, Steve Spiers as a rugby coach, and Haydn Gwynn as the social studies teacher Mrs. Valentine as they’re not really given really strong material to work with.

Danielle Branch is alright as the promiscuous Stella while Aneurin Barnard is good as Davey as two teens students who are good singers with the latter having a thing for the former. Robert Pugh is excellent as the school headmaster who is aware of what Vivienne is trying to do as he would take on a role in the play as Prospero as it reminds him of his days in World War II. Finally, there’s Minnie Driver in an amazing performance as Vivienne as an idealistic drama teacher who wants to do a Shakespeare play but also wanting to infuse with contemporary music just to give the students a chance to have some fun while wanting to see what they’re dealing with.

Hunky Dory is a decent but underwhelming film from Marc Evans. Despite a fantastic soundtrack and top-notch performances from Robert Pugh and Minnie Driver, it’s a film that wanted to be a lot of things but crammed too much to the point where it becomes severely uneven and sluggish. In the end, Hunky Dory is an okay but lackluster film from Marc Evans.

© thevoid99 2016

Sleepers

Based on the non-fiction novel by Lorenzo Carcaterra, Sleepers is the story of four young boys from the Hell’s Kitchen section of New York City whose lives were changed when they were sent to a brutal juvenile hall as they endured sexual abuse by guards only to get revenge on them many years later as adults. Written for the screen and directed by Barry Levinson, the film is an exploration of men who deal with the abuse that had changed them as two of them go on trial for the murder of one with two of the men trying to find ways to mess the trial up as one of them is a prosecutor trying against them. Starring Jason Patric, Brad Pitt, Kevin Bacon, Minnie Driver, Billy Crudup, Ron Eldard, Brad Renfro, Joe Perrino, Jonathan Tucker, Geoffrey Wigdor, Bruno Kirby, Dustin Hoffman, and Robert de Niro. Sleepers is a chilling yet evocative film from Barry Levinson.

Told in the span of nearly 20 years, the film revolves around four boys living in the Hell Kitchen’s section of New York City where an act of theft just to eat hot dogs led to an accident that nearly killed a man. In response to what happened, the boys are sent to the Wilkinson Home for Boys where they would be abused physically and sexually by guards as the experience would haunt them as adults where two of them would finally get revenge on one of the guards as they’re tried for murder by one of the men who would mastermind everything to make sure he loses and his friends go free. It’s a film that is part of a revenge film but it’s also about abuse and what drove these men into trying to free themselves from this horrific experience. All of which is told by one of the men who is a journalist as he reflects on his childhood as well as what he wants to do where he even gets a local priest involved in the trial.

Barry Levinson’s script has a unique structure as much of the first half is set in the mid-to-late 1960s as it revolves around these four boys who were just regular kids that go to church, do small yet non-violent jobs for a local Mafia kingpin, and play stickball. Due to a prank where everything went wrong and be sent to this juvenile hall, their lives change thanks in part to this guard named Sean Nokes (Kevin Bacon) who would abuse them in the worst way with three other guards. The abuse becomes intense to the point that they couldn’t even tell their parents nor their priest in Father Bobby Carillo (Robert de Niro). The film’s second half takes place fourteen years later where the boys become adults as Tommy Marcano (Billy Crudup) and John Reilly (Ron Eldard) have become career criminals and discover Nokes eating a restaurant where they confront and later kill him. With the aid of assistant district attorney Michael Sullivan (Brad Pitt) being their prosecutor who wants to lose the case against them with help from the washed-up alcoholic attorney Danny Snyder (Dustin Hoffman) to represent Marcano and Reilly.

Yet, Sullivan and Lorenzo “Shakes” Carcatetta (Jason Patric) are aware that it’s not enough to help Marcano and Reilly be found not guilty as they would also mastermind revenge on the three other guards with the aid of the local Mafia boss King Benny (Vittorio Gassman) as well as longtime childhood friend Carol (Minnie Driver) as the latter would later learn about the abuse Carcatetta, Marcano, Reilly, and Sullivan endured as Father Bobby would also learn what happened. Yet, the film’s third act is about what Father Bobby is being asked to do by Carcatetta to help Marcano and Reilly as it does become not just a moral issue but also in seeing if Father Bobby could help these men he knew as boys.

Levinson’s direction does have an air of style in the way he presents 1960s Hell’s Kitchen as a place where things were innocent despite some of the dark aspects that surrounds the boys such as Carcatetta seeing his mother be beaten by his father or some of the things that King Benny does to keep his neighborhood clean. It’s as if Levinson recreates 1960s New York City as a time where things were enjoyable and had a bit of danger to it that still made it fun with the usage of the wide and medium shots. By the time the film moves upstate at the juvenile hall, it becomes a much tighter and more unsettling film as Levinson’s direction really maintains that haunting atmosphere. The scenes of abuse are never shown as Levinson is more concerned about what will happen before and its aftermath which just adds that sense of terror.

Once the film reaches its second half, it is set in a more modern world but one that is very dark in terms of its imagery but also in the impact of the violence. Notably the scene where Marcano and Reilly see Nokes and confront him as it is quite eerie as well as being very violent. Levinson’s direction would become stylish in the way Carcatetta and Sullivan would set things up as it includes a meeting between King Benny and another crime lord in Little Caesar (Wendell Pierce) as it relates to the latter whose brother was in the same juvenile hall the four boys were in. It’s a small scene but one that showcases an air of respect in the world of crime but also in the fact that some debts just can’t be paid with money as King Benny would learn the truth about what happened to boys he had cared about despite what he does for a living. The trial scenes are just as intense emotionally as well as in the climax as it involves Father Bobby’s testimony as it is one of the most chilling moments in the film. Overall, Levinson creates a mesmerizing film about four men getting revenge on those that had abused them at a juvenile hall.

Cinematographer Michael Ballhaus does excellent work with the film‘s cinematography from the sunny and lively look of the film‘s first act in Hell‘s Kitchen to the eerie look at the juvenile hall that includes some de-colored film stock for a football sequence between the kids and the guards. Editor Stu Linder does nice work with the editing as it has bits of style in a few montages while also being straightforward in its drama and some light-hearted moments. Production designer Kristi Zea, with set decorator Beth A. Rubino and art director Tim Galvin, does fantastic work with the look of the juvenile hall as well as some of the places in Hell‘s Kitchen and the restaurant where Marcano and Reilly see Nokes.

Costume designer Gloria Gresham does terrific work with clothes from the look of the kids in the 1960s to the clothes the characters would wear as adults in the 1980s. Sound designer Richard Beggs and sound editor Tim Holland do superb work with the sound in capturing the vibrant energy of Hell‘s Kitchen to the tense and scary world of the juvenile hall. The film’s music by John Williams is amazing for its low-key yet heavy orchestral score that plays into the drama with its string arrangements as it carries a lot of weight into the story while the soundtrack features an array of music of the 60s like Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, the Beach Boys, Donovan, Spencer Davis Group, Love, Dusty Springfield, and Doris Day to music from the Gap Band, Soft Cell, and Everything is Everything.

The casting by Louis DiGiaimo is incredible as it feature some notable small roles from James Pickens Jr. as an African-American guard who doesn’t take shit from Nokes and protects the boys on their first day, Frank Medrano as a Hell’s Kitchen hood in Fat Mancho, Monica Potillo as the young Carol, Aida Turturro as a woman who witnessed Marcano and Reilly at the restaurant, Eugene Byrd as a tough African-American kid named Rizzo the boys befriend at the juvenile hall, Dash Mihok as a juvie who gets into a fight with Sullivan at the juvenile hall, Angela Rago as Shakes’ mother, and John Slattery as a kind English teacher at the juvenile hall. Other noteworthy small roles include Bruno Kirby as Shakes’ father who is strict but fair towards him and Wendell Pierce as the crime lord Little Caesar who is also Rizzo’s older brother as he learns the truth about what happened to him. In the roles of the three guards who abused the boys with Nokes in Jeffrey Donovan as the aspiring politician Henry Addison, Lennie Loftin as the corrupt Adam Styler, and Terry Kinney as Ralph Ferguson are superb in their roles as three men who are quite scary.

In the roles of the younger version of the boys, Joe Perrino as the young Shakes, Brad Renfro as the young Sullivan, Jonathan Tucker as the young Marcano, and Geoffrey Wigdor as the young Reilly are all amazing as they display an innocence to guys who live in the streets of Hell’s Kitchen as they’re unprepared for what they deal with as well as the abuse they’re too ashamed to unveil to their parents and Father Bobby. Vittorio Gassman is excellent as King Benny as a former bodyguard for Lucky Luciano turned local Mob king who learns about what happened to the boys as he does whatever to help them without leaning towards the world of crime. Minnie Driver is fantastic as Carol as a childhood friend who helps Shakes in trying to help Marcano and Reilly while learning about the truth about what happened to them as kids which made her very uneasy. Ron Eldard and Billy Crudup are brilliant in their respective roles as John Reilly and Tommy Marcano as two men who are haunted by their experience as they turn to crime where they finally get some vengeance upon seeing Nokes at a restaurant.

Dustin Hoffman is great as Danny Snyder as this alcoholic lawyer that is given a chance to defend Reilly and Marcano though he is largely unaware of the role he is playing other than getting a chance to become someone again. Robert de Niro is remarkable as Father Bobby Carillo as a priest who has been the one person the boys can turn to as he learns about what happens where he is put into a situation that goes against everything he’s been doing as a priest. Kevin Bacon is phenomenal as Sean Nokes as this abusive and sadistic prison guard who likes to beat up the kids as well as do things to them in his own perverse way of making them tough. Brad Pitt is marvelous as Michael Sullivan as an assistant district attorney who is masterminding the case as an act revenge as he tries whatever he can to lose convincingly while dealing with his own issues as it relates to the abuse he suffered as a kid. Finally, there’s Jason Patric in a tremendous performance as Lorenzo “Shakes” Carcaterra as a journalist who helps Sullivan in trying to get revenge but also is forced to tell Father Bobby and Carol the truth as he also reflects on his past that still haunts him.

Sleepers is an outstanding film from Barry Levinson. Featuring a great ensemble cast, a multi-layered storyline, and eerie yet compelling stories about sexual and child abuse as well as vengeance. It’s a film that is stylish but also manages to do a lot without being heavy-handed nor go too far into material that is quite intense. In the end, Sleepers is a magnificent film from Barry Levinson.

Barry Levinson Films: (Diner) - (The Natural) - (Young Sherlock Holmes) - (Tin Men) - (Good Morning Vietnam) - (Rain Man) - (Avalon (1990 film)) - (Bugsy) - (Toys) - (Jimmy Hollywood) - (Disclosure) - (Wag the Dog) - (Sphere) - (Liberty Height) - (An Everlasting Piece) - (Bandits (2001 film)) - (Envy) - (Man of the Year) - (What Just Happened) - (You Don’t Know Jack) - (The Bay) - (The Humbling) - (Rock the Kasbah) - (The Wizard of Lies)

© thevoid99 2016

Barney's Version

Based on the novel by Mordecai Richler, Barney’s Version is the story of a man telling his own life story that includes three marriages where it also involves the disappearance of his best friend. Directed by Richard J. Lewis and adapted into script by Michael Konyves, the film explores a man’s life through different time periods as he tries to recall what happened in those years. Starring Paul Giamatti, Rosamund Pike, Minnie Driver, Rachelle Leferve, Bruce Greenwood, Scott Speedman, and Dustin Hoffman. Barney’s Version is a charming yet mesmerizing film from Richard J. Lewis.

TV producer Barney Panofsky (Paul Giamatti) has just learned a book about his life and his involvement in the disappearance of his best friend/novelist Bernard “Boogie” Moskovitch (Scott Speedman) had just came out. Going into his favorite bar in Montreal, Barney deals with retired police investigator O’Hearne (Mark Addy) who remains convinced that Barney killed Boogie. For Barney, he recalls about his life dating back to the early 70s when he and Boogie were in Rome as Barney was to marry a young hippie woman named Clara (Rachelle Laferve) whom he had just impregnated. Things got crazy when Clara turns out not to be the person she claims to be as he returns to Montreal to work for his uncle in the TV business where he would meet the woman (Minnie Driver) who would become his second wife.

After meeting her more uptight and wealthy family and introduce his father Izzy (Dustin Hoffman) to her family, Barney seems to be ready for another marriage he realizes he’s not in love with this woman. At the wedding, Barney sees a woman named Miriam (Rosamund Pike) as he falls for her as they briefly meet as she returns to New York City. Stuck in a horrible marriage with his second wife, Barney takes the strung-out Boogie to a weekend in the cabin where the wife also shows up. The weekend turns out to be a disaster as Barney is hung up on Miriam as he seeks advice from his father. After a drunken argument with Boogie that would lead to Boogie’s disappearance, Barney tries to deal with what happened as he gets divorced and then pursues Miriam as the two fall in love, get married, and gain two kids in Michael (Jake Hoffman) and Kate (Anna Hopkins).

During a trip to the country, Barney meets a man named Blair (Bruce Greenwood) who would eventually get Miriam a job working at a radio station interviewing authors including Barney’s old friend Leo (Thomas Trabacchi). Barney becomes suspicious of Miriam’s friendship with Blair as she goes away to visit Jake in New York where he would endure loss as well as his own screw-up. Just as the continuing investigation of Boogie’s death some more than 30 years after it happened, Barney tries to come to terms with everything he had dealt with in his life.

The film explores a man’s life as he recalls his memories of the past 35 years of his life as he would be married to three different women where his third wife would be the love of his life. Also told is a man’s friendship with a strung-out writer who is trying to catch a break where he would suddenly disappear leading to all sorts of questions. All of this told via long flashback sequences as an aging Barney deals with the past following the release of a new book about what happened on that day as he comes to terms with loss and everything else he’s dealt with. Michael Konyves’ script revolves around that narrative structure where it moves back and forth from the past to the present to dwell into Barney Panofsky’s life.

The script reveals Barney as a guy who is willing to fall in love with any kind of woman as he deals with the heartbreak over his first marriage that involves a lies and horrifying circumstances. In his second marriage, he thought he would find someone to be with only to find out that his second wife is a vapid and greedy woman who comes from a rich family as she turns out to be demanding. Notably as she would play part into the disappearance of his best friend Boogie who was in need of help due to his own substance abuse. Then there’s Miriam, the love of his life as she is a woman that represents everything Barney wants and more. She is kind, unselfish, and intelligent as she is also her own woman who doesn’t fall for Barney immediately but she is this woman that would ground and care for him.

Another relationship that is key to the film is Barney’s relationship with his father Israel who is also called Izzy. Izzy is a guy who provides a lot of humor to the film while hoping to get laid as he has already lost his wife. Yet, he would be the one person to guide Barney into the tribulations of his life until the third act when he’s not around and Barney becomes lost leading to a breakdown of his marriage as well as his entire life. While the third act is a bit drawn out than it should’ve been as it would also involve a very dramatic plot device. The script is still superb for the way it fleshes out its characters as well as playing to its narrative structure.

Richard J. Lewis’ direction is superb for the way it explores the drama as it includes some great scenes where Lewis would have the actors be placed into a frame or how he would direct a key dramatic moment without going overboard. With a lot of the film set in Canada along with a few scenes in Rome, Lewis manages to invest into getting inside this man’s life. While a lot of the direction is straightforward, it is still engaging in these subtle dramatic moments such as Barney and Izzy’s visit to the grave of Barney’s mother where it would also involve some light-humorous moments. Overall, Lewis creates a very solid and dramatic film tracing a man’s life and the loves he had in his life.

Cinematographer Guy Dufaux does an excellent job with the film‘s stylish cinematography from the lush look of Rome to the more straightforward yet entrancing exteriors for the nighttime scenes in Montreal. Editor Susan Shipton does a nice job with the editing as she emphasize in mostly straightforward cuts to play up the film’s drama and humor. Production designer Claude Pare, along with set decorator Elise de Blois and art director Michele Laliberte, does an incredible job with the set pieces such as the posh apartment that Barney and Miriam lived in to the quaint cabin Barney owns in the Canadian countryside. Costume designer Nicoletta Massone does a fantastic job with the costumes to play up the different periods of the time from the hippie clothing of Barney’s first wife Carla to the more calm yet stylish clothing of Miriam.

The film’s makeup by Adrien Mort and Micheline Trepanier is superb for the way the characters age without making it too fake. Visual effects supervisor Louis Morin does a good job with some of the minor visual effects for backdrops of 1970s NYC and other location spots. Sound editor Fred Brennan does a terrific job with the sound work from the raucous atmosphere of the 2nd wedding and bar scenes to the intimate moments involving Barney and Miriam. The film’s music by Pasquale Catalano is wonderful for its plaintive piano pieces to swelling orchestral cuts to play up the drama that occurs in the film. Additional music pieces include songs ranging from 60s rock and 70s disco along with cuts by Dusty Springfield and Leonard Cohen.

The casting by Deirdre Bowen, Pam Dixon, and Nina Gold is truly the film’s highlight for the ensemble that is created for the film. Among the people who make appearances for the film include filmmakers Atom Egoyan and David Cronenberg as a couple of TV show directors plus Denys Arcand as a waiter, Ted Kotcheff as a train conductor, and Paul Gross as an actor on Barney’s TV show. Other notable supporting roles include Macha Grenon as an aging actress on Barney’s TV show, Harvey Atkin as Barney’s disapproving second father-in-law, Saul Rubinek as Barney’s cruel first father-in-law, Cle Bennett and Thomas Trabacchi in their respective roles as two of Barney’s longtime friends Cedric and Leo, Paula Jean Hixson as the bartender at the bar Barney frequents at, and Mark Addy as the pushy detective O’Heare.

Jake Hoffman and Anna Hopkins are very good in their respective roles as Barney’s adult children Michael and Kate while Bruce Greenwood is excellent as the very nice Blair whom Barney feels annoyed by. Rachelle Leferve is very good as Barney’s unstable yet artistic first wife Clara while Minnie Driver is very funny as the loud and demanding unnamed second wife. Scott Speedman is terrific as Barney’s strung-out yet creative best friend Boogie who helps Barney deal with the second marriage while resenting him for things he had. Dustin Hoffman is brilliant as Barney’s father Izzy who says some very funny things while being the caring father that Barney needs including a moment when Barney is in big trouble.

Rosamund Pike gives what is truly a mesmerizing and radiant performance as Barney’s third wife Miriam. Pike delivers a sense of grace and charm to a woman who is befuddled by Barney’s attempts to win her affections while her strongest moments are in the more dramatic moments where she displays an amazing sense of restraint to act out these emotive moments. Finally, there’s Paul Giamatti in an absolutely powerful performance as Barney Panofsky. Giamatti brings a lot of wit and humility to a character that wears his heart on his sleeve as he looks for love and happiness only to either find it in the wrong places or to become desperate when he feels alone. It’s a performance that allows Giamatti to be the romantic as his scenes with Pike are truly magical to watch in the way they care for each other including a key dramatic moment when no dialogue was really needed.

Barney’s Version is a remarkable film from Richard J. Lewis that features outstanding performances from Paul Giamatti, Rosamund Pike, and Dustin Hoffman. While it’s a film that is a bit flawed and at times, feels overlong due to the overdrawn third act. It is still very engaging in its exploration of a man’s loss and desire to find love. In the end, Barney’s Version is a wonderful film from Richard J. Lewis.

© thevoid99 2012

Good Will Hunting

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 11/12/05 w/ Extensive Revisions.

Directed by Gus Van Sant and written by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, Good Will Hunting is the story about a young janitor named Will Hunting who has a profound intelligence while churning out answers for math theorems at M.I.T. Despite his knowledge, Will is a troublemaker who is on the verge of going to jail until a mathematician wants to work with him as well as get some therapy. Bringing in an old colleague, the therapist explores Will and his life while Will contends with a new girlfriend and his working-class buddies. Starring Matt Damon in the title role along with Ben Affleck, Casey Affleck, Cole Hauser, Stellan Skarsgard, Minnie Driver, and Robin Williams. Good Will Hunting is a majestic, profound character study from Damon/Affleck and Gus Van Sant.

Will Hunting is a 20-year old laborer as he works as a janitor at the prestigious M.I.T. college near Boston while hanging out with his buddies Chuck (Ben Affleck), Morgan (Casey Affleck), and Bill (Cole Hauser) at night. At the school, the revered mathematician professor Gerald Lambeau (Stellan Skarsgard) creates a math theorem for his students to answer correctly. Instead, none of them make the answer except for Will who gets it right as Gerald wonders who answered it. After getting in trouble over assaulting an officer during a fight with an old school bully, Will is set to go to jail following a trial. Yet, Lambeau bails him out by asking him to assist in solving math problems while taking therapy sessions twice a week.

Will takes the offer as he falls for a British student named Skylar (Minnie Driver) whom he met at a bar near Harvard after outwitting a Harvard classmate. With the therapy not working including a session with the renowned George Plimpton, Lambeau calls his former roommate Sean McGuire (Robin Williams) for help. McGuire reluctantly takes the job as a favor for Lambeau as the community college teacher takes Will as his patient realizing that he's up for a challenge. The sessions don't go well at first until the two find common ground where Will opens up a bit with each session. With Will working with Chuck in construction, his relationship with Skylar starts to blossom as she is amazed by his intelligence while Chuck and the gang like having her around.

When Lambeau talks about getting Will a job for financial corporations, Will isn't sure as Chuck fills in for him during another interview while Will goes on a date with Skylar. When Skylar tells him that she's going to California to finish her medical studies, Will starts to feel lost as he reveals that he isn't honest about his family life and is afraid to tell her the truth. After a falling out with Lambeau, Will turns to McGuire for help who learns more about Will's troubled background prompting McGuire to confront Lambeau. With Will uncertain about what to do, Chuck helps Will out to go for whatever he's offered as McGuire also helps Will with his own troubled past.

In a story like this, there could've been so many ways it would’ve been approached though Damon and Affleck do bring out some conventional storylines to the film. In Van Sant's approach, it's really about a young man who is trying to figure out what to do with his intelligence without giving in to conformity or a situation that will hurt him. Van Sant's direction is very spot-on in bringing out real characters and situations while being very observant in his direction.

The heart of the film is in the script by Damon and Affleck that balances both a bit of comedy in many of the film's Boston sequences while the dramatic moments involve Will's therapy, his math sessions, and his relationship with Skylar. It's a film that acts more as a character study that allows Will and various characters to develop in the course of the film. While the film does follow a formula that is traditional with most dramatic narratives, the script Damon and Affleck create do add more than what the story offers as does Van Sant's engaging direction into what is truly a heartwarming film.

Helping Van Sant in his visual style is cinematographer Jean-Yves Escoffier who brings a colorful look to many of the film's exterior sequences while using lots of orange lights for many of in the intimate interior scenes, including a few of the bar scenes. Production designer Melissa Stewart also does a great job in getting the feel of the bars, rooms, and surroundings in the Harvard, Cambridge areas as well as the South Boston area where everything is gritty or broken-down where the use of the locations gives the film some credibility. Even the costume design from Van Sant regular Beatrix Aruna Pasztor brings realism to the film's look of colleges and street. Editor Pietro Scalia does a wonderful job in the editing, especially in some of the kaleidoscopic sequences of the movie while on a whole, moves very steadily.

With a wonderful plaintive and atmospheric score from Danny Elfman. The film has a wonderful soundtrack of music featuring cuts by the Dandy Warhols, Gerry Rafferty, Supergrass, Del Shannon, Luscious Jackson, Starland Vocal Band, Al Green, and the Waterboys. Aside from classical pieces and Elfman's score, most of the original music comes from the late Elliot Smith. With his wonderful, singer-songwriter style of music fused with melancholic lyrics including the Oscar-nominated Miss Misery, Smith is the real star of the film's music since it's the driving force behind the shadow that Will Hunting hides.

Then there's the cast that includes cameo appearances from Harmony Korine, George Plimpton, and To Die For star Allison Folland while Scott William Winters makes a memorable appearance as a target for Will's intelligence in a battle of who would win Skylar's phone number. Also making small, memorable appearances are Cole Hauser as the quiet yet street-wise Billy and Casey Affleck as the more abrasive, immature Morgan. Stellan Skarsgard is brilliant as the intelligent but selfish Gerald Lambeau who believes he has a chance to help Will's future only to be reminded that before he was great, he was just a regular guy. Ben Affleck gives a wonderful performance as Chuck, the true friend and supporter that Will has who knows what's he's going through and tells him of his opportunity. Affleck brings a lot of humor and heart as a guy who is content in his destiny while he hopes for the best in his best friend.

Minnie Driver is amazing in the role of Skylar, a British student who has a lot of charm and dirty humor while trying to understand Will's background and Driver really brings a lot of drama and goodness to Will, even when he's trying to push her away. Robin Williams is the film's best supporting performance and definitely worthy of the Oscar he won as the sympathetic, tough therapist Sean McGuire. Williams brings a lot of humor and dramatic restraint to his performance while being a wonderful guide and unlikely father figure that Will needed and sought for all of his life. It's truly a majestic performance from the always talented comedian-actor.

Matt Damon is also brilliant in his role as the troubled Will Hunting by not making him into a genetic kind of caricature but a real person. Damon uses his grit, street-wise wit, and winning smile into a performance that everyone can cheer for while proving that he is more complex as a character who is dealing with abandonment issues and what to do with the gift that he has. It's truly a wonderful performance from Matt Damon whose often overlooked as an actor since people focus on his good looks.

While Good Will Hunting isn't a perfect film, it's still a wonderful, majestic gem from director Gus Van Sant with the wonderful writing talents of Matt Damon and Ben Affleck along with a great cast led by Damon, Robin Williams, and Minnie Driver. While many of the people involved in the film went on to bigger and better things, except for Ben Affleck, it's this film that created new stars out of Affleck and Matt Damon while opening some artistic doors for Robin Williams and Van Sant who retreated from mainstream fare for European art film styles in recent years. Still for a character study film that's got a lot of heart, great characters, the late Elliot Smith's music, and a wonderful story, Good Will Hunting is the film to see.

Gus Van Sant Films: Mala Noche - Drugstore Cowboy - My Own Private Idaho - Even Cowgirls Get the Blues - To Die For - Psycho (1998 film) - Finding Forrester - Gerry - Elephant - Last Days - Paranoid Park - Milk - Restless - Promised Land

The Shorts & Videos of Gus Van Sant - The Auteurs #4: Gus Van Sant

(C) thevoid99 2011