Track Listing

1. Between the Bars [Orchestral] - Elliott Smith
2. As the Rain - Jeb Loy Nichols
3. Angeles - Elliott Smith
4. No Name #3 - Elliott Smith
5. Fisherman's Blues - The Waterboys
6. Why Do I Lie? - Luscious Jackson
7. Will Hunting [Main Titles]
8. Between the Bars - Elliott Smith
9. Say Yes - Elliott Smith
10. Baker Street - Gerry Rafferty
11. Somebody's Baby - Andru Donalds
12. Boys Better - The Dandy Warhols
13. How Can You Mend a Broken Heart? - Al Green
14. Miss Misery - Elliott Smith
15. Weepy Donuts - Steve Bartek, Danny Elfman

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #21868 in Music
• Released on: 1997-12-02
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Soundtrack
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: .21 pounds

Amazon.com
Movie soundtracks are chancy in that the music is often geared to specific parts of the film that are meant to evoke concurrent emotions; many don't hold up apart from their cinematic context. The trend of the past few years has been to gratuitously traipse down memory lane, with the convenient stance that a hit parade of '70s funk will lend an otherwise bloodless film some street cred. Thankfully the soundtrack to Good Will Hunting doesn't strive for fake urban cool; this film about white, working-class Bostonians gets a mostly white, working-class sound. The soundtrack effectively mirrors the half-filled desires and lives that the film capitalizes on: restlessness, ennui, doubt, and unrequited love rule here. Elliot Smith contributes the most, and the best, songs, beautiful weepers that outshine Danny Elfman's somber original score, which makes only a few appearances. --Alan E. Rapp

Customer Reviews

Great movie, greater soundtrack
Before I saw Good Will Hunting I had never even heard of Elliott Smith, but once I saw the movie I had to have the CD. While Danny Elfman's compositions and the other songs (especially Luscious Jackson's catchy "Why Do I Lie") are wonderful, Smith's music is what makes this CD - it's worth buying for "Miss Misery" alone. In an age where most soundtracks include predominantly glossy pop tunes, cheaply sentimental love songs, and unnerving punk rock, the Good Will Hunting soundtrack contains simple, sincere music that's a refreshing change from other movie/TV soundtracks.

A movie deserving of this excellent soundtrack.
Soundtracks are a music business trend on the decline and for good reason. In recent years many soundtracks have been thrown together with sub-standard artists or tracks, little correlation to the movie itself which in turn probably didn't even deserve to be seen let alone heard. Yet these cash cows have been lapped up by the truckload. The Good Will Hunting soundtrack bucks this trend however, and is a startlingly good collection of songs that not only relates well to the film and it's lead character Will, but also entices you to seek out more from the artists involved - this is what a good soundtrack should do. The very talented Elliot Smith provides the backbone of the album with his superb compositions, however I find myself enjoying the other artists involved here just as much. The Waterboys' 'Fisherman's Blues' and Luscious Jackson's 'Why Do I Lie' are two inspired choices, as is Al Green's perennial tear-jerker 'How Can You Mend A Broken Heart'. Danny Elfman's theme songs are quite hauntingly beautiful and help make this a great album for the road, and exploring new places. An exceptional soundtrack with a great amount of spirit.

Overall theme of tragedy... well thought out soundtrack.
Great soundtrack to a great movie! The Elliot Smith selections seem to perfectly reflect the tragedy within the drama, a lonely pop track by Luscious Jackson, "Why Do I Lie?" (sad, sorrowful, nicely done), Gerry Rafferty's 'Baker Street' (A classic with a tragic story and mood), and even an Al Green tune, "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart?" (need I say more?). I could do without The Waterboys.