This week on What To Stream Right Now we’re discussing a movie and tv show about geniuses! Because who doesn’t want to be one…

GOOD WILL HUNTING – Dir. Gus Van Sant (1997) IMDb

Will Hunting (played by Matt Damon) is a young janitor at M.I.T, but as you could probably guess, he’s also something of a math genius. However, he can’t seem to find direction in his life and looks to psychologist Sean Maguire (played by the late Robin Williams) for help. They form a unique relationship, which quickly transforms into a wonderful friendship.

I watched this film for the first time shortly after the death of Robin Williams, because I had heard from numerous people that this was one of his most endearing roles. And even with the vast number of amazing films he’s been in, that statement isn’t necessarily far from the truth. Both Williams and Damon give some of their best performances in this film. Williams’ performance even snagged him an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. It’s simply a touching story that’s well directed and well written. Damon and Ben Affleck, who also has an amazing role, wrote GOOD WILL HUNTING together, winning them their own Oscars at the ages of 27 and 25, respectively.   Luckily for you, you’ll only cry a few times while watching this, but I promise it has a happy ending!

SHERLOCK – Three Seasons (2010 -) IMDb

It goes without saying, but this genius is much less heart warming than good ole, Will Hunting. BBC’s SHERLOCK stars Benedict Cumberbatch (The Imitation Game, Star Trek Into Darkness) as the title character and Martin Freeman (The Hobbit trilogy, Fargo) as his trusty “sidekick”, Doctor John Watson. But unlike other Sir Arthur Conan Doyle adaptations, this variation is set in modern day London. That one simple twist in the narrative proves to be the most important piece of creating a refreshing and entertaining series from the stories we all know and love.

Steven Moffat created the show along with actor/writer Mark Gatiss, so you can be sure to enjoy Sherlock’s witty cynicism if you’ve ever enjoyed a more recent episode of DOCTOR WHO. Along with that, Sherlock plays as an interesting counter part to our beloved, Doctor. Both characters seem to figure impossible things out through intellect and intuition, but where one is whimsy and alien, the other is grounded in reality and functions solely on the basis on fact. With that being said, the series can certainly be enjoyed by anyone, including people who don’t like Doctor Who (but why don’t you???). Each season has only three episodes and each episode is 90 minutes long, so you’re essentially watching a bunch of little movies. This makes the show seem far more special than other shows, but unfortunately once you get caught up, you’ll still have to wait until 2017 for the next season.

That’s it for this installment! Feel free to share this article on Facebook and twitter! Make sure to check out episodes 5 and 4 if you feel like you haven’t spent enough time on the couch today already!