Good Will Hunting recently celebrated its 25th anniversary, and still stands out as one of the greatest films of the last few decades. It's a rags-to-riches tale, something audiences have time and time again proved they love. It's no surprise the movie was a huge hit at the box-office, and is one of those that leaves you wanting more. If you're wondering what to watch next, we've got you covered with everything from more inspiring Robin Williams performances, to undiscovered math geniuses.
A Beautiful Mind (2001)
From director Ron Howard, A Beautiful Mind kicks off this list in style, boasting four Academy Award wins, including the Best Picture award for 2001. The film tells the story of real-life mathematician John Nash, portrayed powerfully by Russell Crowe, as he develops his works on Game Theory. Much like Good Will Hunting, the film is about a lot more than just academics. Nash faces numerous problems in his personal life, including near-death experiences and a schizophrenia diagnosis. It's these instances that allow the movie to emerge as a classic, providing opportunities for a truly gripping story to be told, made all the more captivating by the fact it is based on real events. Supporting roles from Ed Harris and Best Supporting Actress winner Jennifer Connelly breathe further life into the film, making it a true modern classic and a must-watch for any cinephiles.
Rain Man (1988)
Another Best Picture winner, Rain Man is a truly heartwarming film. It tells the story of Charlie Babbitt (Tom Cruise) who becomes infuriated when his father passes away and leaves his huge estate to his other son, Raymond (Dustin Hoffman). This is the first time Charlie gains any knowledge of Raymond, his older brother, and sets out to find him. Upon finding him, he discovers Raymond is a savant, and takes him out of the mental institution where he resides, and begins to take advantage of him. The two end up on what turns out to be a bonding trip as they set out to use Raymond's intellect to take money from casino's in order to pay Charlie's accumulated debts. The film depicts a wide range of emotions, from greed to compassion, and deals sensitively with the mental health issues in play, highlighting how a relatively normal life filled with love and acceptance can be lived for everyone.
The Man Who Knew Infinity (2015)
Whilst it may be a lesser known title, The Man Who Knew Infinity holds its own on this list alongside the other big hitters. Released in 2015 from director Matthew Brown, the movie is biographical drama based on the life of Srinivasa Ramanujan, portrayed here by Dev Patel. In a similar manner to Good Will Hunting, although in this instance a true story, the movie shows an undiscovered mathematical genius becoming noticed and encouraged. After writing to various professors, Ramanujan is invited to leave his home in Madras to potentially become a theoretical mathematician at Cambridge University by G.H Hardy (Jeremy Irons). It's here his works become celebrated, and he gains notoriety within the academic community. Troubles with his health, and the difficulty he faces with being apart from his family lead to Ramanujan becoming disassociated with his work, and he eventually returns home to spend precious time with his wife. Patel and Irons deliver particularly strong emotional portrayals of the two protagonists, highlighting the deep and meaningful relationship the two had in real life.
Dead Poets Society (1989)
From director Peter Weir, the 1989 release Dead Poets Society is definitely a film deserving of a place on anyone's must-watch list. Robin Williams stars as English teacher John Keating, who quickly gains attention due to his outlandish teaching styles. One of his students, Neil Perry (Robert Sean Leonard), finds out Keating was once a member of a now defunct club, the eponymous Dead Poets Society, and takes it into his hands to restart the club. The club, and Keating himself, encourages boundaries to be pushed in the name of doing what one loves. This leads to a coming of age story, which soon takes a dark turn, leaving its members to fall back into the strict and orthodox ways of the school. However, the brotherhood and spirit of the society is never lost, and lifelong friendships are formed. Actors like Ethan Hawke and Josh Charles help make up an ensemble cast, and the movie isn't one you'll forget quickly.
School Ties (1992)
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Brendan Fraser is gaining a lot of deserved recognition in the media recently after his performance in The Whale, but one of his first leading roles came back in 1992 when he starred in School Ties. Fraser portrays David Greene, a 17-year-old who gains a football scholarship at the prestigious St Matthews prep school. Greene soon gains friends in the likes of Charlie Dillon (Matt Damon) and Rip Van Kelt (Randal Batinkoff), but his life is turned upside-down when they discover his Jewish ethnicity. Greene becomes an outsider and is subsequently persecuted for his beliefs by his 'friends', classmates, and fellow football players. Greene sticks to his guns and is comfortable enough with who he is to stand up for himself against the antagonists, which makes for a heartening tale of self-belief and determination. The film is noted for being a springboard for the careers of Fraser, Damon, and Ben Affleck, but is deserving of recognition as a strong film regardless.
With Honors (1994)
With Honors (1994) is the second movie on the list to feature Brendan Fraser, this time as a college senior. Fraser stars as Monty Kessler opposite the great Joe Pesci, who portrays Simon Wilder, a homeless former marine. Monty is a very standoffish character, who slowly changes his ways as he becomes more and more acquainted with Simon after the two make a deal to help each other. They build a close relationship, leading to Simon moving in with Monty and his roommates, who become enamored with Monty's newfound caring nature. As funny as it is heartbreaking, With Honors is exactly the sort of comedy-drama to watch if you're looking for something similar to Good Will Hunting, and is an underrated release that deserves to be seen.
Moneyball (2011)
Moving back into the realms of mathematics, Moneyball (2011) is a sports drama based on the true story of Billy Beane, the baseball player-turned-manager and the exploits of his team, Oakland Athletics, in their 2002 season. Brad Pitt portrays Beane who is tasked with turning around the fortunes of his struggling team and turns to an unorthodox practice. Beane meets Peter Brand (Jonah Hill), based on Paul DePodesta, who introduces the concept of sabermetrics, a mathematical system of working out the best players for each position. The system is revolutionary, and leads to one of sports' true underdog stories as the teams' results are vastly improved. Hill and Pitt do what they do best and bring life into Moneyball, whilst supporting cast members Chris Pratt and Philip Seymour Hoffman intensify this, leaving viewers fully invested.
Searching for Bobby Fischer (1993)
Chess can make for a truly engaging subject for a drama, as evidenced in The Queen's Gambit, and Searching For Bobby Fischer (1993) is an earlier example of this. Despite being named after Bobby Fischer, one of the greatest ever players, the film is actually a dramatized biography of Josh Waitzkin, played by Max Pomeranc, a 7-year-old with a precocious talent. Waitzkin discovers Chess after watching some games in the park, and Vinnie Livermore (Laurence Fishburne) soon recognizes the young boy's natural talent for the strategical game. Vinnie takes Waitzkin under his wing and begins to teach him everything he knows. Tournament wins ensue for the prodigy, but there's a fair share of drama along the way. Waitzkin becomes temporarily estranged from his father (Joe Mantegna), and his parents clash with each other as well as Vinnie. This often leaves Waitzkin unsure of what to do for the best, and he frequently loses on purpose as he tries to fix his relationships. Pomeranc is powerful here in his big-screen debut, portraying the conflicting emotions of Waitzkin as he battles with the pressure, both personally and within the chess community. In spite of it's relatively low box-office success, Searching for Bobby Fischer gained a huge amount of critical praise, earning it a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Chess may be the main focus, but the themes run a lot deeper and the movie is well worth a look in.
Little Man Tate (1991)
Following on with child-prodigy theme, Little Man Tate focuses on Fred Tate (Adam Hann-Byrd), a 7-year-old with an extremely high intelligence and academical aptitude. Jodie Foster both directs and stars as Fred's mother, Dede, and is conflicted on the best way to raise her genius son. Fred is as gifted as they come, but this leads to him becoming separated from his school classmates and unable to make friends. Dede insists on giving him a regular upbringing but is soon convinced to enroll him into a school for gifted children. Fred makes friends here, with his peers being at a similar intellectual level. He then starts university, where he meets Eddie (Harry Connick Jr.) and begins to learn about adult life. Fred struggles with boundaries due to his young age and his lack of social abilities which leads to him again becoming an outsider. He is eventually reunited with his mother and rejoins the gifted school where he is happy to feel seen and nurtured. The importance of love is explored deeply in this box-office hit, and it's an uplifting and feel-good story of acceptance.