This Movie Changed My Life

Rating: 10/10 (4 April 2004)

Okay, so that's a pretty big statement, but out of all the films I've seen in my life, this film is one that I can point to changing it. Some of it must have had to do when I saw it, teenager, and the typical teenager things I was going through.
For one, I started writing and reading poetry. If that isn't enough of a change I became a literature major in College. This film gave me courage to do crazy things, to step out of my shell and to actually ask girls out instead of thinking about them all the time. It affected my view of art, and that it's okay to be an artist and still be male.
I think it is an excellent coming of age film for boys, it goes through so many of the emotions rattling around inside during that time. The joy, uncertainty, pressure to fit in, attraction, betrayal, wanting love from a parent but never getting it and on and on.
I've seen this film enough times to see the flaws but I love every minute of it, flaws and all. There is so much subtly in the film that goes unnoticed.
When Keating tells the boys to rip the page out of a book, the Judas of the group uses a ruler to rip the page out but leaving a thin strip of the page in the book. A metaphor for when he betrays the others.
After reading some of the comments on this site, specifically the ones that pointed out why none of the beat poets were in the film, I came to the conclusion that it is interesting that the poetry studied in this film is full of structure. All the poems read were written in a strict poetical form, with the exception of Wadsworth. Structure is not devoid of beauty, just as chaos is not devoid of patterns. More often than not, it is structure that allows beauty to bloom. And although Keating was encouraging the boys to break out of the mold, to think for themselves, at one point when Neuwanda places a phone call to God in a school gathering, he cautions the boys to suck the marrow out of life, just don't choke on the bone.
I don't think the purpose of the film is that all structure is evil, but instead to find your passion, whatever it is. There can be beauty and passion in crunching numbers as much as painting starry nights.