'Good Will Hunting' DVD hits the mark

Courtesy of Miramax Films Minnie Driver and Matt Damon look intellectual in "Good Will Hunting."

By Matthew Barrett
Daily Arts Writer

And the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay goes to "Good Nate Hunting." Scratch that, "Good Will Hunting." Believe it or not, the title character was named Nate in some of the early drafts of the film's script. This tidbit of information comes courtesy of the commentary track by writers and stars Matt Damon and Ben Affleck on the DVD version of the film, a must have for all "Good Will Hunting" hounds.

In the film, Damon plays Will Hunting, someone who can slice through the toughest math problems with ease and yet has no desire to rise above his current position as janitor at M.I.T. Will gets in trouble with the law and as a result he has to work with a professor (Stellan Skarsgard) and a therapist (Robin Williams). Complicating Will's life is whether or not he should leave his best friend Chuckie (Ben Affleck) to follow Skylar (Minnie Driver), who could be the girl of his dreams.

The DVD of "Good Will Hunting" comes stocked with plenty of features and information of interest to fans of the film. The aforementioned commentary track with Affleck, Damon and director Gus Van Sant is a joy to listen to as all three participants feel a great deal of passion for the film. Topics covered include how actors approached certain scenes, improvisations, ideas for the film that didn't make the final cut and a boatload of interesting production stories.

Also included is a production featurette with brief interviews of Damon, Affleck, Van Sant, Driver and Williams, the trailer, several television commercials for the film, and deleted scenes. The disc also contains the Elliot Smith "Miss Misery" music video for those of you who didn't catch it on MTV.

With excellent performances from the cast and a bevy of bonus materials, the "Good Will Hunting" DVD hits the mark like a Carlton Fisk flyball.

01-22-99