Amazing to think that this work of art was written by Affleck & Damon, when they were bascially kids. Won an oscar, and got one of Williams' best performances ever. It's a masterpiece.
They Should have been nominated a 2nd time with their screenplay for THE LAST DUEL.. another amazing script and movie that was TOTALLY overlooked by the Academy......
That blew my mind when I found that out this year, when watching reactions. I watched it years ago but never knew the background of the movie and script.
Robin Williams's performance in this gets me every time. The monolog in the park still has me tearing up even after multiple viewings. And the ending when he finally gets Will to drop the wall he's been holding up his whole life 😭Perfectly done 💔~Caroline
I love knowing that the movie ends where we all hope he got back together with her, but whether he did or not, he'll be OK because he knows and understands himself so much more after working with Sean. And Chuck's speech hits me in the feels EVERY TIME.
Loved your reaction to one of the greatest movies of all time. Hits so hard every damn time... 🥰 RIP Robin Williams, you were not only a hero of my childhood, a hero of my and many other peoples lifes!
This movie cemented my unconditional love for Robin Williams, what a performance, RIP great man. It also introduced me to another actor I love Stellan Skarsgård
Matt D. was fast-tracked to Harvard but dropped out to pursue his creative career - his roomie was Jason Furman who was a rock star in his own right. It is easy to forget how amazing it is that Matt and Ben came up with this script and then starred in it when they were so young - now that is genuine talent
One of the best movies ever. SO well written. Damon & Affleck knocked it out of the park with this. And Robin Williams' performance is nothing short of outstanding. An instant classic.
@@bigdream_dreambig yeah, I’ll give you that. Both Damon and Affleck are much better behind the camera than in front of the camera… but Damon is still a semi decent actor, I’ll give him that. Can’t say the same about Affleck though honestly
It's amazing how they wrote such an impactful scrip so young. And of course Robin Williams is... Robin Williams, one of the greatest actors who has embraced us with his presence. RIP master.
A great reaction, Addie. I was touched by your empathy. And, you really nailed it by saying Will could objectively realize it wasn't his fault, but he needed to really feel what that meant. You're the first reactor to GWH that I've seen really grasp that. Thank you! ☺❤🌹
This movie and the actors are all top shelf, but after having seen it numerous times, Addie, I got as much enjoyment this time seeing and hearing your reaction. Your sensitivity, thoughtfulness and wisdom shown through... I hope you have someone in your life who treats you really well, or at least will soon. You deserve it!
Such a beautiful reaction to a beautiful movie. You know a movie is great and you're totally caught up in it when it's hard to put your thoughts into words. Thank you so much for sharing this with us, lovely lady.
The writing for this movie was absolutely fantastic and it’s hard to be believe it was done by a young Matt Damon and Ben Affleck! Matt Damon and Ben Affleck wrote this movie because they weren’t getting much acting work and they wanted the parts as actors and at the time they were really influenced by Reservior Dogs (1992) and the story that they heard is that because Harvey Keitel had signed up for the movie, the director Quentin Tarantino was able to secure half a million dollars for his budget and was allowed to make the movie. This gave them the idea to write the therapist role of Sean Maguire, which obviously Robin Williams would eventually take (which according to them, they got him at a serious discount because Robin Williams was one of highest paid actors of the time). They called it the “Harvey Keitel Part” because they specifically wrote it with the intention of looking for an actor of such gravitas who could secure them money to help make the movie because Matt Damon and Ben Affleck were unknown actors at the time, and were doing all they can to get the movie made. They also intentionally wrote the role to be really open-ended as possible and were flexible to changes. For instance, if a renowned black actor like James Earl Jones, Morgan Freeman or Denzel Washington wanted to come in and play the role, they had the idea to adjust it and make the therapist character be from Roxbury and maybe explore the kind of historic racial tensions within Boston to make the dynamic between Will and his therapist more interesting and possibly contentious. Or if a famous actress like Meryl Streep or Sandra Bullock wanted the role, they would simply make the therapist character female and instead of a father-son relationship they would make the dynamic between Will and his therapist be that of a mother-son relationship, and so on and so forth. According to them, they left the role to be as open-ended because they wanted to cast as wide a net as possible to ensure the possibility of the movie being made. It was really great writing and also quite strategic on their parts!
Oof. It's difficult to have that kind of "choose your own adventure" adaptability in a well developed screenplay. You might as well just write three different movies!
It's insane looking back at this film realizing how good the acting, directing, writing etc is. With the exception of Robin Williams all of the actors were pretty early into their careers.
Matt Damon said that writing this movie made him realize just how much he cursed when he was living in Boston. He said in an interview that one time when met with the Miramax Executives, they notified him that they movie will be "R" rated. This confused him so he asked why because there's no explicit sex scenes, drugs, or too much violence and they told him because of the language because they went over the cursing limit. And back then movies were only allowed to have about 2 curse words to get a PG-13 rating, and Matt Damon was told of this. He of course was flexible and offered to lower the amount of cursing and adjust for the PG-13 rating so he asked by how many times do they go over the limit by for the PG-13 rating, and the executive told him "You go over by 145." LOL When he found that out, he realized how much he cursed, laughed at it. and thought "Fuck it. Just leave it as it is." According to him, cursing was just a place holder when speaking or a default for when he's at a loss for words.
the bar where Will meets Skyler is called the Bow & Arrow Pub. tucked away on a little side street a few blocks from Harvard it started as a neighborhood bar; in the 60s & 70s a biker gang made it their haunt & Harvard students discovered it in the 80s. so by the noughts it had this eclectic mix of townies, bikers & students.
What surprises me about the screenplay here isn't the writing, really; it's the insight. It took me many years of reflection to achieve the same level of understanding demonstrated by the young writers of this script.
Such a great film, such a great reaction. Just reading about the movie, and reading up on stories about very good mathmaticians and their life makes the movie, at least for me, even stronger. There is 3 real life people that could have been the inspiriations to different parts of Will. George Dantzig, William Sidis and Srinivasa Ramanujan. george Dantzig was a student at Berkeley during the 1930s. He wasn't the most motivated student, often running late to class. One day, he was late to class, came in, wrote down the homework on the blackboard and continued to listen to the rest of the class. Worked with the problems for a few days, was very irritated and when he finally handed in the homework to the teacher he said: "sorry for being late, but I felt the homework was harder than usual". The professor didn't understand what student George said, so just answered with: "place them there, I will look at them later". Late one night, someone was banging on George door. Banging so hard the door almost fell in. "You solved the fucking problem. Those where not homework. Those where unsolvable problems, and you fucking solved them". William Sidis was a wonderchild. Insanely good at maths. Started studying math at Harvard University at the age of 12. Even with the studies at Harvard was to easy for this child so he started teaching the other students. At the age of 21 William Sidis was arrested. He was part of a demostration in Boston that became a riot. He was arrested, but William Sidis parents managed to get him out of not going to prison. Instead he was convicted to be forced to go to a psyciatrist for 1 year. That happened to be his own dad. So his dad forced the 21 year old to be locked inside the families home for 1 year, every day have therapy sessions with his dad. After 1 year, the parents moved him to California, they moved with him, and the same treatment was happening there. The parents aimed to "reschool him", and threatened to lock him in to a mental hospital if not agreeing to their demands. Finally he managed to get out of his families claws, and vowed to never again be part of anything in the world of academia. And he did that. He instead took work running adding machines. Srinivasa Ramanujan was born in India. Had no formal training, selftought, solving the books in mathmatics he could get his hands on. He was undiscovered until around 1913. In 1914 he traveled to Cambridge to start working there. Sadly he was discovered to late, and most of his life he was just proving other proofs. He died 1920, age 32. Another mathmatician that is very interesting to read the life about is Terence Tao. Born in Australia 1975, he remains the youngest winner of each of the three medals in the International Mathematical Olympiad. He competed in 86, 87 and 88. First time he was ten, and he won bronze. Myself have read the legend of question six from 1988 Olympiad. I am decent at maths, and I have no clue what they are even asking. He became a professor at UCLA at the age of 24. Also. The questions itself that Will Hunting solved in this movie. Are they really that hard? Could be interesting to find out? (spoiler. They are not hard).
One important message of this film that's often overlooked is that, in order to be happy, people with special talents need to truly understand that they don't "owe the world" anything (or their family or their mentors or...). If ANY of us are to be happy, we need to find our own truth -- be 100% honest with ourselves and find out what WE want to do. Dedicating your life to something you're good at rather than to something you love is a recipe for a slow slide into mediocrity and misery. In the long run, all the talent in the world will not make up for the malaise and listless lack of motivation that arises when there's no underlying passion.
Robin Williams could take a role in any movie or show that would be great on its own, with incredible actors and make everyone around him look even better. He was a true genius when it came to making anything, no matter how real or how far fetched seem possible and make you feel like you're part of it. It's hard to imagine that someone with so much inner turmoil, mental, as well as physical, and substance based health issues was capable of making everyone else feel so happy and relevant with his comedy. As he said, "You're only given a little spark of madness. You mustn't lose it". And he used his to the fullest. R.I.P. to a one of a kind man.
I first saw this movie when I was a kid, and while I still recognized it was a good film, it took a lot more life experience to get me to understand just how powerful it is. As someone who ended up having some parallels with Will Hunting, this film nowadays just absolutely guts me.
Over 25 years since it was released and I still think it is Matt Damon and Ben Affleck's best movie in their careers. The funny thing was the previous Oscar year, they were both watching the awards on TV in a hotel room while they were in production for "Good Will Hunting", and a year later, they won their first Oscars. BTW, Robin Williams filmed all his scenes in 3 weeks and while on rehearsal break, he introduced Matt and Ben to Steven Spielberg who was in another part of Boston filming "Amistad". Steven was also casting for "Saving Private Ryan" and when he met Damon, said he would be a great candidate for a role in that movie. What great timing.
As great as it was to see Williams win the Oscar for this, for me the real success story was Ben and Matt winning for best original screenplay. I remember for years afterwards people doubting that these two had the ability to do it and that they must have had a ghost writer do it for them, which was kind of heartbreaking to see.
This movie is... so... not what anyone expects. And it shows what some actors, like Damon and Williams, are capable of... and hope. Glad you finally saw this, and really glad you let us come along for the ride.
I remember reading the script while watching the movie and it's amazing how much improv Williams brought to the script. He truly made the character. It's a masterful work all around
There’s a plaque in Boston Common at the exact spot this scene was filmed right by this bench that says “Your move chief.” Another fun fact: Robin Williams ad libbed “Son of a bitch, he stole my line.” They loved it and left it in the film.
the burger place they ate at was the Tasty (motto: "so good they built Harvard around us"), this greasy spoon place open 24 hours that literally only sold burgers & fries. Harvard Square's been redesigned & rebuilt & the Tasty's gone now.
Robin Williams (RIP) won the Oscar as Best Supporting Actor, Ben Affleck and Matt Damon won the Oscar for the Best Original Screenplay. This movie is great, and makes my heart hurt because we lost Robin too soon.
Great film. Some of us have had ruinous experiences growing up and unfortunately didn't have someone like Robin that may have helped. That's why I cry happily for the help they provide to each other. Life is what it is though, to actually live, even with horror is better than never existing at all surely?
Addie, congratulations on discovering this incredible film. I strongly recommend that you look into the backstory, of how this film came about. The fact that Affleck and Damon wrote it, how they pitched it to the studios, and how they used Sylvester Stallone as a reference to be able to act in it. There's also an interesting part about a random scene they wrote into the script, as a test for the studios. The fact that they were able to get Robin Williams on board, and the film's success is testament to the fact that their original idea resonated and it got picked up as well as earning oscars for Damon, Affleck and Williams.
Glad you liked the movie. It's one of my favorites. I really enjoyed watching it through another person's eyes. especially yours, as I can see how emotional you got. And your analysis was so spot on and intelligent, especially when you pointed out Will's mentors and their opposing approaches to saving Will. In cinema, we call the Unity of Opposites. Glad you enjoyed!
The "It's no t your fault" scene is so iconic. At first WIll tries to quietly agree, but Sean won't let that happen, then he tries to shrug it off with a smirk, and Sean persists, and then will starts getting defensive and confused, and then upset, and then the last thing he does before breaking is lash out at Sean with violence, pushing him. It's his last defense mechanism to keep Sean away to avoid letting the pain out. And Sean doesn't stop. Just amazing.
This film deserves to exist just for the performance from Robin Williams. Add to that the great performances from everyone else, particularly Minnie Driver, and you have a great great film.
Love your reaction!! You're so insightful ~ this has probably one of the best soundtracks of any movie / matching the movie's tone and feel. Great one-liners 'n 2 of the best speeches in the same movie!
If anyone else had been reacting to this movie I probably would not have bothered, but because it's you Addie I did. I just love your setup and how you do react to movies, you don't make stupid comments during the movie, and what you say, even some silly comments are in context with the movie we are watching. You truly are the best reactor on UA-cam:)
I was stuck in Atlanta outskirts for a week long class and has theaters near me and since Will and Bill are both nicknames for William so I picked this one. I was blown away.
Well, you held it together emotionally better than most. This is one of my favorite all time movies. Very satisfying. Ben and Matt did it masterful job with this screenplay. AND, being basically teenagers. How does that happen?! And now they both have achieved critical acclaim and performed well in just about every film. Well deserved success. Thanks to Matt and Ben. 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉
I saw a video where Matt Damon was saying that at the end, when Robin Williams says "he stole my line", that was improv on his part. The scene itself was just supposed to be him silently reminiscing, but when he said that line, everyone knew that was the take.
It was really lovely to watch your reaction to this amazing film. You always present a very real and honest reaction that shows us a tiny little bit more of your soul each time. It shows us that you are a very sweet and kind person. Thank you for allowing your audience to connect with you in a genuine way through these reactions. God bless.
Two superior intellects challenging each other. Can you believe those two young kids wrote this absolute masterpiece? And starred in it. And ROBIN WILLIAMS. He always made me laugh. Right from Mark and Mindy on. I didn’t count on him being so freakin good a serious actor. People loved him so but I’ve often thought that superior intellect doesn’t always translate into a smooth life. Vincent Van Gogh had a very tumultuous life living on the edge of insanity. He couldn’t sell a painting. Nowadays his paintings are worth hundreds of millions of dollars. RIP Robin. Have peace of mind in your afterlife. You left the world a better place because you were here.
I must say that by watching films with you is an experience. Most of the movies you react to I have seen with friends or other people. To watch them with someone who is sensitive, intelligent, empathetic, and caring as you genuinely gives a deeper impression. Being single for most of my life, I didn't have someone of your depth to share with me the context or response you provide in your reactions. I'm a fan. I have subscribed. And I look forward to spending more time with you. Two more movies by Robin Williams deserve your attention. DEAD POETS SOCIETY and MRS. DOUBTFIRE. As I think about it, you could watch the Rocky movies. The first 4 are terrific. The reason being is the story. As Sylvester Stallone has said, Rocky isn't a movie about boxing, it's a love story. Which I think you'll enjoy.
What makes this movie truely great is knowing that Matt and Ben wrote the script, as young as they were at the time, when Robin signed on and the movie got funding, magic happened.
Fun fact: the part where Robin Williams said that his wife used to fart when she was nervous was ad libbed. When Matt Damon laughs, it was genuine because he didn’t know where Robin Williams was going with it but just rolled with his story.
I often cite this movie as the right way to do accents. Damon and Affleck do perfect Southie accents - to the point that they don't sound like they're doing a Southie accent, they have Southie accents. Honorable mention, Ben Affleck on SNL with a skit about "my gay Bill'ricer wedding' (aww, now I'm sad. I used to eat at that Au Bon Pain in Harvard Sq., and now it's gone.)
He mentions Srinivasa Ramanujan when talking about Will's math abilities. Ramanujan was a from a different planet that spoke with the gods to unlock the secrets of the universe for humanity. If Ramanujan had lived longer I have no doubt that we would be way more advanced than we are now.
Not only did they write it, they got the Oscar for it. Top 5 scripts easily of all time. Talk about making it big in Hollywood right out of the gate.... I believe they wrote that script too🤑
With this movie, I truly hope you will continue on a thread of Robin Williams movies! Imagine how amazing that playlist would become!! What's that? You DO intend to do more Robin Williams movies?! Great to hear, Addie! So very happy to hear/read that! I cannot wait! Take care, Addie!!
Damon and Affleck co-wrote this movie. They had to draw in a big name star (Williams) to get the project greenlit for studios. Many of the scenes in the movie drew from the own experiences, as they both are originally from Boston.
At around 14:22, look at the file cabinet behind Robin Williams' head, and note the slight up and down movement. That's the cameraman cracking up at the dialogue. Apparently, more people on set than just the two actors were having fun at that point in the story. 😎
As someone who grew up in a very similar situation as Will, (in Boston too, no less), this movie hits DIFFERENT. I still have trouble getting through it without getting emotional in the "It's not your fault" scene
What's so bittersweet about this movie, verging on tragic, is that despite playing a good therapist, Robin Williams himself never got the release from his own personal problems. He lived a live where he compensated his own problems by acting the clown and with booze and drugs. Sadly he comited suicide. And it was only at his autopsy that it was discovered he spent his entire life misdiagnozed of his real psychiatric problem, in fact the medicine prescribed to him made him worse and eventually helped him to fall to such dark depression that lead to his suicide. Most of us only saw the clown. But Williams kept trying to show us his truer self in his more dramatic acting but too many of us just wanted the clown not Williams the serious actor he truly was.
Amazing to think that this work of art was written by Affleck & Damon, when they were bascially kids. Won an oscar, and got one of Williams' best performances ever. It's a masterpiece.
It’s funny to think that Afleck and Damon also played “friends” in Dogma.
They Should have been nominated a 2nd time with their screenplay for THE LAST DUEL.. another amazing script and movie that was TOTALLY overlooked by the Academy......
Many of us peaked as kids. ;)
At least one of them were abused. And robin was too. Too much of these personalities and flaws were just too real.
The truth is Kevin Smith wrote the script
I still find it incredible that these two young men wrote this story. Really amazing all around.
That blew my mind when I found that out this year, when watching reactions. I watched it years ago but never knew the background of the movie and script.
An Academy Award-winning performance from Robin Williams, for a good reason.
Robin Williams's performance in this gets me every time. The monolog in the park still has me tearing up even after multiple viewings. And the ending when he finally gets Will to drop the wall he's been holding up his whole life 😭Perfectly done 💔~Caroline
I love knowing that the movie ends where we all hope he got back together with her, but whether he did or not, he'll be OK because he knows and understands himself so much more after working with Sean. And Chuck's speech hits me in the feels EVERY TIME.
I appreciate actors who can be funny and dramatic! And Robin Williams blew my mind
Have you seen Robin in Being Human.
He is great in that movie too.
@@buttthecat1354 thanks for the recommendation
@@paneledmeteor33 I recommend Awakenings with Robin Williams. Based on a true story.
@@johnsmooth1229 2nd this!
@@johnsmooth1229 that is also a great movie.
I like to refer Being Human, because not very many people have seen it.
Loved your reaction to one of the greatest movies of all time. Hits so hard every damn time... 🥰 RIP Robin Williams, you were not only a hero of my childhood, a hero of my and many other peoples lifes!
This movie cemented my unconditional love for Robin Williams, what a performance, RIP great man. It also introduced me to another actor I love Stellan Skarsgård
One of the greatest movies I've ever seen. Masterpiece. Sean and Will were exactly what each other needed. They helped each other move on.
Have you seen the movie “Finding Forrester” with Sean Connery? It’s the same director as this movie… Matt Damon comes in at the very end of that movie
@@nsasupporter7557 that’s another good movie. Similar to this movie, don’t think it’s as good though.
@@gdo3510 as I just said it was the same director. So yes, you’re right it is similar
Matt D. was fast-tracked to Harvard but dropped out to pursue his creative career - his roomie was Jason Furman who was a rock star in his own right. It is easy to forget how amazing it is that Matt and Ben came up with this script and then starred in it when they were so young - now that is genuine talent
My favorite film of all time. I have a hundred movies tied for places 2-10, but this is easily my favorite, for numerous reasons.
One of the best movies ever. SO well written. Damon & Affleck knocked it out of the park with this. And Robin Williams' performance is nothing short of outstanding. An instant classic.
Matt Damon lost out to Jack Nicholson for “As Good as it Gets” at the 1998 Oscars
@@NiclasLoof well when you go up against Jack Nicholson for best actor at an award show, you don’t stand a chance at all anyway lol
@NSA Supporter As he should have. But he and Ben Affleck _did_ take home the award for their screenplay -- also well deserved.
@@bigdream_dreambig yeah, I’ll give you that.
Both Damon and Affleck are much better behind the camera than in front of the camera… but Damon is still a semi decent actor, I’ll give him that. Can’t say the same about Affleck though honestly
One of the best Robin Williams films ever! Outstanding lines, Outstanding acting and pulls the heart strings
It's amazing how they wrote such an impactful scrip so young. And of course Robin Williams is... Robin Williams, one of the greatest actors who has embraced us with his presence. RIP master.
Yes, him and Jim Carrey are the best comedians. Carrey is also a great dramatic actor too of course but not as good as Williams
A great reaction, Addie. I was touched by your empathy. And, you really nailed it by saying Will could objectively realize it wasn't his fault, but he needed to really feel what that meant. You're the first reactor to GWH that I've seen really grasp that. Thank you! ☺❤🌹
This movie and the actors are all top shelf, but after having seen it numerous times, Addie, I got as much enjoyment this time seeing and hearing your reaction. Your sensitivity, thoughtfulness and wisdom shown through... I hope you have someone in your life who treats you really well, or at least will soon. You deserve it!
Such a beautiful reaction to a beautiful movie. You know a movie is great and you're totally caught up in it when it's hard to put your thoughts into words. Thank you so much for sharing this with us, lovely lady.
I love that Addie doesn’t completely over talk the movies
The writing for this movie was absolutely fantastic and it’s hard to be believe it was done by a young Matt Damon and Ben Affleck!
Matt Damon and Ben Affleck wrote this movie because they weren’t getting much acting work and they wanted the parts as actors and at the time they were really influenced by Reservior Dogs (1992) and the story that they heard is that because Harvey Keitel had signed up for the movie, the director Quentin Tarantino was able to secure half a million dollars for his budget and was allowed to make the movie. This gave them the idea to write the therapist role of Sean Maguire, which obviously Robin Williams would eventually take (which according to them, they got him at a serious discount because Robin Williams was one of highest paid actors of the time). They called it the “Harvey Keitel Part” because they specifically wrote it with the intention of looking for an actor of such gravitas who could secure them money to help make the movie because Matt Damon and Ben Affleck were unknown actors at the time, and were doing all they can to get the movie made.
They also intentionally wrote the role to be really open-ended as possible and were flexible to changes. For instance, if a renowned black actor like James Earl Jones, Morgan Freeman or Denzel Washington wanted to come in and play the role, they had the idea to adjust it and make the therapist character be from Roxbury and maybe explore the kind of historic racial tensions within Boston to make the dynamic between Will and his therapist more interesting and possibly contentious. Or if a famous actress like Meryl Streep or Sandra Bullock wanted the role, they would simply make the therapist character female and instead of a father-son relationship they would make the dynamic between Will and his therapist be that of a mother-son relationship, and so on and so forth. According to them, they left the role to be as open-ended because they wanted to cast as wide a net as possible to ensure the possibility of the movie being made.
It was really great writing and also quite strategic on their parts!
Oof. It's difficult to have that kind of "choose your own adventure" adaptability in a well developed screenplay. You might as well just write three different movies!
I'm SO glad that Robin said yes.
She’s also AMAZING with John Cusak in
“Grosse Pointe Blank”
A must see-
Amazing cast and soundtrack
The
“Man is a syncope…
“… a what?”
“Ibid, your Honor.”
Will / vs Attorney banter is genius
Robin Williams was a genius. The world is sadder for his loss. RIP
It's insane looking back at this film realizing how good the acting, directing, writing etc is. With the exception of Robin Williams all of the actors were pretty early into their careers.
Such so strong acting from everyone in this movie... Matt and Ben won an award for this!!
Matt Damon said that writing this movie made him realize just how much he cursed when he was living in Boston.
He said in an interview that one time when met with the Miramax Executives, they notified him that they movie will be "R" rated. This confused him so he asked why because there's no explicit sex scenes, drugs, or too much violence and they told him because of the language because they went over the cursing limit. And back then movies were only allowed to have about 2 curse words to get a PG-13 rating, and Matt Damon was told of this. He of course was flexible and offered to lower the amount of cursing and adjust for the PG-13 rating so he asked by how many times do they go over the limit by for the PG-13 rating, and the executive told him "You go over by 145." LOL
When he found that out, he realized how much he cursed, laughed at it. and thought "Fuck it. Just leave it as it is." According to him, cursing was just a place holder when speaking or a default for when he's at a loss for words.
the bar where Will meets Skyler is called the Bow & Arrow Pub. tucked away on a little side street a few blocks from Harvard it started as a neighborhood bar; in the 60s & 70s a biker gang made it their haunt & Harvard students discovered it in the 80s. so by the noughts it had this eclectic mix of townies, bikers & students.
Cool.
Rest in peace, Robin Williams.
What surprises me about the screenplay here isn't the writing, really; it's the insight. It took me many years of reflection to achieve the same level of understanding demonstrated by the young writers of this script.
That Ben Afleck scene where he tells Matt the best part of his day is. So impactful
Such a great film, such a great reaction.
Just reading about the movie, and reading up on stories about very good mathmaticians and their life makes the movie, at least for me, even stronger.
There is 3 real life people that could have been the inspiriations to different parts of Will.
George Dantzig, William Sidis and Srinivasa Ramanujan.
george Dantzig was a student at Berkeley during the 1930s. He wasn't the most motivated student, often running late to class.
One day, he was late to class, came in, wrote down the homework on the blackboard and continued to listen to the rest of the class.
Worked with the problems for a few days, was very irritated and when he finally handed in the homework to the teacher he said: "sorry for being late, but I felt the homework was harder than usual". The professor didn't understand what student George said, so just answered with: "place them there, I will look at them later". Late one night, someone was banging on George door. Banging so hard the door almost fell in.
"You solved the fucking problem. Those where not homework. Those where unsolvable problems, and you fucking solved them".
William Sidis was a wonderchild. Insanely good at maths. Started studying math at Harvard University at the age of 12. Even with the studies at Harvard was to easy for this child so he started teaching the other students.
At the age of 21 William Sidis was arrested. He was part of a demostration in Boston that became a riot. He was arrested, but William Sidis parents managed to get him out of not going to prison. Instead he was convicted to be forced to go to a psyciatrist for 1 year. That happened to be his own dad. So his dad forced the 21 year old to be locked inside the families home for 1 year, every day have therapy sessions with his dad. After 1 year, the parents moved him to California, they moved with him, and the same treatment was happening there. The parents aimed to "reschool him", and threatened to lock him in to a mental hospital if not agreeing to their demands.
Finally he managed to get out of his families claws, and vowed to never again be part of anything in the world of academia.
And he did that.
He instead took work running adding machines.
Srinivasa Ramanujan was born in India. Had no formal training, selftought, solving the books in mathmatics he could get his hands on. He was undiscovered until around 1913. In 1914 he traveled to Cambridge to start working there. Sadly he was discovered to late, and most of his life he was just proving other proofs. He died 1920, age 32.
Another mathmatician that is very interesting to read the life about is Terence Tao.
Born in Australia 1975, he remains the youngest winner of each of the three medals in the International Mathematical Olympiad. He competed in 86, 87 and 88. First time he was ten, and he won bronze. Myself have read the legend of question six from 1988 Olympiad. I am decent at maths, and I have no clue what they are even asking.
He became a professor at UCLA at the age of 24.
Also. The questions itself that Will Hunting solved in this movie. Are they really that hard? Could be interesting to find out? (spoiler. They are not hard).
One important message of this film that's often overlooked is that, in order to be happy, people with special talents need to truly understand that they don't "owe the world" anything (or their family or their mentors or...). If ANY of us are to be happy, we need to find our own truth -- be 100% honest with ourselves and find out what WE want to do. Dedicating your life to something you're good at rather than to something you love is a recipe for a slow slide into mediocrity and misery. In the long run, all the talent in the world will not make up for the malaise and listless lack of motivation that arises when there's no underlying passion.
Robin Williams is a legend. gotta watch more of his movie's. good morning vietnam is amazing also
Robin Williams could take a role in any movie or show that would be great on its own, with incredible actors and make everyone around him look even better. He was a true genius when it came to making anything, no matter how real or how far fetched seem possible and make you feel like you're part of it.
It's hard to imagine that someone with so much inner turmoil, mental, as well as physical, and substance based health issues was capable of making everyone else feel so happy and relevant with his comedy. As he said, "You're only given a little spark of madness. You mustn't lose it". And he used his to the fullest.
R.I.P. to a one of a kind man.
I first saw this movie when I was a kid, and while I still recognized it was a good film, it took a lot more life experience to get me to understand just how powerful it is. As someone who ended up having some parallels with Will Hunting, this film nowadays just absolutely guts me.
"Am I gonna tear up in every single one of their reactions?" Yeah, pretty much! 😝
Over 25 years since it was released and I still think it is Matt Damon and Ben Affleck's best movie in their careers. The funny thing was the previous Oscar year, they were both watching the awards on TV in a hotel room while they were in production for "Good Will Hunting", and a year later, they won their first Oscars.
BTW, Robin Williams filmed all his scenes in 3 weeks and while on rehearsal break, he introduced Matt and Ben to Steven Spielberg who was in another part of Boston filming "Amistad". Steven was also casting for "Saving Private Ryan" and when he met Damon, said he would be a great candidate for a role in that movie. What great timing.
As great as it was to see Williams win the Oscar for this, for me the real success story was Ben and Matt winning for best original screenplay. I remember for years afterwards people doubting that these two had the ability to do it and that they must have had a ghost writer do it for them, which was kind of heartbreaking to see.
Their accents are incredible
Love your reactions, any chance Dead Poets Society (also features Robin WIlliams) is on the list?
This movie is... so... not what anyone expects. And it shows what some actors, like Damon and Williams, are capable of... and hope.
Glad you finally saw this, and really glad you let us come along for the ride.
"I think I got some of your pickle..."
Not yet. Maybe later...
Underrated post for sure
I remember reading the script while watching the movie and it's amazing how much improv Williams brought to the script. He truly made the character. It's a masterful work all around
this is definitely in my top 10 such an incredible profound movie
There’s a plaque in Boston Common at the exact spot this scene was filmed right by this bench that says “Your move chief.”
Another fun fact: Robin Williams ad libbed “Son of a bitch, he stole my line.” They loved it and left it in the film.
the burger place they ate at was the Tasty (motto: "so good they built Harvard around us"), this greasy spoon place open 24 hours that literally only sold burgers & fries. Harvard Square's been redesigned & rebuilt & the Tasty's gone now.
this movie has the best writing ever, the dialogue is so goated
One of my favorite movies of all time. So many great performances. Love your reaction Addie!
14:23 you ca visibly see the camera shaking from the cameraman laughing at Robin’s improvised story. Love this movie
I saw that movie in the theater when I was 24 yrs old. It literally changed my life. To this day it remains one of my all time favorites
Robin Williams (RIP) won the Oscar as Best Supporting Actor, Ben Affleck and Matt Damon won the Oscar for the Best Original Screenplay. This movie is great, and makes my heart hurt because we lost Robin too soon.
Matt Damon was also nominated for best actor but lost out to Jack Nicholson for “As Good as it Gets”
This is a top 5 of all time movie imo... It just doesn't get much better than this
Great film. Some of us have had ruinous experiences growing up and unfortunately didn't have someone like Robin that may have helped. That's why I cry happily for the help they provide to each other.
Life is what it is though, to actually live, even with horror is better than never existing at all surely?
Addie, congratulations on discovering this incredible film. I strongly recommend that you look into the backstory, of how this film came about.
The fact that Affleck and Damon wrote it, how they pitched it to the studios, and how they used Sylvester Stallone as a reference to be able to act in it. There's also an interesting part about a random scene they wrote into the script, as a test for the studios.
The fact that they were able to get Robin Williams on board, and the film's success is testament to the fact that their original idea resonated and it got picked up as well as earning oscars for Damon, Affleck and Williams.
Glad you liked the movie. It's one of my favorites. I really enjoyed watching it through another person's eyes. especially yours, as I can see how emotional you got. And your analysis was so spot on and intelligent, especially when you pointed out Will's mentors and their opposing approaches to saving Will. In cinema, we call the Unity of Opposites. Glad you enjoyed!
The "It's no t your fault" scene is so iconic. At first WIll tries to quietly agree, but Sean won't let that happen, then he tries to shrug it off with a smirk, and Sean persists, and then will starts getting defensive and confused, and then upset, and then the last thing he does before breaking is lash out at Sean with violence, pushing him. It's his last defense mechanism to keep Sean away to avoid letting the pain out. And Sean doesn't stop.
Just amazing.
Film making at it's best, incredible relatable story, incredible characters and dialog
This film deserves to exist just for the performance from Robin Williams. Add to that the great performances from everyone else, particularly Minnie Driver, and you have a great great film.
Love your reaction!! You're so insightful ~ this has probably one of the best soundtracks of any movie / matching the movie's tone and feel. Great one-liners 'n 2 of the best speeches in the same movie!
This world is not the same without Robin...RIP LEGEND
If anyone else had been reacting to this movie I probably would not have bothered, but because it's you Addie I did. I just love your setup and how you do react to movies, you don't make stupid comments during the movie, and what you say, even some silly comments are in context with the movie we are watching. You truly are the best reactor on UA-cam:)
I was stuck in Atlanta outskirts for a week long class and has theaters near me and since Will and Bill are both nicknames for William so I picked this one. I was blown away.
Awesome reaction to one of my all-time favourite movies, hilarious and heart-breaking.
Fun Fact: Addie Counts, but Addie also Rocks. 😊👍🤘❤
RIP Robin Williams. One of my favorite movies of his.
Well, you held it together emotionally better than most. This is one of my favorite all time movies. Very satisfying. Ben and Matt did it masterful job with this screenplay. AND, being basically teenagers. How does that happen?! And now they both have achieved critical acclaim and performed well in just about every film. Well deserved success. Thanks to Matt and Ben. 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉
You should check out Dead Poets Society. Just as emotional and also stars Robin Williams. 😊
Such a classic film. Glad you loved it. Robin Williams was a genius in his one and only Oscar winning performance! He is greatly missed.
I saw a video where Matt Damon was saying that at the end, when Robin Williams says "he stole my line", that was improv on his part. The scene itself was just supposed to be him silently reminiscing, but when he said that line, everyone knew that was the take.
A masterpiece, worth watching and rewatching countless times.
It was really lovely to watch your reaction to this amazing film. You always present a very real and honest reaction that shows us a tiny little bit more of your soul each time. It shows us that you are a very sweet and kind person. Thank you for allowing your audience to connect with you in a genuine way through these reactions. God bless.
Two superior intellects challenging each other. Can you believe those two young kids wrote this absolute masterpiece? And starred in it. And ROBIN WILLIAMS. He always made me laugh. Right from Mark and Mindy on. I didn’t count on him being so freakin good a serious actor. People loved him so but I’ve often thought that superior intellect doesn’t always translate into a smooth life. Vincent Van Gogh had a very tumultuous life living on the edge of insanity. He couldn’t sell a painting. Nowadays his paintings are worth hundreds of millions of dollars. RIP Robin. Have peace of mind in your afterlife. You left the world a better place because you were here.
One of my favorites. This might be an almost perfect script. RIP Robin Williams. So great
I must say that by watching films with you is an experience. Most of the movies you react to I have seen with friends or other people. To watch them with someone who is sensitive, intelligent, empathetic, and caring as you genuinely gives a deeper impression. Being single for most of my life, I didn't have someone of your depth to share with me the context or response you provide in your reactions. I'm a fan. I have subscribed. And I look forward to spending more time with you. Two more movies by Robin Williams deserve your attention.
DEAD POETS SOCIETY and
MRS. DOUBTFIRE.
As I think about it, you could watch the Rocky movies. The first 4 are terrific. The reason being is the story. As Sylvester Stallone has said, Rocky isn't a movie about boxing, it's a love story. Which I think you'll enjoy.
Oh my.. great choice!
2:55.... you know Casey and Ben took that from their personal childhood memories lolol
What makes this movie truely great is knowing that Matt and Ben wrote the script, as young as they were at the time, when Robin signed on and the movie got funding, magic happened.
Fun fact: the part where Robin Williams said that his wife used to fart when she was nervous was ad libbed. When Matt Damon laughs, it was genuine because he didn’t know where Robin Williams was going with it but just rolled with his story.
I greatly enjoyed your reaction to this movie. Very genuine and sincere.
I often cite this movie as the right way to do accents. Damon and Affleck do perfect Southie accents - to the point that they don't sound like they're doing a Southie accent, they have Southie accents. Honorable mention, Ben Affleck on SNL with a skit about "my gay Bill'ricer wedding' (aww, now I'm sad. I used to eat at that Au Bon Pain in Harvard Sq., and now it's gone.)
thanks for this great, wonderfull reaction. Like ever reaction of you
This is pretty much the movie I watch anytime I feel like crying.
This is a good one. Field of Dreams works pretty well for me too. :)
yess, been waiting for this reaction, awesome movie!!!
He mentions Srinivasa Ramanujan when talking about Will's math abilities. Ramanujan was a from a different planet that spoke with the gods to unlock the secrets of the universe for humanity. If Ramanujan had lived longer I have no doubt that we would be way more advanced than we are now.
The Long well deserved Oscar for the late Great Robin Williams 🙌🏿
14:20 that joke about his wife was improvised, that's why Damons laugh is so incredible because they were literally cracking up while just adlibbing
Like Shawshank, the final scene was only added after audience review. In both cases for similar reasons.
That really was a pretty good movie, pulled lots of strings, unraveled the ball. Ended up with his own work of art in progress.
Yeah, it's about Goodwill, the used clothing store! Fun fact: this movie was the inspiration for Macklemore's song Thrift Shop. ;-)
Not only did they write it, they got the Oscar for it. Top 5 scripts easily of all time. Talk about making it big in Hollywood right out of the gate.... I believe they wrote that script too🤑
Thank you for this reaction. I refuse to get in my feels and explain more but I will say thank you.
With this movie, I truly hope you will continue on a thread of Robin Williams movies! Imagine how amazing that playlist would become!!
What's that? You DO intend to do more Robin Williams movies?! Great to hear, Addie! So very happy to hear/read that! I cannot wait!
Take care, Addie!!
I swear, every time the "It's not your fault" scene happens, someone is cutting onions around me.
RIP, Robin Williams.
He took home the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.
Matt Damon was nominated for best actor, but lost out to Jack Nicholson for “As Good as it Gets”
Always happy to see a new Addie reaction recommended. This one was a good one.
Damon and Affleck co-wrote this movie. They had to draw in a big name star (Williams) to get the project greenlit for studios. Many of the scenes in the movie drew from the own experiences, as they both are originally from Boston.
At around 14:22, look at the file cabinet behind Robin Williams' head, and note the slight up and down movement. That's the cameraman cracking up at the dialogue. Apparently, more people on set than just the two actors were having fun at that point in the story. 😎
The bench at Cambridge has turned into a memorial for Robin Williams.
Yeah it would be cool to find out how they're doing out there in Cali. Would make for a great sequel.
As someone who grew up in a very similar situation as Will, (in Boston too, no less), this movie hits DIFFERENT.
I still have trouble getting through it without getting emotional in the "It's not your fault" scene
Very very good movie.. loved yr reaction to it.👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👍
What's so bittersweet about this movie, verging on tragic, is that despite playing a good therapist, Robin Williams himself never got the release from his own personal problems. He lived a live where he compensated his own problems by acting the clown and with booze and drugs. Sadly he comited suicide. And it was only at his autopsy that it was discovered he spent his entire life misdiagnozed of his real psychiatric problem, in fact the medicine prescribed to him made him worse and eventually helped him to fall to such dark depression that lead to his suicide. Most of us only saw the clown. But Williams kept trying to show us his truer self in his more dramatic acting but too many of us just wanted the clown not Williams the serious actor he truly was.