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A Fixer-Upper with Great Potential (It’s a Metaphor!)

Wednesday, December 7th, 2011
Central Square Theater's production of "Matt & Ben." Pictured: Philana Mia (Matt) and Marianna Bassham (Ben) Photo credit: A.R. Sinclair Photography

Central Square Theater's production of "Matt & Ben" with Philana Mia (Matt) & Marianna Bassham (Ben) Photo: A.R. Sinclair Photography

Interior. Ben’s apartment. A lazy Saturday in Somerville, Massachusetts. Stage right we see a desk, a computer, all untouched. Center stage we got a second hand couch. Pan left we see various junk food  . . .

Thus the stage is set—early on in the play Matt & Ben.

Cut to November 2011: the interweb is abuzz with the news that the house at 2327 Hill Drive is up for sale. We aren’t in schlubby, scrappy Somerville anymore.

Known as the ”Braasch House,” “Ma Castle,” and—by some—the “Good Will Hunting house,” this is the house in which Matt and Ben penned their Good Will Hunting, sometime in the mid-nineties.

Ma Castle Gated Entry

I think it’s safe to say—the popular mythology of Matt and Ben’s rags-to-riches (or “Boston-to-Hollywood”) tale brings to mind something a little less grand than what we see here. (Certainly something a little less Viking-French Norman.) Despite being described in the realtor’s listing as “a fixer with great potential,” this is not the Boston-area apartment with pizza boxes and School Ties posters we were probably imagining. Much like Matt Damon’s Will Hunting (that twinkle in his eye! that beautiful shimmering hair! those wicked smart math skills!), the potential is quite obvious.

A duo of underemployed actors write starring roles for themselves and go on to great acclaim? In 2002 the play Matt & Ben was a hit at the International Fringe Festival and the next year Off Broadway. Playwrights Mindy Kaling (a Cambridge native, now on NBC’s The Office and author of Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?) and Brenda Withers (actor/writer of the recent play The Ding Dongs, or What Is the Penalty in Portugal?) wrote Matt & Ben in their crummy, railroad-style Brooklyn apartment and went on to star in the play in Manhattan and then L.A.

Good Will Hunting was based on a story Matt wrote at Harvard [citation needed, I know, I know]. According to the version of the legend being pushed on the realty blogs—one stretches the facts even further to claim the house was built in the 19th century and that Matt and Ben themselves owned the place, rather than simply renting it once upon a time—the duo wrote the screenplay itself here:

Fireplace at the real Good Will Hunting house

My favorite part of the press release, by real estate site Zillow:

No, Ben Affleck and Matt Damon do not come with this house at 2327 Hill Drive. But as a result of the creative whirlwind the pair cooked up inside these funky walls, this Eagle Rock address has unofficially become known as the “Good Will Hunting” home.

So I just want to know… where exactly did they hang their School Ties poster? That fireplace eats up so much wall space!

Central Square Theater's production of "Matt & Ben" with Philana Mia (Matt) & Marianna Bassham (Ben)

From the Central Square Theater production of "Matt & Ben." (Yup, that's a School Ties poster on the wall behind Ben.)

Mindy Kaling is quick to point out in her recent book that they basically did no research on the real Matt and Ben’s journey. She and Brenda were essentially more interested in playing with the mythology of the duo’s celebrity.

So, why is it so disappointing to see how bitchin’ their pad was?

Next thing you know, we’ll find out they didn’t actually write Good Will Hunting. It just fell from ceiling, or something.

But writing alongside fancy chandeliers and palm trees? It does drain some of the Boston from the myth. And the Boston was our favorite part.

    Posted in Ben Affleck, Boston, Matt & Ben, Matt Damon, The Makers | No Responses »

    What happens in Southie stays in Southie

    Wednesday, March 17th, 2010

    St. Patrick's Day Parade in Southie, March 14, 2010
    St. Patrick's Day Parade in Southie, March 14, 2010
    St. Patrick's Day Parade in Southie, March 14, 2010

    Until last weekend the only time I had been to the South Boston St. Patrick’s Day Parade was in 2005 with a friend from high school, a friend of my friend, and a my friend’s friend’s 8 to 12 teenage English-as-a-second-language students.  I really only remember three things.

    1. It was crowded.
    2. Some guy was selling a green long-sleeved t-shirt that said “What happens in Southie stays in Southie” and I’ve always regretted not getting one.
    3. There were Storm Troopers marching in the parade, and they were wearing leprechaun hats.

    This, Boston’s official St. Patrick’s Day parade, has been held in Southie since 1901 — and unofficially since 1737.  It is such a distinct part of South Boston history and tradition that Team Affleck/Damon intended their Good Will Hunting would open with it.  The opening credits were to take place over scenes from the St. Paddy’s marching and motorcading, and the subsequent opening scene would take place at the crowded Southie bar as Chuckie regales the boys with a story.

    Good Will Hunting deleted parade scene
    Good Will Hunting deleted parade scene
    Good Will Hunting deleted parade scene

    Gus Van Sant actually shot and cut together a sequence, which is available for viewing as a deleted scene on the Good Will Hunting DVD.  They shot it at the real parade, months before the film began principle photography.  This is notable for a couple reasons: shooting at a live event with a small crew, the footage actually looks like a Gus Van Sant movie.  You know — “gritty,” “intimate,” etc.  Second, according to Van Sant on the DVD commentary, since the hairstyles of the characters hadn’t yet been determined, they are all wearing ridiculous hats as they goof around at curbside. This combined with the actors’ odd clothing in these scenes points to how much those decisions about costume and makeup (and maintaining their consistency) matters in creating a set of authentic characters.

    Good Will Hunting deleted parade scene
    Good Will Hunting deleted parade scene

    As someone who blogs regularly about Good Will Hunting, I was determined to make it to this year’s parade, rain or shine.

    And rain it did.

    Still, I’d say it was worth it.  I shook hands with the staff of multiple candidates for Auditor, received some green bead necklaces and 2010 Census chapstick, and saw unicycling floutists, an old-timey canon, and the coldest, wettest bagpipers I’ll probably ever see.

    Well, at least it's green? St. Paddy's Day weekend in Boston.

    As far as the subsequent scene of the boys in the bar, it’s not the most eloquent introduction to the characters and themes of the film. (Otherwise, the film’s strongest moments lie in the relationships amongst Will and his friends.  Compare Will’s climactic scenes with Sean, his therapist, and with Chuckie, his best friend.  Both communicate to Will that he must let go of his fear, but the “it’s not your fault” sequence with Robin Williams is as forced and melodramatic as the later construction site scene with Will and Chuckie is frank and stirring — “you’re sitting on a winning lottery ticket.”)

    Besides making it completely unclear who the main character of the film is, the St. Paddy’s Day bar scene is territory essentially retread by Chuckie, et al,  when Will introduces them to Skylar at the bar later in the film.

    So, let’s be thankful Gus Van Sant served up a kaleidoscopic meditation on Will’s solitude, stuck inside his brain, instead of a story of a cat getting beaten to death, in those early moments of Good Will Hunting.

    Good Will Hunting deleted parade scene
    Good Will Hunting deleted parade scene

    FADE IN:

    EXT. SOUTH BOSTON ST. PATRICK’S DAY PARADE — DAY

    CUT TO:

    INT. L STREET BAR & GRILLE, SOUTH BOSTON — EVENING

    The bar is dirty, more than a little run down. If there is ever a cook on duty, he’s not here now. As we pan across several empty tables, we can almost smell the odor of last nights beer and crushed pretzels on the floor.

    CHUCKIE
    Oh my God, I got the most fucked up
    thing I been meanin’ to tell you.

    As the camera rises, we find FOUR YOUNG MEN seated around a table near the back of the bar.

    ALL
    Oh Jesus. Here we go.

    The guy holding court is CHUCKIE SULLIVAN, 20, and the largest of the bunch. He is loud, boisterous, a born entertainer. Next to him is WILL HUNTING, 20, handsome and confident, a softspoken leader. On Will’s right sits BILLY MCBRIDE, 22, heavy, quiet, someone you definitely wouldn’t want to tangle with.

    Finally there is MORGAN O’MALLY, 19, smaller than the other guys. Wiry and anxious, Morgan listens to Chuckie’s horror stories with eager disgust.

    All four boys speak with thick Boston accents. This is a rough, working class Irish neighborhood and these boys are its product.

    CHUCKIE
    You guys know my cousin Mikey
    Sullivan?

    ALL
    Yeah.

    CHUCKIE
    Well you know how he loves animals
    right? Anyway, last week he’s drivin’
    home…
    (laughs)

    ALL
    What? Come on!

    CHUCKIE
    (trying not to laugh)
    I’m sorry, ’cause you know Mikey,
    the fuckin guy loves animals, and
    this is the last person you’d want
    this to happen to.

    WILL
    Chuckie, what the fuck happened?

    CHUCKIE
    Okay. He’s driving along and this
    fuckin’ cat jumps in front of his
    car, and so he hits this cat–

    Chuckie is really laughing now.

    MORGAN
    –That isn’t funny–

    CHUCKIE
    –and he’s like “shit! Motherfucker!”
    And he looks in his rearview and
    sees this cat — I’m sorry–

    BILLY
    Fuckin’ Chuckie!

    CHUCKIE
    So he sees this cat tryin to make it
    across the street and it’s not lookin’
    so good.

    WILL
    It’s walkin’ pretty slow at this
    point.

    MORGAN
    You guys are fuckin’ sick.

    CHUCKIE
    So Mikey’s like “Fuck, I gotta put
    this thing out of its misery”–So he
    gets a hammer–

    WILL/MORGAN/BILLY
    OH!

    CHUCKIE
    out of his tool box, and starts
    chasin’ the cat and starts whackin’
    it with the hammer. You know, tryin’
    to put the thing out of its misery.

    MORGAN
    Jesus.

    CHUCKIE
    And all the time he’s apologizin’ to
    the cat, goin’ “I’m sorry.” BANG,
    “I’m sorry.” BANG!

    BILLY
    Like it can understand.

    CHUCKIE
    And this Samoan guy comes runnin’
    out of his house and he’s like “What
    the fuck are you doing to my cat?!”
    Mikey’s like “I’m sorry” –BANG–” I
    hit your cat with my truck, and I’m
    just trying to put it out of it’s
    misery” — BANG! And the cat dies.
    So Mikey’s like “Why don’t you come
    look at the front of the truck.”
    ‘Cause the other guy’s all fuckin
    flipped out about–

    WILL
    Watching his cat get brained.

    Morgan gives Will a look, but Will only smiles.

    CHUCKIE
    Yeah, so he’s like “Check the front
    of my truck, I can prove I hit it
    ’cause there’s probably some blood
    or something”–

    WILL
    –or a tail–

    MORGAN
    WILL!

    CHUCKIE
    And so they go around to the front
    of his truck… and there’s another
    cat on the grille.

    WILL/MORGAN/BILLY
    No! Ugh!

    CHUCKIE
    Is that unbelievable? He brained an
    innocent cat!

    BLACKOUT:

    The opening credits roll over a series of shots of the city and the real people who live and work there, going about their daily lives.

    We see a panoramic view of South Boston.

      Posted in Boston, Plot Points, Southie, The Film, The Makers | 5 Responses »

      Join Blog Will Hunting tomorrow for a live tweet of the Oscars

      Saturday, March 6th, 2010

      Tweeting the Oscars

      Join us at twitter/blogwillhunting.com.  Is it still a live tweet if we’re not actually there?  I mean it will be live.  But with tape-delay.  Fine its a tape-delay-tweet.

      Matt Damon recognizes the vicious heat/buzz/smear-machine warming up this time of year.  The New York Times spoke with him (and describes him as “among the most charming and down-to-earth of all the Hollywood deities”) and reports:

      “My first experience with that was ‘Good Will Hunting,’” Mr. Damon said. “The week of the voting there was a story that came out in Variety that Ted Tally had written ‘Good Will Hunting.”

      Mr. Tally, a screenwriter who won an Oscar for “Silence of the Lambs,” and Mr. Damon eventually worked together on “All the Pretty Horses,” but at this point they hadn’t met.

      “And Ted Tally, to his credit, he called up Variety and said, ‘I want to go on the record and just say I didn’t write that movie, I wish I did but if I had written it I’d take credit for it,’” Mr. Damon said. “It kind of put the thing to bed but I remember getting called for a quote and I said I’m not gonna” – charming colloquialism – “comment. Are they calling Woody Allen and asking him if he wrote the script? They want to come look at my hard drive? I’ve been working on this script for, like, years. And then it was explained to me, that no, it’s not actually about that. It’s about just putting enough doubt in voters’ mind that they would go, ‘oh, I heard something about that movie, I’m not sure if those guys actually wrote it. What’s that – Oh, I liked ‘As Good As It Gets.’”

      So, Mr. Damon’s people explained to him, “it’s the ‘As Good As It Gets’ camp,” he said. “And I was like, come on, you must be kidding me. You’re telling me it’s Jim Brooks,” the director of that movie? “’No, Jim Brooks would never do that. It’s the camp!’ Like, what does that mean? It was so stupid. I was just flabbergasted.”

        Posted in Matt Damon, The Makers, Twitter | No Responses »

        “It’s Good Will Hunting; it’s amazing!”

        Thursday, March 4th, 2010

        From now on, every time I leave a bathroom I’m going to shout out “It’s Good Will Hunting; it’s amazing!”

        Director Kevin Smith worked with Matt and Ben in Chasing Amy, preceding Good Will Hunting, and also directed each of the films in which they’ve appeared together since.  The story goes: Matt and Ben wanted Smith to direct GWH, but he declined, saying they needed to get someone better.

          Posted in The Makers | No Responses »

          Bringing Down the House that Affleck Built

          Sunday, February 28th, 2010

          Blog Will Hunting welcomes guest contributor Rolando Garcia.

          I once jokingly referred to Miramax as “the house Ben Affleck built.” That’s not true. Miramax has existed since at least 1980. (My friend recently showed me a poster for a stoner Star Wars parody Miramax released that year. Think about that. They’ve been pulling the whole “Disaster Movie” genre schtick for 30 years!) Ben Affleck didn’t show up until the later half of the mid-90′s, but he was integral in the Miramax my generation came to know. His Oscar win alongside best bud Matt Damon in 1998 gave him some “indie film street cred” that no doubt rubbed off on Shakespeare in Love. He was certainly in the thick of things when Miramax became the Oscar juggernaut it’s commonly known as today.

          No matter how high his star rose, Ben always kept it real with Miramax. Which is why I was so surprised to see him stay with Miramax after the Weinsteins left.

          Matt and Ben at the Oscars

          A little background for non-movie-industry-news-nerds: Miramax was founded by Harvey and Bob Weinstein. They sold it to Disney in 1993 but stayed on board as presidents to run the ship, as they always had. So it was an accepted truth that anyone who worked with Miramax regularly did so because they wanted to work with the Weinstein brothers.

          When they left and created the Weinstein Company in 2005, all the other Miramax filmmakers and go-to actors went with them. Disney was left with little more than the Miramax name, installing a new president and beginning the “New Miramax” era, with practically a whole new roster of executives and creatives. Yet Ben Affleck chose to make Gone Baby Gone at the New Miramax.

          I think this was a clever PR move.

          Affleck in South Boston

          Photo by Nathaniel Brooks for The New York Times

          The average guy on the street who doesn’t read way too many movie blogs has no idea who runs Miramax. As far as the general population goes, Miramax was still Miramax. And actors, being public faces, come to be associated with brands in the public’s mind. In this case, the association goes something like this: “Ben Affleck + Miramax = some pretty good movies like Good Will Hunting(!).”

          Ben used this to his advantage by allying himself with the Miramax name and not the Weinstein brothers. On the mean, indie film streets “Miramax presents a Ben Affleck film” sounds way more impressive than “The Weinstein Company presents a Ben Affleck film.” One reminds me of Good Will Hunting, and that Ben Affleck was once more than a headliner for mindless blockbusters and tabloids. It makes me root for the guy and probably give his movie a chance.

          In January 2010, despite major Oscar wins under the new regime, Disney closed the doors on Miramax. The fate of the label remains a mystery, with rumors swirling that the Weinsteins would like to buy it back. But with Miramax off the table for the foreseeable future, I can’t help but wonder: what will Ben Affleck do when he needs to remind people of his indie street cred?

          Rolando has spent the eight years since college involved in all sorts of movie-related activities. His most relevant experience to Good Will Hunting was a three year tenure at the New Miramax in marketing. He spearheaded the design and distribution of a most awesome in-theater display for Ben Affleck’s Gone Baby Gone. These days he moonlights as producer on To Them That’s Gone, a documentary about a group of young people who ran 4,000 miles across the USA in 2008. This spring he’s directing his first short film in many, many years.

            Posted in Ben Affleck, Guest Blog, The Makers, The Post-GWH Era | 2 Responses »

            They’re reuniting!

            Wednesday, February 17th, 2010

            Sorta!

            Matt! and Ben!

            Google image search: "Matt Ben shiny joy"

            Matt ‘n’ Ben are re-forming their production company for a “first look” deal at Warner Bros. In movie lingo, “first look” refers to this exchange: “First, look – Ben, I wish you hadn’t sold my Oscar on eBay to fund Gone Baby Gone. But what the hell, let’s re-form our production company!”

            Of course, I’m being unfair (and hilarious!). Affleck has become a well-respected director after Gone Baby Gone, and his next film, the highly anticipated The Town, is due in September. With his newfound clout and Damon’s ongoing credibility as an actor and a box-office draw, the timing for this thing seems right. Ready those Gerry 2 pitches …. now.

              Posted in Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, The Film, The Makers | 2 Responses »

              Movie Review: Gerry (2002)

              Wednesday, January 13th, 2010

              When I first heard about Gerry, the 2002 film written by Matt Damon, Casey Affleck, and Gus Van Sant and starring two of our darling Bostonian golden boys—well, I was excited. Could this be a Good Will Hunting renaissance of some sort? Is this the film we’ve all been waiting for, after the promising start that was Good Will Hunting? After all, it was directed by Gus Van Sant and written by Matt Damon and, well… an Affleck! Not Ben, but pretty close. Maybe it would be almost like a sequel? Or would that be too much to ask?

              And, I suppose, one could regard it as something like a sequel. It’s as if Morgan accompanied Will on his cross-country road trip and we find them somewhere in the southwest. And they’ve lost their accents. And Will got a haircut. And they don’t talk much. And–OK, in spite of the superficial similarities, I guess there’s not actually much of a connection between the two movies, despite how badly I was hoping to find one.

              The beginning of the film, however, does almost seem like an oblique, teasing reference to the final scene in Good Will Hunting where we watch Will’s car disappear down the highway while Afternoon Delight plays and the credits roll. Gerry opens in much the same way—a car traveling down a road, through a dry desert-scape.

              Gerry

              It’s like we’ve picked up right where we left off! It’s Good Will Hunting, but without the Afternoon Delight!

              Gerry

              Alas, nearly immediately it became obvious that these were not Will and Morgan that we were dealing with. Gerry aspires to be a serious, high-art film: lots of long, unbroken takes; awkwardly long close-ups; long stretches where the only soundtrack is the sound of Damon and Affleck’s feet crunching against the gravelly desert ground for whole minutes at a time; grandiose, sweeping shots of the (admittedly stunning) scenery; and a deliberate vagueness as to who exactly our characters are and what they are doing.

              It starts out with a long drive, as mentioned, and then our two heroes—both named Gerry—set out on a wilderness trail. They are headed for “the thing,” but after about 45 seconds they decide to “fuck the thing” and turn back. Unfortunately, within moments they manage to become spectacularly lost amidst an ever-changing backdrop of mountains, ravines, and desert scrub. No spoilers here, but you can probably imagine how this will end.

              Gerry

              As for the script, I imagine it’s probably about 3 pages long—there isn’t much dialogue, and I got the impression that most of it was improvised.

              Certainly, this is no Good Will Hunting, but it isn’t bad. I guess you could say my taste in film veers more towards the popular than the high-art, but in the end I still appreciated this film and its intentions. It’s earnest and thoughtful and interesting, and visually very beautiful.

              And I bet Will Hunting would have loved it.

                Posted in Matt Damon, Recommended Viewing, The Makers, The Post-GWH Era | No Responses »

                Another theory as to who really wrote Good Will Hunting.

                Monday, January 11th, 2010

                Occasionally we feature our favorite mentions of Good Will Hunting on Twitter… 

                Derek Jeter`s penis was what actually wrote Good will Hunting #JetersPenis On 10:12 PM Jan 11th 2010 from web
                of all the rooms at planet hollywood...we wound up in the good will hunting room. On 6:39 PM Jan 11th 2010 from mobile web
                WOOOT Good Will Hunting is such a dope movie! I have to finish watching it! On 9:13 AM Jan 11th 2010 from web
                I just realized I have always confused The Legend of Beggar Vance with Good Will Hunting On 6:01 AM Jan 10th 2010 from web
                I"m watching good will hunting. The 2 leads are the writers,and another is one of their brothers. Why then do you need 3 casting directors? On 8:58 PM Jan 6th 2010 from Twitterrific
                Good Will Hunting Has A Big Brain and a Hard On for Self-Sabotage That Only Robin Williams Can Slake and Thereby Become, Himself, Healed On 2:36 AM Jan 5th 2010 from web
                "Good Will Hunting": Proving that even intellectuals find fart jokes, crude sex jokes, and excessive cursing hilarious. On 2:01 AM Jan 5th 2010 from web

                  Posted in The Makers, Twitter | No Responses »

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