Dead Poets Society
1989, Drama, 2h 8m
57 Reviews 250,000+ RatingsWhat to know
Affecting performances from the young cast and a genuinely inspirational turn from Robin Williams grant Peter Weir's prep school drama top honors. Read critic reviews
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Movie Info
Cast & Crew
John Keating
Neil Perry
Todd Anderson
Knox Overstreet
Charlie Dalton
Richard Cameron
News & Interviews for Dead Poets Society
Critic Reviews for Dead Poets Society
All Critics (57) | Top Critics (10) | Fresh (48) | Rotten (9)
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A refreshing if obvious drama.
August 23, 2017 | Rating: 3/4 | Full Review… -
On the surface Robin Williams appears to be giving his standard performance as Prof. Keating - witty, sincere and lovable. But there's much more here.
June 1, 2016 | Rating: 3.5/4 | Full Review… -
Dead Poets Society purports to be about the bravery of following one's own path. This is a bright, shining lie, one the film is ballsy enough to tell to your face.
June 4, 2014 | Full Review… -
Beautifully directed and with an Oscar-winning story.
August 24, 2010 | Rating: 4/5 | Full Review… -
Williams, who has comparatively little screen time, has come to act, not to cut comic riffs, and he does so with forceful, ultimately compelling, simplicity.
August 24, 2010 | Full Review… -
Story sings whenever Williams is onscreen. Screen belongs just as often to Leonard, who as Neil has a quality of darting confidence mixed with hesitancy. Hawke, as the painfully shy Todd, gives a haunting performance.
July 18, 2007 | Full Review…
Audience Reviews for Dead Poets Society
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Mar 03, 2015This was a very great and touching film. It is well written and shot. The cast is also full of talented up and comers.Jarrin R Super Reviewer
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Jul 19, 2014A prime example of seeing a film at the right age and at the right time.Liam G Super Reviewer
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Jul 25, 2013This was the film that started Robin Williams in his belief that he could act without being constantly manic...and he was truly successful in doing so. It is amazing that the stint ended almost as quickly as it began. Sentimental, check. A bit silly, yes. It still works.John B Super Reviewer
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Jun 16, 2013Robin Williams was predominantly known for his hilarity and exuberant sense of fun before he finally started to show that he had acting chops. In 1987, he received an Oscar nomination for "Good Morning Vietnam" and then, two years later, followed that up with another Best Actor nomination for "Dead Poets Society". To this day, this still stands as one of his most appealing characters and performances. Todd Anderson (Ethan Hawke) is sent to a school where his popular older brother was valedictorian. It's here that he meets room-mate, Neil (Robert Sean Leonard) and many other bright young men, who have lots of potential but lack any real direction. That is, until they meet their new English teacher Professor John Keating (Robin Williams). He's one of the few who sees the potential in them and encourages them to embrace life. "Carpe Diem. Seize the day boys, make your lives extraordinary." These are the words that encapsulate this inspirational story about having a passion for and "sucking the marrow out of..." life. Professor Keating teaches in a very different and personal manner, quoting from such poets as Walt Whitman, Byron, Henry Thoreau and Robert Frost. He has a passion for what he teaches and shows a determination to instil that in his pupils. This passion also exudes onto the audience as we too, explore and enjoy the great writer's and poet's of our past and how rich and effective their words can be. Director Peter Weir draws on his own experiences of a boarding school education and Tom Schulman's script (partly based on his experiences at an all-boys preparatory school he attended and his professor there, Samuel F. Pickering Jr.) exposes the rigidity within the walls of such an environment. It's to their credit, though, that they manage to bring a sense of hope to education and the joy and expression that lies therein. Filled with many visual and verbal poetic moments, Weir's film is at times, both haunting and beautiful with gorgeous cinematography by John Seale and an effective music score by Maurice Jarre. There are also a whole host of very impressive performances from it's young cast - an excruciatingly shy Ethan Hawke, being a particular standout. However, it all rests on the shoulders of Williams; he's brilliant, with a very charismatic and heartfelt performance. He taps into his comic abilities, never over doing it and when he needs to deliver the dramatic weight, he does so with aplomb. You're able to warm to him and be completely swept up in his infectious enthusiasm, in turn, allowing you to fully identify with his impressionable students. At times the film can be emotionally manipulative and doesn't always work but, for the most part, it's very memorable and delivers one of the most uplifting movie endings I can remember. Never has a school desk been used so effectively. What more can you ask from a film that's able to instil thought, encourage an agreeing nod, raise a smile and even shed a tear? Weir, Williams and co. manage all of these things and for that reason, I give applause... "Oh Captain, my Captain". Mark WalkerMark W Super Reviewer
Dead Poets Society Quotes
| Neil Perry: | I went to the woods because I wanted to live deliberately. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life. To put to rout all that was not life; and not, when I had come to die, discover that I had not lived. |
| John Keating: | Tune in. turn on, and drop dead. |
| John Keating: | Tune in, turn on, and drop dead. |
| John Keating: | Carpe diem. Seize the day, boys. Make your lives extraordinary. |
| Todd Anderson: | [standing on his desk] Oh captain, my captain. |
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