I like everything about this movie; except the movie itself

Rating: 5/10 (3 February 2013)

I like poetry. I like Robin Williams. I like Peter Weir. I like Maurice Jarre. So, I had high hopes for this movie and I have to say I was extremely disappointed. It seems in almost every dramatic or semi-dramatic film that Robin Williams stars in, he plays a victim. I kept waiting for him to be picked on and it sure came. John Seating is a new teacher at a very strict school called Welton. His styles and teaching methods are not what the students are used to and his love for poetry inspires them to reopen an old school club called the Dead Poets Society. At this point, the movie falls downhill. I think the problem is the characters. The director tries to make us love and connect with them, oh how hard he tries. But, oh how much I didn't care by the end. We needed to know more about John Seating's personal life and not just his job. Besides a few good themes scattered throughout, there is not a lot to gain by watching this film.