Editing Good Will Hunting (section)

===Critical response===
''Good Will Hunting'' received widespread acclaim from critics. On the [[review aggregator]] [[Rotten Tomatoes]], the film holds an approval rating of 97%, based on 91 reviews, with an average rating of 8.10/10. The website's critical consensus reads: "It follows a predictable narrative arc, but ''Good Will Hunting'' adds enough quirks to the journey – and is loaded with enough powerful performances – that it remains an entertaining, emotionally rich drama."<ref name="Tomatoes">{{cite web |title=Good Will Hunting |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/good_will_hunting/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100817024212/http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/good_will_hunting/ |archive-date=August 17, 2010 |access-date=April 18, 2024 |work=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] |publisher=[[Fandango Media|Fandango]]}}</ref> On [[Metacritic]], the film has a [[Weighted arithmetic mean|weighted average]] score of 71 out of 100, based on 28 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.<ref name="Metacritic">{{cite web |url=http://www.metacritic.com/movie/good-will-hunting |title=Good Will Hunting Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More at Metacritic |work=[[Metacritic]] |publisher=[[CBS Interactive]] |access-date=July 11, 2020 |archive-date=September 19, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200919092209/https://www.metacritic.com/movie/good-will-hunting |url-status=live }}</ref> Audiences surveyed by [[CinemaScore]] gave the film an average grade of "A" on a scale of A+ to F.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.cinemascore.com/publicsearch/index/title/ |title= Cinemascore |url-status= dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20181220122629/https://www.cinemascore.com/publicsearch/index/title/ |archive-date= December 20, 2018 |access-date= July 22, 2019 }}</ref>

[[Roger Ebert]] of the ''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]'' gave the film three stars out of four, writing that while the story is "predictable", it is "the individual moments, not the payoff, that make it so effective".<ref>{{cite web |last=Ebert |first=Roger |author-link=Roger Ebert |date=December 25, 1997 |title=Good Will Hunting Movie Review (1997) |url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/good-will-hunting-1997 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130802052628/http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/good-will-hunting-1997 |archive-date=August 2, 2013 |access-date=September 1, 2013 |publisher=[[Chicago Sun-Times]]}}</ref>

Duane Byrge of ''[[The Hollywood Reporter]]'' praised the performances of the cast, writing, "The acting is brilliant overall, with special praise to Matt Damon for his ragingly tender portrayal of the boy cursed with genius."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/good-will-hunting-1997-review-952640|title='Good Will Hunting': THR's 1997 Review|last=Byrge|first=Duane|date=December 1, 1991|website=The Hollywood Reporter|language=en|access-date=April 28, 2020}}</ref>

Peter Stack of the ''[[San Francisco Chronicle]]'' was equally positive, writing, "The glow goes well beyond a radiant performance by Matt Damon ... Intimate, heartfelt and wickedly funny, it's a movie whose impact lingers."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sfgate.com/movies/article/FILM-REVIEW-Will-Has-a-Way-About-It-2788001.php|title=FILM REVIEW – 'Will' Has a Way About It / Williams, Damon are funny and heartfelt in Van Sant's sure-handed drama|last1=Stack|first1=Peter|last2=Critic|first2=Chronicle Staff|date=December 25, 1997|website=SFGate|access-date=April 28, 2020|archive-date=September 25, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200925131551/https://www.sfgate.com/movies/article/FILM-REVIEW-Will-Has-a-Way-About-It-2788001.php|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Owen Gleiberman]], writing for ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'', gave the film a "B", stating, "''Good Will Hunting'' is stuffed – indeed, overstuffed – with heart, soul, audacity, and blarney. You may not believe a minute of it, but you don't necessarily want to stop watching." He also noted Damon's and Williams's chemistry, describing it as "a quicksilver intercepting each other's thoughts".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ew.com/article/1997/12/05/good-will-hunting-3/|title=Good Will Hunting|last=Gleiberman|first=Owen|date=December 5, 1997|website=EW.com|language=EN|access-date=April 28, 2020|archive-date=April 4, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200404230223/https://ew.com/article/1997/12/05/good-will-hunting-3/|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Janet Maslin]] of ''[[The New York Times]]'' called the screenplay "smart and touching", and praised Van Sant for directing with "style, shrewdness and clarity". She also complimented the [[Production designer|production design]] and [[cinematography]], which were able to effortlessly move the viewer from "classroom to dorm room to neighborhood bar", in a small setting.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Maslin|first=Janet|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/12/05/movies/film-review-logarithms-and-biorhythms-test-a-young-janitor.html|title=FILM REVIEW; Logarithms and Biorhythms Test a Young Janitor|date=December 5, 1997|work=The New York Times|access-date=April 28, 2020|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=April 2, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200402173351/https://www.nytimes.com/1997/12/05/movies/film-review-logarithms-and-biorhythms-test-a-young-janitor.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

Quentin Curtis of ''[[The Daily Telegraph]]'' opined that Williams's performance brought "sharpness and tenderness", calling the film a "crowd-pleaser, with bags of charm to spare. It doesn't bear thinking too much about its message ... Damon and Affleck's writing has real wit and vigour, and some depth."<ref>{{Cite news|last=Curtis|first=Quentin|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/filmreviews/11035949/Good-Will-Hunting-review-Robin-Williams-brings-off-sharpness-and-tenderness.html|title=Good Will Hunting, review: 'Robin Williams brings off sharpness and tenderness'|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|date=August 15, 2014|access-date=April 28, 2020|language=en-GB|issn=0307-1235|archive-date=June 5, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200605122758/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/filmreviews/11035949/Good-Will-Hunting-review-Robin-Williams-brings-off-sharpness-and-tenderness.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

Andrew O'Hehir of ''[[Salon (website)|Salon]]'' stated that despite the "enjoyable characters", he thought that the film was somewhat superficial, writing, "there isn't a whole lot of movie to take home with you ... many will wake the next morning wondering why, with all that talent on hand, it amounts to so little in the end."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.salon.com/1997/12/05/goodwill/|title=Good Will Hunting|last=O'Hehir|first=Andrew|date=December 6, 1997|website=Salon|language=en|access-date=April 28, 2020|archive-date=August 5, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200805234736/https://www.salon.com/1997/12/05/goodwill/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Writing for the [[BBC]], Nev Pierce gave the film four stars out of five, describing it as "touching, without being sentimental", although he felt that some scenes were "odd lapses into self-help speak".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Pierce |first=Nev |date=December 6, 2001 |title=BBC – Films – review – Good Will Hunting |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/films/2001/12/06/good_will_hunting_1998_review.shtml |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200217060829/http://www.bbc.co.uk/films/2001/12/06/good_will_hunting_1998_review.shtml |archive-date=February 17, 2020 |access-date=April 28, 2020 |website=www.bbc.co.uk}}</ref>

[[Emanuel Levy]] of [[Variety (magazine)|''Variety'']] called the film a "beautifully realized tale ... engaging and often quite touching". He felt that the film's visual style showcased Van Sant's talent, but the plot was "quite predictable".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://variety.com/1997/film/reviews/good-will-hunting-3-1200452429/|title=Good Will Hunting|last1=Levy|first1=Emanuel|date=December 1, 1997|website=Variety|language=en|access-date=April 28, 2020|archive-date=December 26, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141226120724/http://variety.com/1997/film/reviews/good-will-hunting-3-1200452429/|url-status=live}}</ref>