Just great

Rating: 10/10 (15 February 2004)

In the late 1960s, John Keating (Robin Williams) comes to teach at a prestigous prep school. His unconventional teaching ways (and his telling them to "carpe diem"--seize the day) have some strong effects on his students--in particular; Charlie Dalton (Gale Hansen) who hates the school; Knox Overstreet (Josh Charles) who is helplessly in love with a girl; Todd Anderson (Ethan Hawke) who is painfully shy and Neil Perry (Robert Sean Leonard) who wants to be an actor despite his father's (Kurtwood Smith) refusal. This all leads to a predictable conclusion.
Let's get my complaints out of the way--the story is predictable (how it won an Oscar for Best Screenplay is beyond me) and the tragic turn late in the story is really not needed. I also didn't believe the final sequence for one second. Also I kept getting the feeling that this was made just to win Oscars. That aside, this is a great film.
It IS predictable but still is well-written, well-acted and well-directed. Williams (justly nominated for Best Actor) is great. He tones down his usual over the top personality and underplays his part very nicely. The teaching sequences with his students are great--a really good one was when he teaches Hawke how to "write" a poem. Also his "carpe diem" became a catch phrase for years afterwords. Hansen is also very good as Dalton as is Charles as Overstreet. Hawke (who i usually hate) was surprisingly good as Anderson and Leonard is just exceptional as Perry--every time he was on screen I couldn't take my eyes off him. He's one hell of an actor. Also Smith is totally evil as a domineering father. Basically, nobody is bad and they say all their lines with conviction. Even though I saw everything coming I didn't care--the acting was so good I couldn't stop watching.
The direction by Weir is great. Two sequences stand out--when Williams is teaching Hawke about the poem and when three of the boys are chasing each other around a room. Also there are some really beautiful sequences such as the winter ones and when the boys go out in the dead of night for "society" meetings. Incidentally Dead Poets Society is the boys getting together in a cave late at night and reading poetry or telling tall tales to each other. Sounds strange, but it works in the context of the movie.
I'm giving this a 10--I just wish I could get rid of those lingering doubts about WHY this picture was made...I wish it was for the story and the acting, but I don't think it was.