This film was simply brilliant. Matt Damon and Ben Affleck wrote this story when they were struggling young actors and wanted to break into the industry and they wrote a simple story set in their hometown of Boston and some of the main characters based on their Irish-American roots. People who accussed this story of being too simple overlooked what makes a great film which is the heart and soul of characters, a well written script and intelligent dialogue that seems to be lacking in many films today. That monologue that the Professor delivered to Will at the lake was one of the most gripping, moving and emotional speeches I've ever heard on film and that alone made this movie stand out.