Intriguing male version of "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie" (major spoilers ahead)

Rating: Null/10 (25 February 2004)

Anyone familiar with the Muriel Spark novel "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie" or the film of the same name will easily spot parallels with this 1980s Robin Williams picture, in which he plays an idealistic English teacher who inspires his pupils to greatness.
The setting has been updated into an exclusive rural American boys school, where the pupils are made to swear by the ethos of "Tradition, Honour, Discipline, Excellence.". In walks John Keating (Williams), who introduces a radical approach to educating his pupils that clashes with the staid traditionalism of the school, a process which eventually leads to tragedy...
The film is without a doubt exceptionally well made. It is very well shot, acted and directed and is a consistent pleasure to watch. The main problem is with the storyline and characters, both of which remain quite cliched and don't possess ambiguity or depth. With the exception of Keating (and a slightly liberal-minded colleague) virtually all the adults are harsh and repressive with no explanation as to why they are this way, or why they stick so rigidly to their positions. Only a few of the boys in Keating's class are given much personality, and the rest are filler characters whom we learn very little about. Rounding them all out would have maybe taken longer, but would have made the film more interesting.
The film's main strength is the actors. Ethan Hawke's Todd and Robert Sean Leonard's Neil get the lion's share of the screen time as Keating's two chief pupils, and they make the most of it. Hawke is a lonely young man neglected by his rich parents, and Leonard is a sensitive creative soul with a frustrated passion for acting. Both actors clearly depict the thin line of tragedy running through these spoiled young boys very well.
Of the adults, Kurtwood Smith is on fine form as Neil's tyrannical father. Alas, his part is that of the standard mean old father and he's never given any background. Nevertheless, Smith really makes the audience hate him within his limited amount of screen time yet when he tells his son to become a doctor not an actor, you can't help feeling he has a point.
Make Miss Jean Brodie a man while removing her fascistic undertones and you have the essence of John Keating. The problems with the character are the same with all the others, yet Williams overcomes these and makes Keating a sympathetic, passionate and likeable man. The film livens up whenever he is onscreen.
In conclusions, "Dead Poets Society" is a very sophisticated, well acted film. Regardless of the lack of depth, it remains an enjoyable film experience.