Good Will Hunting is a 1997 American drama film directed by Gus Van Sant and written by Ben Affleck and Matt Damon. It stars Robin Williams, Damon, Affleck, Stellan Skarsgård and Minnie Driver. The film tells the story of janitor Will Hunting, whose mathematical genius is discovered by a professor at MIT. It premiered on December 2, 1997, at the Bruin Theater in Westwood Village, Los Angeles. In the United States, the film received a limited release in seven theaters across New York and Los Angeles on December 5, 1998, meeting the submission deadline for the 70th Academy Awards at the last moment. It grossed $138 million and spent thirteen consecutive weeks among the top ten highest-grossing films of the week.
Accolades Award Category Nominee(s) Result Academy Awards Best Picture Lawrence Bender Best Director Gus Van Sant Best Actor Matt Damon Best Supporting Actor Robin Williams Best Supporting Actress Minnie Driver Best Screenplay – Written Directly for the Screen Matt Damon and Ben Affleck Best Film Editing Pietro Scalia Best Original Dramatic Score Danny Elfman Best Original Song "Miss Misery" Music and Lyrics by Elliott Smith American Cinema Editors Awards Best Edited Feature Film Pietro Scalia Berlin International Film Festival Golden Bear Gus Van Sant Outstanding Single Achievement Matt Damon Blockbuster Entertainment Awards Favorite Actor – Video Favorite Actress – Video Minnie Driver BMI Film & TV Awards Film Music Award Danny Elfman Boston Society of Film Critics Awards Best Screenplay Matt Damon and Ben Affleck Chicago Film Critics Association Awards Most Promising Actor Ben Affleck Matt Damon Chlotrudis Awards Best Screenplay Matt Damon and Ben Affleck Critics' Choice Awards Best Picture Best Original Screenplay Matt Damon and Ben Affleck Breakthrough Artist Matt Damon Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association Awards Best Film Directors Guild of America Awards Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures Gus Van Sant Empire Awards Best Film European Film Awards Outstanding European Achievement in World Cinema Stellan Skarsgård Florida Film Critics Circle Awards Best Newcomer Matt Damon and Ben Affleck Golden Globe Awards Best Motion Picture – Drama Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama Matt Damon Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture Robin Williams Best Screenplay – Motion Picture Matt Damon and Ben Affleck Golden Reel Awards Best Sound Editing – Music (Domestic and Foreign) Kenneth Karman Golden Trailer Awards Best Drama Humanitas Prize Feature Film Matt Damon and Ben Affleck Japan Academy Film Prize Outstanding Foreign Language Film Key Art Awards Home Entertainment Audio/Visual Trailer R.D. Womack II Las Vegas Film Critics Society Awards Most Promising Actor Matt Damon London Film Critics Circle Awards Screenwriter of the Year Matt Damon and Ben Affleck Actor of the Year Matt Damon British Supporting Actress of the Year Minnie Driver MTV Movie Awards Best Movie Best Male Performance Matt Damon Best On-Screen Duo Matt Damon and Ben Affleck Best Kiss Matt Damon and Minnie Driver National Board of Review Awards Top Ten Films Special Achievement in Filmmaking Matt Damon and Ben Affleck Online Film & Television Association Awards Best Picture Lawrence Bender Best Drama Picture Best Actor Matt Damon Best Drama Actor Best Supporting Actor Robin Williams Best Original Screenplay Matt Damon and Ben Affleck Best Ensemble Online Film Critics Society Awards Best Screenplay Matt Damon and Ben Affleck Producers Guild of America Awards Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures Lawrence Bender Promax Awards Home Entertainment Movie Promotion R.D. Womack II Russian Guild of Film Critics Awards Best Foreign Actor Matt Damon Satellite Awards Best Motion Picture – Drama Best Director – Motion Picture Gus Van Sant Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama Matt Damon Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama Robin Williams Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama Minnie Driver Best Original Screenplay Matt Damon and Ben Affleck Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Minnie Driver, Stellan Skarsgård, and Robin Williams Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role Matt Damon Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role Robin Williams Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role Minnie Driver Southeastern Film Critics Association Awards Best Picture Telly Awards Best Drama Trailer R.D. Womack II Turkish Film Critics Association Awards Best Foreign Film Writers Guild of America Awards Best Screenplay – Written Directly for the Screen Matt Damon and Ben Affleck
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