Gus Van Sant's 1997 Best Picture nominee Good Will Hunting will be the next feature in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' "Great To Be Nominated" series. The film will be screened on Monday, June 2, at 7:30 p.m. at the Academy's Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.
Following the screening, editor Pietro Scalia, producer Lawrence Bender, co-producer Chris Moore, and production designer Melissa Stewart will take part in a discussion about the film.
Good Will Hunting is a melodrama about an aimless mathematical genius who finds love and purpose after spending time with Robin Williams, of all people. The likable Matt Damon plays the angst-ridden genius Will Hunting as a likable, un-angsted young man with fits of bad temper whenever he notices there's a camera around.
Why such a bad case of miscasting? Well, Damon and pal Ben Affleck wrote the cliche-ridden screenplay for themselves — though rumor had it that veteran William Goldman had a strong hand in it. Affleck, who has done much better work as an actor elsewhere, has a supporting role in the film as a laughably unconvincing construction worker. And in another bad case of miscasting, Minnie Driver is Will Hunting's love interest.
Shelley Winters liked Good Will Hunting, telling a reporter that her Oscar vote went to it. Audiences in the U.S. — and probably elsewhere — apparently also liked the film, as it became by far Gus Van Sant's biggest box-office hit, and turned Matt Damon into a star. The Academy liked it as well — at least in part thanks to distributor Miramax's Oscar-obsessed marketing. Robin Williams even took home the best supporting actor Oscar that, as far as I'm concerned, had Burt Reynolds' name (for Boogie Nights) engraved on it.
Good Will Hunting earned a total of nine Academy Award nominations, winning Oscars for Actor in a Supporting Role (Williams) and Writing — Screenplay written directly for the screen (Affleck, Damon). The film also received nominations for Best Picture (Bender), Actor in a Leading Role (Damon), Actress in a Supporting Role ( Driver), Directing (Van Sant), Film Editing (Scalia), Music — Original Dramatic Score (Danny Elfman) and Music — Original Song ("Miss Misery," Music and Lyric by Elliott Smith).
Good Will Hunting and L.A. Confidential each received nine nominations and won two Academy Awards in 1997. L.A. Confidential was screened in May as part of the series.
Aleksandr Petrov's Oscar-nominated animated short The Mermaid will be screened prior to the feature.
Passes for part five of "Great To Be Nominated" are $30 for the general public and $25 for Academy members and students with a valid ID. Including Good Will Hunting, there are 12 films left in the series. A $5 discount is available for those who wish to renew their passes from parts one, two, three or four of the series. Individual tickets are $5 for the general public and $3 for Academy members and students with a valid ID. Passes and tickets may be purchased online at www.oscars.org, by mail, in person at the Academy during regular business hours or, depending on availability, on the night of the screening when the doors open at 6:30 p.m.
Curtain time for all features is 7:30 p.m., and pre-show elements will begin at 7 p.m. The Academy is located at 8949 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills. For more information, call (310) 247-3600.
Photos: Courtesy of the Margaret Herrick Library
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