If Matt Damon were only known for the Bourne series and the Ocean’s Eleven comedies, he would still be considered one of Hollywood’s biggest stars. But these blockbusters aside, this talented performer with the unassuming manner and pleasant good looks got to where he is thanks to a diverse resume of roles. He elicited tears as the noble title character in the WWII epic Saving Private Ryan. He captured laughs attached to Greg Kinnear as the right half of conjoined twins in Stuck on You. He was deliciously devious in The Talented Mister Ripley and unrelentlessly ruthless as the mob mole infiltrating the Massachusetts State Police in The Departed.
If you blink, you probably missed Damon in his 1988 film debut, Mystic Pizza. He had only one line of dialogue. It took another four years before he made any kind of impact on the big screen. This came in 1992 with School Ties. As the main tormentor of Brendan Fraser’s character -- a working class Jewish teenager trying to fit in at an exclusive Protestant prep school -- Damon broke through the pack of a young cast that included Chris O’Donnell, Ben Affleck and Amy Locane. “Damon is a standout,” wrote Variety’s Joseph McBride. “The kind of believable villain who makes a film transcend melodrama by remaining human and understandable, despite deep character flaws.” Village Voice reviewer Sam McDowell also singled him out. “Most of the other young actors playing the students all tend to blend into one with the sole exception of Matt Damon, who makes a strong impression as the callous Charlie.”
From there, Damon was off and running. He logged impressive turns in Geronimo: An American Legend, Courage Under Fire and Chasing Amy. And then, in 1997 came The Rainmaker. As Rudy Baylor, the protagonist of Francis Ford Coppola’s adaptation of John Grisham’s novel, Damon deftly handled his first leading role, holding his own among an all-star cast that includes Danny DeVito, Claire Daines, Jon Voight, Danny Glover, Virginia Madsen and Mickey Rourke.
San Francisco Examiner film critic Barbara Shulgasser praised his impact. “Damon, who is appealing though not really handsome, is an actor who slowly reveals a storehouse of deep emotion and considerable poise for someone so young. He brings a gravity to Rudy that makes it possible for us to believe he could go up against the legal team of a major insurance company and not be crushed at the first deposition.” Jack Matthews in The Los Angeles Times agreed. “Damon, a talented young actor on the brink of stardom, gives Rudy just the right blend of innocence, determination and wariness. He makes a preposterous situation as plausible as it can be.”
Monday, March 9, 2009
Discovered: School Ties (1992)
Breakthrough: The Rainmaker (1997)
A Star is Born: Good Will Hunting (1997)
Hits: Saving Private Ryan (1998) The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999) Ocean’s Eleven (2001) The Bourne Identity (2002) Stuck on You (2003) Ocean’s Twelve (2004) Syriana (2005) The Departed (2006) Ocean’s Thirteen (2007) The Bourne Ultimatum (2007)
Critics first learned of Matt Damon in School Ties
Where do movie stars come from?
We all know who they are. Hollywood is filled with them. People spend billions of dollars each year going to to see their films. Studios pay millions so they’ll be in their movies. They’re adored by countless fans and envied for their glamourous lifestyles, and the center of attention wherever they go.
But, how did they get there?
Well, many factors come into play. Talent has something to do with it. Looks can be important, too. Supposedly, it helps if the camera loves you. No one can explain it, but certain people seem to shine more brightly when they step in front of a camera -- kind of like stars. But there’s something else -- one thing not often talked about. To become stars, performers need that certain role -- a breakthrough part that gives them the opportunity to showcase their talent, use their looks, and maximize the camera chemistry to create a performance so unforgettable, they can’t be ignored. And when an actor or actress can do this, before you know it, a star is born.
And that’s what we’re going to do here!
On an ongoing basis, Media Mischief will look at Hollywood’s top stars and pinpoint the films that got them noticed and the ones that made them stars. How obvious was it? In hindsight, it’s easy to tell. But surprisingly, it wasn’t that hard at the time either. Star power is a potent force, and when it hits, it’s hard to ignore.
First Up: Matt Damon
The Rainmaker gave Damon a chance to shine
If anyone deserves credit for Matt Damon’s stardom, it would be Matt Damon.... with a big assist from his good buddy Ben Affleck. Lifelong friends, Damon and Affleck believed that if they were going to find roles that could showcase their talents, they would have to write them themselves. So the two teamed up and penned a screenplay titled Good Will Hunting.
Good Will Hunting stars Damon as Will Hunting, a troubled young man working as a janitor at MIT with a secret -- he’s a mathematical genius. When a professor discovers Hunting’s talent, he tries to encourage the youth to develop it. But haunted by an abusive childhood, Hunting is too self-loathing and dysfunctional to take advantage of the opportunity. The professor seeks the help of an old colleague (Robin Williams), now a therapist, to try and draw Hunting out.
The film was both a financial and critical success. It grossed over $138 million at the domestic boxoffice alone. Williams won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, while Damon and Affleck won both a Golden Globe and an Oscar for their screenplay. And most importantly, it showed the world the range of Matt Damon’s acting talent. “Damon is sensational. Even in quiet moments, torment seems to roil under his skin. He turns every gesture of defiance and denial into a revelation. His acting is earthy, audacious and intelligent,” raved Peter Stack in The San Francisco Chronicle. In his Washington Post review, Desson Howe observed, “Matt Damon's appeal doesn't spring from good looks, sculpted locks or cover-boy ubiquitousness – although certainly those qualities should haul in the crowds. What counts is his thinking organ. When Will Hunting (Damon) meets Skylar (Minnie Driver), a highly intelligent Harvard student, they waltz on a mental plateau that Julia Roberts and Brad Pitt couldn't reach by cable car.” But perhaps Marc Savlov in his Austin Chronicle review captured the gravitas of the performance best. “I've been wondering recently just who the hell Matt Damon is and why he adorns the covers of so many magazines when he's done so little film work thus far, but I have to admit, he shines in the role of Will. Will is 30% cocky bravado, 30% violent thug, and 40% bewildered mastermind, and Damon plays up a storm as he ricochets off Williams (in one of his best “serious” turns yet) and pals around with Affleck with the sort of ease you feel they share in real life.”
After Good Will Hunting, no one wondered who the hell Matt Damon was anymore.
It didn’t take a genius to figure out that Good Will Hunting was a star-making role for Damon.
