Sad, though quite inspirational

Rating: 8/10 (17 September 2008)

I generally find great inspiration in films like this, and "Dead Poets Society" is no exception. Robin Williams stars as a professor who encourages his students to "make your lives extraordinary." This ends up causing some of the students to go too far in this direction, resulting in the "sad" elements of this film. I did, however, feel a sense of encouragement in what Williams says, realizing that we've only got one life in this world and should make it something great. The scenes with Williams are superb, some of the best dialogue you will ever hear, in this film that won an Oscar for its screenplay. Williams was robbed of an Oscar here, though he later won one for the similar film he appeared in "Good Will Hunting." Though I like "Good Will Hunting" even better, I truly enjoyed this film. The one thing I felt it lacked was enough scenes with Williams and his students. Too many scenes feature the students off on their own in their club, or getting in trouble with other students or their parents, scenes that can get depressing when there are so many of them. Fortunately, Robin Williams comes around often enough the lighten things up a bit, though this is considered one of the first of his more serious roles. The ending scene is great, as is the one with Williams telling the students to rip out part of their textbook. A nicely-done, inspiring film. Not perfect, though it is still quite good.
***1/2 out of ****