Good Will Hunting: A Screenplay

by Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Damon

Book Overview

As director Gus Van Sant observes in the introduction to Matt Damons and Ben Afflecks screenplay Good Will Hunting, the two young actors somewhat resemble the characters they play in the film: theyre... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0786883448
• ISBN13: 9780786883448
• Release Date: January 1998
• Publisher: Hyperion Books
• Length: 168 Pages
• Weight: 0.66 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 6.1" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

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Original Writing.

It is not difficult to understand why this screenplay won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. There are only so many stories to be told; the difference is how those stories are told. In a land where movies about old television shows are considered original, Hollywood is desperate for anything that looks even remotely new. The tale that Damon & Affleck (with some help from Goldman) tell is not a new one. However, it is the way they tell it that makes this story so fascinating. The characters are fleshed out, not cardboard cut-outs. The words you read actually make you care about the characters, thinking of them as real people.Ah, the words. That's what makes this script so original. If Will, Chuckie, Sean and the rest of the clan were not so eloquent, this would just be another run of the mill buddy/romance/coming-of-age flick that just happens to star Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, and Robin Williams. Most people remember at least one of the wonderfully written monologues from this film, such as Will's interview with NSA or Chuckie's speech to Will about using his gift. However, the normal every day-to-day speech between the characters is written just as poetically. Words are powerful, something we seem to forget in our modern American society. If nothing else, this screenplay is worth looking at just to refresh one's memory of how moving words can be.A great screenplay to companion a great movie.

Damon and Affleck score high with Good Will Hunting

Having read all the reviews and endless adulation for this film, it's easy to see why the screenplay for Good Will Hunting snatched up an Oscar last year for Best Original Screenplay. Damon and Affleck have crafted an intelligent story that speaks volumes of humanity in the dialogue and character relationships. Characters are three-dimensional, flawed and compelling, forcing the audience to actually CARE what happens to them.The major strength of the script is the finely-crafted monologues that Damon and Affleck give their characters: i.e. Shawn's speech to Will in Boston park is simply beautifal. Then there's Will's speech to the NSA agents which combines humour and observation in one neat little package.The actor's performances stem from the sheer amount of subtext handed to them by Damon and Affleck in their script. Primarily, Will's path goes from frightened loud-mouth to assured and confident young man through his counseling sessions with Sean. These scenes are a joy to read as Will and Sean draw closer together by burying to the root of Will's struggle and for Sean to overcome past tragedies. Robin Williams at first seems like an odd choice for the role of Sean, but, for anyone who's seen DEAD POET'S SOCIETY will understand, approaches his role with vigour, inflecting Sean with wisdom, quiet solidarity and subtly conveys Sean's pain and anguish from a life of struggle.Also, Affleck gets a great speech near the end of the story when Chuckie tells Will to accept his gift and to follow his heart and to stop denying himself in the eyes of others, because he has something that not many people have.The script is also laced with some wonderful photographs from the film, which chart the progress of the story in pictures, and also includes a superb introduction from the film's director Gus Van Sant. The story is warm, deeply emotional and human, containing brilliant flashes of wit, pathos, observation and self-doubt, and I have no doubt that from this, Damon and Affleck will continue to rise and rise. Good Will Hunting reminds us that movies don't have to be about exploding asteroids, sinking ships or gratuitous car chases, they can be about the explorarion of the human condition, where the guay gets the girl and has all the answers.

Wildy charismatic. Impossibly brilliant. Totally rebellious.

Good Will Hunting cultivates a blend of historic elements together with a present-day scenario. A screenplay which perhaps challenges you more than it entertains. Focused, precise and of the depth -Good Will Hunting is a world away from the garbage hollywood produces everyday.

A BREAK-UP-YOUR-HEART SCREENPLAY

I don't know! I have become a fan of Matt and Ben after seeing the movie, good will hunting.Some people don't like the movie because they don't understand the movie and the intrisic (inside)meaning of the story, but think about yourself as a guy who are afraid of everything(esp. new people, because you are unsure about them and you are really afraid you will get hurt)but you want appreciation from other(there is why he writes equation on the blackboard of Harvard University), you may understand it better!Lots of contradiction in the story made it more interesting. But don't forget the story background, South Bostan, is also the part of the story.Matt and Ben made fame after the movie. It beat other experienced screenwriters to get the best screenpaly price. So, it is brilliant.the screenplay also have something that the movie doesn't have.If the movie break your heart, the book will also break your heart.

Opinions from a thirteen year old.

This screenplay is unbelievable. The men who wrote this amaze me! There are only subtle differences that differ the movie from the book. Although I'd seen the movie before reading the screenplay, I still enjoyed reading it greatly. The emotional heartfelt words will bring you to tears many times. Will Hunting, the title character, progresses from a genious, slacker boy to a strong, independent man. As a thirteen year old, I can relate to the immaturaties of this character. I reccomend this screenplay to people of all ages.