Good Will Hunting
1997 film
Bill Simmons · Ryen Russillo · Chris Ryan · Sean Fennessey
Aired April 1, 2025
‹ All people
It Follows
The Italian Job
L.A. Confidential
L.A. Confidential
Good Will Hunting
Good Will Hunting
Good Will Hunting
Good Will Hunting
Good Will Hunting
Good Will Hunting
Film credit
Matt Damon
Also referred to as Damon, Matt David
Stats
- Episodes featuring their films
- 13
- Movies in this archive
- 10
Rewatchables episodes featuring Matt Damon’s films
The Martian
2015 film
Bill Simmons · Sean Fennessey · Chris Ryan · Van Lathan
Aired October 13, 2020
The Talented Mr. Ripley
1999 film
Bill Simmons · Sean Fennessey · Amanda Dobbins
Aired December 24, 2019
Good Will Hunting
1997 film
Bill Simmons · Shea Serrano · Chris Ryan · Sean Fennessey
Aired January 25, 2018
Displaying episodes 1 - 12 of 13 in total
Mentioned in discussions
Probably Unanswerable Questions
Where does Jay's date rank among the worst movie dates? Was naked guy on the roof an It? Does it work for all kinds of sex? Did Paul wear a condom? How does the entity choose its form? What if everyone had sex at once? Could you isolate the person? Does its touch kill, and could having sex with it reverse the curse?
In the discussion (13)
Approx. transcript time · 01:27:53Read transcript
- Where does Jay's date with Hugh rank among the worst movie dates in movies: Ellen Barkin and Mickey Rourke in Diner, and Jada Pinkett and Omar Epps at the premiere of Stab, where she gets stabbed to death.
- Matt Damon and Jack Nicholson at the theater in The Departed, and the family outing in Cape Fear with a cigar in the theater, are added.
- What if Naked Guy on the Roof wasn't an It but a neighborhood creep, grandpa out again; the movie is called a bellwether for old people being scary.
- Does it work for all kinds of sex: David Robert Mitchell has answered in interviews that it works for queer sex and condoms don't work, and the hosts debate non-penetrative sex between two women.
- Does digital penetration count, the kids could have tested the limits, and the demon is on its own clock, since Greg is sure he beat the system before his own mom gets him.
- In a threesome all three people get it, which raises whether she had sex with all three boat guys.
- Did Paul wear a condom with the sex workers: probably not, since he would want it spread, so Paul probably got a real STD.
- Is Jay off sex for a while; she does not enjoy sex with either Paul or Greg.
- Does the entity choose a person to get to who it wants to kill: the answer is it shows up as what will unsettle you, a loved one or a seven foot Romanian basketball player, with naked Aaron Rodgers, Mike McCarthy and Ben Roethlisberger imagined.
- What if everyone in Detroit had sex at the exact same time; it's just one entity with a clear path, so whoever you have sex with is next.
- One human sacrifice in government solitary confinement, a block of ice, burial 500 feet underground or outer space like the Martian, but it can get on a plane or a space shuttle, and when that person dies it comes back to Jeff Hugh.
- Earlier, flagged as an unanswerable, the hosts argue whether Jay had sex with the boat guys at the lake to buy herself time before the pool and Paul.
- One more idea after the double feature: when the It touches you, do you just die, and could you reverse Uno it by having sex with the It; since it grabbed Jay by the hair and her ankle without killing her, the touch is not enough, and it has to have sex with you, grinding against you, as seen once with the mom.
Recasting Couch
Replace Philadelphia; consider Leonardo DiCaprio for Charlie.
In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 01:23:52Read transcript
- Philadelphia is targeted for replacement, with Boston and Chicago proposed. — Bill Simmons
- Matt Damon and Ben Affleck are briefly considered for Charlie. — Bill Simmons
- Leonardo DiCaprio is the sustained recasting proposal. — Bill Simmons
Recasting Couch
The Dudley suggestion observed as Apostle/postuate (identity unresolved; may signal villainy too early)
In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 01:48:47Read transcript
- A Dudley suggestion transcribed as Apostle/postuate is praised for Irish authenticity but may signal villainy too early; the identity needs confirmation.
- Campbell Scott, Josh Charles, Matt Damon and Ed Norton are proposed for Exley; Norton’s availability is questioned.
- Ed Burns as Exley is considered, prompting recollection of a detective show.
Casting What-Ifs
Hansen wanted unfamiliar leads; McConaughey was reportedly considered, but is doubted as Exley. Matt Damon’s Departed role is compared with the part.
In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 00:10:54Read transcript
- Hansen wanted unfamiliar leads; McConaughey was reportedly considered, but is doubted as Exley. Matt Damon’s Departed role is compared with the part.
In the discussion (4)
Approx. transcript time · 01:47:53Read transcript
- Damon is chosen for starring and writing despite missing the acting Oscar. — Bill Simmons
- The usual single-winner rule is explicitly waived for both writers after their long effort and Oscar triumph. — Ryen Russillo
- They made the screenplay despite years of being told it would not work, then backed it up with three decades of work; the speaker cannot split the choice, despite praising Robin Williams.
- Affleck’s youngest-screenwriting-winner distinction is asserted and confirmed within the conversation, not externally verified here. — Bill Simmons
Podcast choices
- Speaker not identified
- Matt Damon and Ben Affleck
- Speaker not identified
- Matt Damon and Ben Affleck
- Speaker not identified
- Matt Damon and Ben Affleck
In the discussion (4)
Approx. transcript time · 01:47:21Read transcript
- Air provides a lighter career bookend after the emotional ending. — Ryen Russillo
- The Martian continues Damon’s genius-character theme. — Bill Simmons
- Armageddon gives Affleck more room to shine. — Ryen Russillo
- The Town continues Boston with Affleck as the star. — Bill Simmons
Probably Unanswerable Questions
Chucky versus Jem and swapping the leads.
In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 01:42:30Read transcript
- Chucky is preferred as the dependable Boston companion, despite Jim being more fun. — Ryen Russillo
- Switching Damon and Affleck might work but would lose the particular vulnerable/good-time pairing; their later roles complicate the comparison. — Chris Ryan
- What happens if the movie is set after04, after the Red Sox win the series? — Sean Fennessey
Just One Oscar
Williams, Damon and Elliott Smith receive separate choices.
In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:42:10Read transcript
- Williams’s actual Oscar is defended as the one award to retain.
- Other explicit preferences are Damon and Smith, with Damon chosen again. — Ryen Russillo
Apex Mountain
Van Sant, Bunker Hill, locations and Driver receive support.
In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 01:24:22Read transcript
- The juice-based definition is restated; Damon/Affleck are rejected, while red-line trolleys and Bunker Hill are raised. — Bill Simmons
- Van Sant and L Street Tavern are nominated. Math is debated against Pi and A Beautiful Mind without a settled answer.
- Driver receives support, with Grosse Pointe Blank acknowledged; her native London voice and Irish joke accent prompt an accents nomination. — Bill Simmons
Half-Assed Internet Research
Address, early screenplay, locations and Skylar’s namesake.
In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:22:47Read transcript
- Will’s address is read as357 Q Street3D; the script reportedly began in a Harvard class, and some interiors were filmed in Toronto. — Bill Simmons
- Skylar is reportedly named after Damon’s former girlfriend, whose subsequent relationship with Ulrich is discussed. — Chris Ryan
The Stephen A. Smith Hottest Take Award
Will resembles Clark; alternative versions and accent claims.
In the discussion (4)
Approx. transcript time · 01:16:40Read transcript
- Will’s book-derived arguments to a Vietnam veteran mirror Clark’s borrowed knowledge in the bar. — Bill Simmons
- The abandoned NSA/Midnight Run thriller might have been entertaining or even better, a possibility not universally accepted. — Chris Ryan
- There is no way it works in LA: he will hate everybody, and nobody will care about his smart powers. — Sean Fennessey
- Damon’s Boston accent is called a star-performance peak, with other accent examples offered. — Chris Ryan
What’s Aged the Worst?
Behind-the-scenes heroes, styling and behavior age poorly.
In the discussion (6)
Approx. transcript time · 01:12:29Read transcript
- The reported roles of Weinstein and Gibson in enabling production make the origin story uncomfortable. — Sean Fennessey
- Damon’s frosted hair is questioned as a local period look; he reportedly also expressed second thoughts. — Ryen Russillo
- Lambeau not recognizing Kaczynski, Will hitting the wall above Skylar and the pre-Bourne fight staging are criticized. — Ryen Russillo
- Math-is-erotic and years of friends repeating the fault line wear thin; the therapeutic breakthrough is mocked but defended as effective within the film. — Bill Simmons
- The takeout location’s disappearance and Lambeau’s repeated student advances are discussed, with the unanswered phone history seen as creepy color.
- Indoor bar smoking is remembered fondly rather than straightforwardly condemned.
Displaying discussions 1 - 12 of 118 in total
Films in the archive
Contagion
2011
Good Will Hunting
1997
Ocean's Twelve
2004
Rounders
1998
Saving Private Ryan
1998
School Ties
1992
The Bourne Identity
2002
The Departed
2006
The Martian
2015
The Talented Mr. Ripley
1999