Matt Damon and Ben Affleck are two actors who sometimes seem to be joined at the hip, even though their careers have branched out in quite different directions since their first major movie success working alongside each other, 28 years ago. Nevertheless, Damon and Affleck have made an impressive 10 movies together, including their upcoming crime thrillerRIP. Still, since writing and starring in the seminal drama filmGood Will Huntingtogether, none of their other collaborations have delivered in quite the same way as this breakthrough moment for the acting duo.
Overnight, Damon and Affleck became one of Hollywood’s most celebrated pairings thanks to the critical and commercial success ofGood Will Hunting. At the same time, each of the actors was considered a rising star in his own right.Damon and Affleck’s movie careers soon diverged, with Damon cast in Steven Spielberg’s acclaimed war filmSaving Private Ryan, and Affleck featuring in a string of blockbuster megahits. They have continually reunited onscreen since, and resumed their writing partnership for2021’sThe Last Duel. Yet none of their other movies come close toGood Will Hunting’s 97% score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Good Will Hunting Is Still Matt Damon & Ben Affleck’s Best Movie
Damon & Affleck’s Most Acclaimed Movie Is The One Where They’re Most True To Themselves
Good Will Hunting, which is currently streaming on Paramount+ and Hulu, wasn’t actually Matt Damon and Ben Affleck’s first movie together. BothDamon and Affleck had roles as extras in Kevin Costner’sField of Dreamsin 1989, as well as Robert Mandel’s 1992 drama movieSchool Ties. Their first screenwriting project together was the movie that put them on the map, however. Directed by Gus Van Sant, with music from Elliott Smith anda powerhouse performance from Robin Williams as Sean Maguire,Good Will Huntingis a searing portrait of a troubled young Bostonian burdened by his own unlikely genius.
Chuckie’s quietly powerful lecture to Will is the actual moment that determines theending ofGood Will Hunting.
Damon and Affleck drew on their own Boston roots to render a story that’s as authentic as it is entertaining and moving. Although the backbone ofGood Will Huntingis the interplay between Damon’s protagonist, Will, and Williams’ unconventional therapist, Sean, arguablythe most heart-rending moment comes in a scene between Damon and Affleck.
Ben Affleck’s character Chuckie is Will’s best friend, but has none of his intellect. When Will suggests that he could stay working on construction sites with his friend for the rest of his life, Chuckie unleashes a truth that only he could share. He tells Will that he’ll kill him if he’s still living the same life as his friends in 20 years. “You don’t owe it to yourself,” Chuckie says, referring to Will making the most of his genius, “You owe it to me.” This quietly powerful lecture from a friend who otherwise has very little of worth to say throughout the movie is the actual moment that determines theending ofGood Will Hunting.
Why Affleck & Damon Work So Well As An Onscreen Partnership
The Pair Share A Lifelong Bond But Also Have Different, Complementary Acting Styles
Ben Affleck and Matt Damon grew up together, attending the same high school in Boston. There, Affleck and Damon held “business meetings” during lunch hour when they discussed future plans in the movie industry. Watching the pair onscreen together, it’s easy to tell that theirs is a lifelong bond forged in their formative years. Each of them appears to know what the other is thinking, and their acting chemistry appears effortlessly natural.Damon and Affleck were destined to team up together in the movie businessfrom a young age, it seems, building an onscreen partnership lasting four decades and counting.
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As well as their profound personal bond, Affleck and Damon make such a great acting partnership because they’re completely different as actors. Ben Affleck is typically hard-faced and tough-talking, while Matt Damon is more of an open book, with considerable emotional range within his acting armory. As their scenes together inGood Will Huntingdemonstrate, the pair complement each other as performers, creating a winning dynamic between characters regardless of the movie genre they’re working in.
Good Will Hunting
Cast
Good Will Hunting centers around a gifted janitor, Will Hunting, whose mathematical genius is recognized by professors. As he navigates his complex personal life and inner struggles, he is guided by a therapist who helps him confront his past and realize his potential.
