"Good Will Hunting" Released
On this day in 1997, Miramax released "Good Will Hunting," a movie about the collision of two Boston-area cultures: the heady, prestigious world of Cambridge academia and the proud but gritty working-class brotherhood of South Boston. Local boys Matt Damon and Ben Affleck had written the screenplay to create leading roles for themselves; with the movie's smash-hit success they became Hollywood's newest stars. The screenplay was first picked up by another studio, but when Affleck and Damon learned that it would not be filmed in Boston, they canceled the deal. Miramax recognized that the Boston setting was essential to the story and agreed to film on site. "Good Will Hunting" is one in a long line of movie hits in which Massachusetts has played a role.
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