To take you on a conscious and heartwarming journey, we have a list of movies like Good Will Hunting that will make your day. Good Will Hunting (1997) is a coming-of-age drama directed by Gus Van Sant. The cast of Good Will Hunting includes Matt Damon, Robin Williams, Stellan Skarsgard, Minnie Driver, and Ben Affleck.
Written by Matt Damon and Affleck themselves, Good Will Hunting is a story about a janitor, Will Hunting, a 20-year-old unrecognized genius. Having assaulted a police officer, he is part of a deferred prosecution, which leads him to a therapist, William. This therapy session helps him reevaluate his life and relationships, making him confront his past, present, and future.
40 Inspiring Movies Like Good Will Hunting To Keep Your Spirits Alive!
Good Will Hunting has an average approval rating of 98%, based on 82 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. The movie will keep you engaged with its powerful and tear-jerking performances by the ensemble cast.
Here are some amazing movies like Good Will Hunting to satisfy your heart and soul.
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#1 Manchester By the Sea (2016)

Premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2016, Manchester By The Sea (2016) was counted among the best movies of the year 2016.
The story follows a clinically depressed man forced to take care of his dead brother’s teenage son. Having had terrible memories of his hometown, he struggles to make it even with his nephew. Disturbing secrets of his past are revealed, but now, he must take the lead and help this child believe in life again.
Director | Kenneth Lonergan |
Duration | 2h 17m |
Cast | Lucas Hedges, Michelle Williams, Casey Afgleck, Kyle Chandler |
IMDb Rating | 7.8/10 |
Rotten Tomatoes | 96% based on 353 reviews |
MetaCritic | 96 out of 100 |
Streaming Platform | Youtube, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, Google Play, and Movies |
#2 Searching for Bobby Fischer (1993)

Marking Zaillian’s directorial debut, Searching for Bobby Fischer (1993) is an American drama film. Released as Innocent Moves in the United Kingdom, the movie is adapted from the book Searching For Bobby Fischer: The Father of a Prodigy Observes the World of Chess, written by Fred Waitzkin.
After beating his dad in a chess game, the hidden genius of a young boy, Josh Waitzin, is discovered by his parents. With people interested in his extraordinary abilities, he is inspired to compete in speed chess competitions. He learns all the tips and tricks from a hustler named Vinnie, but his parents shift him to Bruce, a coach famous for his different techniques. Between choosing the right path and coach, Josh struggles to make decisions in his life and game.
Director | Steven Zaillian |
Duration | 1h 49m |
Cast | Max Pomeranc, Joe Mantega, Ben Kingsley, Laurence Fishburne, Joan Allen |
IMDb Rating | 7.4/10 |
Rotten Tomatoes | 100% based on 45 reviews |
MetaCritic | 89/100 |
Streaming Platform | Vudu, Google Play, Amazon Instant Video, iTunes |
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#3 Rain Man (1998)

Premiering at the Berlin International Film Festival in 1989, Rain Man (1998) is a road comedy-drama. The Rain Man revolves around car dealer Charlie Babbitt (played by Tom Cruise). He returns home after learning about his father’s death. He discovers that his father has an autistic son, Raymond. His father has left his fortune of $3 million to Raymond’s mental institution.
Inspired by greed and money, Charlie checks his brother out of the institution and tries to get him back to Los Angeles. This cross-country trip changes both their lives and their love for each other.
Director | Barry Levinson |
Duration | 2h 13m |
Cast | Tom Cruise, Valeria Golino, Dustin Hoffman |
IMDb Rating | 8/10 |
Rotten Tomatoes | 89% based on 79 reviews |
MetaCritic | 65 out of 100 |
Streaming Platform | Hulu |
#4 Dead Poets Society (1989)

Winning the BAFTA Award for the Best Film, Dead Poets Society (1989) is not any typical American teen drama.
The course of action in the film is set in the fictional boarding school, Welton Academy in Vermont. John Keatings, the newly appointed English teacher in the all-boys school, is famous for using unorthodox teaching methods. With a little help and direction from Keatings, the children can find new breaks in their shells and come out of their deliberate hiding.
Director | Peter Weir |
Duration | 2h 9m |
Cast | Josh Knox, Robin Williams, Ethan Hawke, Robert Sean Leonard, Dylan Kussman, George Martin, Carla Belver, Jane Moore, Lara Flynn Boyle, Gale Hansen |
IMDb Rating | 8.1/10 |
Rotten Tomatoes | 85% approval rating based on 59 reviews |
MetaCritic | 79 out of 100 |
Streaming Platform | Youtube, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video |
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#5 Wonder Boys (2000)

Wonder Boys (2000) is based on a 1995 novel of the same name by author Michael Chabon. The movie was shot in various locations, including the University of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon University, and Shady Side Academy.
The story of the movie Wonder Boys revolves around the life of a writer suffering from writer’s block. He struggles to deal with the daily pressures of his life and troubled students. He is motivated by his students but still finds himself obsessed with his current work. Things start to look bright when he blossoms into a friendship with a gifted student, but his happiness is again haunted by the news of his lover’s pregnancy, which further complicates his life.
Director | Curtis Hanson |
Duration | 1h 47m |
Cast | Robert Downey Jr, Katie Holmes, Tobey Maguire, Frances McDormand, Rip torn, Michael Douglas, Kelly Bishop, Philip Bosco |
IMDb Rating | 7.2/10 |
Rotten Tomatoes | 82% rating based on 125 reviews |
MetaCritic | 73 out of 100 score |
Streaming Platform | Hulu |
#6 The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

The Shawshank Redemption (1994) is based on a novel by Stephen King by the name of Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption (1982).
Andy Dufresne (played by Tim Robbins) is falsely accused of the murders of his wife and lover. Going through a tough sentence, only Andy knows that he did not commit the crimes he is accused of. However, in prison, he forms a beautiful friendship with Red (Morgan Freeman), who helps him make his hard days tolerable. He shared his experiences of brutality and life in the prison and helped Andy adapt to his life for the next 19 years.
Director | Frank Darabont |
Duration | 2h 22m |
Cast | James Whitmore, Bob Gunton, Tom Robbins, Gil Bellows, Clancy Brown, William Sadler, Morgan Freeman |
IMDb Rating | 9.3/10 |
Rotten Tomatoes | 91% approval rating based on 82 votes |
MetaCritic | 81/100 |
Streaming Platform | Netflix, HBO Max, Amazon Prime Video |
Similar Movies Like Good Will Hunting on Netflix, Amazon Prime, Google Play and Apple TV!
Movie | Director | IMDb Rating | Duration | Streaming Platform |
The Great Debater | Denzel Washington | 7.5/10 | 2h 6m | Google Play Movies & TV |
Finding Forrester | Gus Van Sant | 7.3/10 | 2h 16m | Amazon Prime Video |
The Theory Of Everything | James Marsh | 7.7/10 | 2h 3m | Amazon Prime Video |
The Soloist | Joe Wright | 6.7/10 | 1h 57m | Apple TV, Google Play Movies & TV, Youtube |
The Talented Mr. Ripley | Anthony Minghella | 7.4/10 | 2h 19m | Netflix |
Whiplash | Damien Chazelle | 8.5/10 | 1h 46m | Amazon Prime Video |
Gifted | Marc Webb | 7.6/10 | 1h 41m | Disney + |
The Man Who Knew Infinity | Mathew Brown | 7.2/10 | 1h 48m | Youtube, Netflix |
Moonlight | Barry Jenkins | 7.4/10 | 1h 51m | Amazon Prime Video |
August Rush | Kirsten Sheridan | 7.4/10 | 1h 54m | Netflix |
As Good As It Gets | James L. Brooks | 7.7./10 | 2h 19m | Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video, Google Play Movies & TV |
Proof | John Madden | 6.7/10 | 1h 40m | Apple TV |
Silver Linings Playbook | David O Russell | 7.7/10 | 2h 2m | Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video, Google Play Movies & TV, Youtube |
Awakenings | Penny Marshall | 7.8/10 | 2h 1m | Amazon Prime Video, Netflix |
Shine | Scott Hicks | 7.7/10 | 1h 45m | Amazon Prime Video |
Hidden Figures | Theodore Melfi | 7.8/10 | 2h 7m | Disney +, Google Play Movies & TV, Apple TV |
X+Y | Morgan Matthews | 7.1/10 | 1h 51m | Amazon Prime Video |
The Prince of Tides | Barbra Streisand | 6.8/10 | 2h 12m | Hulu Plus, HBO Max, Vudu, Google Play |
The Aviator | Martin Scorsese | 7.5/10 | 2h 49m | Amazon Prime Video, Youtube, Google Play Movies & TV |
Patch Adams | Tom Shaiman | 6.8/10 | 1h 55m | Youtube |
Forrest Gump | Robert Zemeckis | 8.8/10 | 2h 22m | Netflix |
A Few Good Men | Rob Reiner | 7.7/10 | 2h 18m | Amazon Prime Video, Youtube, Google Play Movies & TV |
Erin Brokovich | Steven Soderbergh | 7.4/10 | 2h 11m | Netflix |
The Devil’s Own | Alan J Pakula | 6.2/10 | 1h 47m | Netflix |
The Inglorious Bastards | Enzo G Castellari | 6.5/10 | 1h 39m | Netflix |
Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind | Michel Gondry | 8.3/10 | 1h 48m | Amazon Prime Video |
In The Line Of Fire | Wolfgang Petersen | 7.2/10 | 2h 8m | Netflix |
Jerry Maguire | Cameron Crowe | 7.3/10 | 2h 19m | Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, Google Play Movies & TV |
Million Dollar Baby | Clint Eastwood | 8.1/10 | 2h 12m | Amazon Prime Video |
Chasing Amy | Kevin Smith | 7.2/10 | 1h 53m | Apple TV |
Catch Me If You Can | Steven Spielberg | 8.1/10 | 2h 21m | Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV |
Pursuit of Happyness | Gabriele Muccino | 8/10 | 1h 57m | Netflix |
Before Sunrise | Richard Linklater | 8.1/10 | 1h 45m | Amazon Prime Video |
Moneyball | Bennet Miller | 7.6/10 | 2h 13m | Amazon Prime Video |
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Some movies make us dwell deep into our souls and search for unanswered questions. One such movie was Good Will Hunting. We have jotted down some similar movies like Good Will Hunting that will leave you with a warmed-up heart.