Great Film overall

Fantastic!

This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

Boring. Sounds like a frankstein with teenager movie and cult movie parts

The acting in "Dead Poets Society" is very good all around. The plot is an interesting one. It's the type of story that Robin Williams liked doing for much of his career. His characters mostly are far from the ordinary, usual, or everyday people. Often, they are played for the sympathy of the audience. And, that's okay - to an extent. When the character is a hero who does something for the good of others, or thinks of others, he is the proverbial "good guy. One thinks of such films in which Williams starred. "Awakenings" of 1990 was a fine movie, as was "Patch Adams" of 1998. Williams was superb in "Jakob the Liar" of 1999. But is his John Keating such a person in this film? It's one thing to encourage students to be themselves, to become original, to pursue their dreams. But without the attention to those students, their characters and situations, the teacher ducks responsibility for himself or herself. Then, his uniqueness or difference in methods is really more self-centered. It's not a true interest in the students for their welfare and well-being. The end of this film is melodramatic, and a way for the students to overcome their disgrace at lying. It never is clear why they would need to be off the hook for anything themselves. Obviously, the institution wanted to find a scapegoat, and the father wanted a culprit. Keating seems to accept the class salute at the end as a good sign and squaring of the students with him. But that doesn't remove his complicity. How much guilt did he feel or show for what happened? Would a teacher who really cared for his students have not been more aware and interested to see that something so drastic as this didn't happen to someone in his class? Would such a death have ever occurred, had he not encouraged his students to be bold, to challenge authority and family?This is one film in which Williams could have played a character who owns up to a failure in responsibility. Instead, one is treated to a tutor who is put upon for being unjustly dismissed. Was his career more important than the life of any one of his students? Where is the justice when a student takes his own life?

This week I chose to watch a dramedy called Dead Poets Society (1989). The logline reads "English teacher John Keating inspires his students to look at poetry with a different perspective of authentic knowledge and feelings." The movie made me feel inspired as an artist. At its core the story embraces Shakespeare's line "to thine own self be true." In this story John Keating, the new English teacher exercises unconventional methods to help the students grasps their individual senses of artistic freedom and the importance of not being governed by others rather embracing one's own identity and desires. Through a series of ups and downs the students have to come to terms with the depths of what that means. The story made me think about how important it is for people to be accepting of one another, especially for parents to accept their children no matter how different they are. The movie also reminded me that each person just might define success differently. A parent may see success in career and financial status whereas a son may see success as penniless but enjoying his or her career. I think the story writing here was brilliant. The ideas were strongly conveyed through the dialogue script and even paid tribute to its poetic theme by using such things as irony, foil, and foreshadowing techniques. The acting was great too. Obviously Robin Williams stole the show, but he younger men were quite talented. The directing was great and mostly felt seamless. The pacing seemed a little slow to me at some points, and some of the cave scenes reminded me of The Breakfast Club (1985). The movie was made by Touchstone Pictures so of course it was professional quality. I liked the use of lighting and there were definite moments of contrast where the lighting was used to highlight the inner "dark thoughts" in certain moments. Overall, I loved the film and wish I would have seen it sooner.

There is a lot to like about the movie. Cinematography, characterizations, actors, etc. I really liked how it leaves you feeling for Keating's character at the end, while also in many ways arguing against his actions. The Latin teacher and principal are respectful and cordial. Their positions are more level headed. After all, Keating's student kills himself, when he could have waited a year and become an actor. He would have been an "adult" in no time. He couldn't wait. I have to be an actor now or die. I can understand feeling that way if your parents are telling you you can't be who you want to be. But suicide? The other students are reckless too. They're young. They're not as capable of thinking long term. They're doing stuff that's risking expulsion... stupid stuff, that could negatively impact the rest of their lives. They don't have as much experience. Anyway, that's why i liked the movie. Did really well developing that central question of how much freedom and responsibility 17 years can handle. How much critical reasoning can they do and should it be encouraged? Hard to say, I think.