Dead Poets Society (1990)

 

Synopsis: Disaster ensues after impressionable high school students take their caring and empathetic teacher’s profound words about self-empowerment and non-conformity seriously. 

Blurb From the VHS Jacket: “He was their inspiration He made their lives extraordinary.” 

What Did I Learn?: 1) There’s a time for daring and a time for caution, and a wise man understands which is called for. 2) Gather ye rosebuds while ye may. 3) The best advice for high school students would be to agree with everything your parents and school administrators have to say, don’t make waves and don’t be afraid to squeal like a pig to save your own academic career, because everyone in this film who defies authority meets with an unfortunate end. 

You Might Like This Movie If: you're in the mood to hear some poetry. 

Really?: 1) Don’t these kids ever ponder the consequences of their actions? How did Neil think his father would react to him disobeying his orders by starring in a high school play? What did Knox think would happen after he decided to make out with a semi-conscious girl right in front of her boyfriend and his football buddies? Did Charlie even consider the possibility that he might get paddled, and possibly expelled for publicly ridiculing the headmaster? 2) So, Mr.-Find-Your-Own-Way-In-Life orders his students to rip pages out of their textbooks because he disagrees with J. Evans Pritchard’s essay? Is that action meant to advance free-thinking or intolerance for opposing views? 3) Keating (Robin Williams) and his pupils certainly quote a lot of poetry, but he doesn’t seem to provide any insights into the subject. 3) Ok, I can see Cameron finking on Keating in order to save himself from expulsion, but justifying it to his classmates with a hateful and completely self-serving speech? Considering the audience had absolutely no reason to suspect or dislike Cameron up until that moment, I have to say that it’s awfully contrived.  

Rating: I have to give Dead Poets Society something of a mixed review. While I liked this coming-of-age drama’s overall message about finding one’s own path in life, and standing up for what’s right, and one has to admire both Williams’ fine performance and the film’s beautiful cinematography, something about Dead Poets Society has always rubbed me the wrong way (see: “Synopsis,” “What Did I Learn?” #3 and “Really?”); Dead Poets Society is a good movie, but its a little too superficial, one-sided and contrived for my taste to be a great one. 7.5/10 stars.  

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097165/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0