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"DEAD POETS SOCIETY" (1989) (Robin Williams, Robert Sean Leonard) (PG) Alcohol/ Drugs Blood/Gore Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude Frightening/ Tense Scenes Guns/ Weapons Heavy Mild Moderate None Minor Imitative Behavior Jump Scenes Music (Scary/Tense) Music (Inappropriate) Profanity Moderate Minor None Minor Moderate Sex/ Nudity Smoking Tense Family Scenes Topics To Talk About Violence Heavy Heavy Heavy Moderate Moderate QUICK TAKE: Drama: At a private preparatory school, a poetry professor inspires a few boys to live lives of their own choosing, and not by what society in its many facets has set forth for them. PLOT: At the beginning of a new year at a private boys preparatory school in the 1950s, new students arrive at Welton Academy. There's Neil Perry (ROBERT SEAN LEONARD), who would much rather do anything else than what his unyielding father commands him to do, even to the extent of having him removed from working on the school's yearbook so that he can concentrate on his studies that will lead him to Harvard and a career as a doctor. Todd Anderson (ETHAN HAWKE) is the brother of a student warmly remembered by the headmaster, Mr. Nolan (NORMAN LLOYD), and told that he should live up to the standards his sibling achieved at the school. But where it might be imagined that Todd's brother was lively and an engaging soul to spend time with, Todd is extremely shy. He prefers to keep to himself, do the work that's required, and let that be that. There's also Charlie Dalton (GALE HANSEN), a jokester, and Knox Overstreet (JOSH CHARLES), who is dropped off by the headmaster for a dinner with some important alumni and immediately falls for their daughter, Chris Noel (ALEXANDRA POWERS). These boys, along with a few others, relatively minor in comparison, come together ever more closely under the tutelage of John Keating (ROBIN WILLIAMS), a graduate of their school, in charge of teaching poetry. But where the book presented for the curriculum rates poetry as if it was something to be reviewed in Consumer Reports, Keating absolutely refuses to look at poetry that way because to him, it's about the human race. It's about all the emotions that make up who we are and what we aim to live for, such as love. He leads the boys on many experiences that he hopes will change them, to turn them from unquestioning conformists to men with unique voices, who see that the world presents so much more than what's given to them in the staid atmosphere of their school. Neil, Todd, Charlie and Knox are inspired enough to resurrect Keating's old group, the Dead Poets Society, which holds meetings in a cave and the members read poetry to each other, ranging from such giant names as Walt Whitman to their own work. But while there's enough inspiration to change the lives and minds of a few of the boys, such as Todd, there are also issues that lead to tragedy. WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT? Fans of Robin Williams will want to see this, as well as fans of the cast and anyone with an interest in poetry. WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG No official reason is given, but it's likely for language, sexually related material, and brief nudity. CAST AS ROLE MODELS: ROBIN WILLIAMS plays John Keating, a graduate of Welton Academy, who returns to teach poetry. He makes a deep impression on his class the first session when he tells them to rip out the pages of an introductory essay to poetry, as he believes it's entirely useless and doesn't serve any purpose in trying to introduce anyone to the subject. He leads his students through many weighty names such as Walt Whitman, and reminds them that though they may believe that they're invincible at the moment they're standing at a glass case, looking at photos of those who were at the school before them, they don't have more than the lifetime they're living right now. He tells them, simply, "Carpe diem. Seize the day, boys. Make your lives extraordinary." ROBERT SEAN LEONARD plays Neil Perry, a student at Welton, pressured by his father to get through his time at the academy silently and without complaint, so he can move on to Harvard and a career as a doctor. After attending Mr. Keating's class and becoming inspired by what he says, he decides he wants to be an actor instead and sets his sights on performing in "A Midsummer Night's Dream." He uses profanity and smokes. ETHAN HAWKE plays Todd Anderson, brother of a former student at Welton, proudly heralded by the headmaster, who tells him to live up to what his brother left behind. He's quite shy, not amenable at first to joining the other boys in their study group, and certainly not receptive to Mr. Keating's assignment of writing a poem and then reading it in front of the class. A pivotal moment comes where, despite having not done the assignment, he's led by Mr. Keating to open up his mind widely and just speak that poem that bubbles inside him. He smokes once. JOSH CHARLES plays Knox Overstreet, who falls for the daughter of an alumnus of the school and wants so badly for her to be his, if not for the football player she's already dating. He's not sure how to go about getting her, until he spends time in Mr. Keating's class and learns to really live life, and not let anything pull him back. He's inspired enough to try. GALE HANSEN plays Charlie Dalton, the jokester among the boys and one of the biggest supporters of resurrecting Mr. Keating's old group, the Dead Poets Society. He smokes. KURTWOOD SMITH plays Mr. Perry, Neil's father who wants him to pursue what he missed out on and never think of becoming anything else but a doctor. He's not at all understanding of his son's dream to become an actor and insists that it ends. DYLAN KUSSMAN plays Richard Cameron, one of the boys who becomes part of the Dead Poets Society. ALLELON RUGGIERO plays the red-headed and bespectacled Steven Meeks, who also becomes part of the Dead Poets Society. JAMES WATERSTON plays Gerard Pitts, another one of the members of the Dead Poets Society. NORMAN LLOYD plays Mr. Nolan, the headmaster of Welton, who believes in a vastly different curriculum than what Mr. Keating teaches, that of conformity and facing life with a stiff upper lip, never wavering, and in essence, never truly living, though Mr. Nolan certainly doesn't see it like that. LEON POWNALL plays Mr. McAllister, who is wary of Mr. Keating's teaching methods and tells him so, but they get along fine. ALEXANDRA POWERS plays Chris Noel, the object of Knox's desire, who's dating a football player, and doesn't know Knox all that well. CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit? Then read OUR TAKE of this film. (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below). OUR WORD TO PARENTS: The following is a brief summary of the content found in this PG-rated drama. Profanity consists of at least 4 "s" words, while other expletives and colorful phrases are spoken. Sexually-related material appears in the way of a few jokes, bare breasts are seen in a nude centerfold from a magazine, and there's some making out. Violence consists of a few punches thrown (with a little bit of bloody results) as well as corporal punishment one character receives from the headmaster of the school. Alcohol is consumed, and one character appears drunk, while various characters smoke. Some of the behavior of the students may be tempting to imitate, and various characters display varying degrees of disrespect and bad attitudes. Tense family material is also present. Should you still be concerned about the film's appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home, you may want to look more closely at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content. For those prone to visually induced motion sickness, there is a slight spinning effect while the camera looks up at the stairs full of boys going downstairs, and the camera spins around a room later to simulate one character's drunkenness. ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE At a party, Knox draws a beer for himself from a keg. A guy named Bubba pours some whiskey into a glass that Knox is holding, and he, Bubba and another guy drink from their glasses at the same time. They all drink together a second time after Bubba pours more for all three. Later, the camera spins around the room (simulating Knox's drunken state) and then focuses on Knox, who burps, drunkenly, and drunken singing is heard elsewhere. Knox drinks from a glass as he sits on a couch, and a few football players drink from glasses as Knox looks over at them. One drinks from a booze bottle. One of the women that Charlie has brought into the cave drinks from a half-full bottle. Neil drinks from a bottle of "Jacquin's Rock Rye," and Charlie also drinks from the bottle. A quarter-filled glass is seen on a table at Neil's parents' house. BLOOD/GORE A guy named Bubba spits something out to the side before asking Knox something. Knox is seen with blood beneath his nose, and on a finger. Todd is heard vomiting, though nothing is seen. Blood is seen below Cameron's right nostril, after Charlie punches him squarely in the face. DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE Cameron says to Neil outside his dorm room, "Hey, I heard you got the new kid, looks like a stiff!" just as Todd walks in. Neil lives in his father's significant and strict shadow, forced to do what he does not want to do. His father insists on him going to Harvard for medical school, for one, and makes sure he's dropped from his position as assistant editor on the school yearbook. Later, Neil's father tells him that he's withdrawing him from Welton and enrolling him in "Braden Military School." His father also tells him that he can "forget" his desire to be an actor, because he's going to Harvard and is going to be a doctor, though his father couches it in his believed fact that he wasn't able to pursue the dreams that Neil can. His father essentially tries to live vicariously through him. As the boys rush down the stairs, a professor calls out, "Slow down, boys! Slow down, you horrible phalanx of pubescence." One of the students throws a crumpled-up ball of paper at a bespectacled fellow student nicknamed "Spaz." Seven boys sneak out after hours to resurrect the Dead Poets Society, though it's understood in the context of the film. Rather than accept his role in his son's suicide, a father blames the act on Keating. FRIGHTENING SCENES None GUNS/WEAPONS Handgun: Used for an unseen suicide, seen on the floor, next to a character's hand. IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR Phrases: "No sh*t, Sherlock," "Bullsh*t," "Did you see her naked?" "Slow down, you horrible phalanx of pubescence," "Brain damage!" "Ooh! Psycho!" "What the hell is going on here?" "Oh shut up, will you?" "Carpe diem!" "Boo!" "Damn it," "Oh, no/man/my," "Bastard," "What the hell are we doing?" "Got it, ace?" "Aye aye, captain," and "Seize the day!" One of the students throws a crumpled-up ball of paper at a fellow student, nicknamed "Spaz." The same thing is done later to someone else with a smaller ball in a study group. One of the boys throws darts at a plastic skeleton hanging on a wall. Mr. Keating commands his students to rip out the pages of an essay he deems useless. Mr. Keating imitates Marlon Brando and John Wayne. Mr. Keating blows a raspberry at one of his students, who fails to kick a ball well. The members of the Dead Poets Society light up pipes and try smoking them. A few of them also smoke cigarettes. Charlie initially plays a saxophone badly and off-key. Knox yells out "Yawp!" Charlie puts lipstick on his cheeks to demonstrate his change of name to Nuwanda. Later, he reveals a lipstick lightning bolt on his chest. JUMP SCENES Charlie pops up behind a searching Meeks in the dark with his flashlight positioned at his face, and bellows, "Arrr, I'm a dead poet." MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE) None. MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE) A song called "Hey Little Girl" by Professor Longhair is heard, with the lyric, "Baby, baby. Let's make romance. You know your old-time lover, hasn't got a chance." PROFANITY At least 4 "s" words, 13 hells, 4 damns, 1 ass, 3 uses of "Oh my God," 2 uses each of "God" and "Oh God," and 1 use each of "G*ddamn," "G*ddamn it," "For God sakes," and "Oh good God." SEX/NUDITY Pitts asks, "To the virgins to make much of time?" to be sure that he has the right poem in the book, and Mr. Keating says, "That's the one." There's some snickering and Mr. Keating says, jokingly, "Somewhat appropriate, isn't it?" Many of the boys appear bare-chested in the locker room. Charlie asks Knox about Chris, "Did you see her naked?" Mr. Keating's entry in the senior annual of his year notes that he was a "thigh man." Meeks says about the Dead Poets Society, "I'll try anything once," and one of the other boys replies, "Except sex." In the cave, Charlie unfolds a centerfold of a naked woman from a magazine, bare breasts seen. A couple is seen kissing at a party. A song called "Hey Little Girl" by Professor Longhair is heard, with the lyric, "Baby, baby. Let's make romance. You know your old-time lover, hasn't got a chance." Knox nearly trips over a kissing couple that's seen later on the floor, the guy on top of the girl. Another kissing couple unknowingly leans into Knox as he sits on a couch. Charlie says that he published an article in the school paper under the name of the Dead Poets, "demanding girls be admitted to Welton," then whispers to Meeks, "So we can all stop beating off." Mr. Keating has a picture on his desk of a woman wearing a dress that stops just beneath her shoulders. Charlie is seen with a red painted lightning bolt on his chest. When asked what it is, Charlie says, "It's an Indian warrior symbol for virility. Makes me feel potent, like it can drive girls crazy." Neil is seen shirtless. SMOKING Charlie and Neil each smoke four times, Mr. McAllister smokes twice (pipe), a woman in the cave with the boys smokes twice, Todd smokes once, and Todd's mother smokes once. Charlie takes out a cigarette, puts it in his mouth, puts the pack in his jacket pocket, then takes the cigarette out of his mouth. Upon hearing a knock at the door, Charlie stamps out the cigarette. The boys light up pipes and try smoking them. Someone near Neil holds a cigarette backstage after the performance of "A Midsummer Night's Dream." TENSE FAMILY SCENES Neil lives in his father's strict shadow, forced to do what he does not want to do. His father insists on him going to Harvard for medical school, for one, and makes sure he's dropped from his position as assistant editor on the school yearbook. Later, Neil's father tells him that he's withdrawing him from Welton and enrolling him in "Braden Military School." His father also tells him that he can "forget" his desire to be an actor, because he's going to Harvard and is going to be a doctor, though his father couches it in his believed fact that he wasn't able to pursue the dreams that Neil can. His father essentially tries to live vicariously through him. This affects Neil a great deal later on. SPOILER ALERT: A student commits suicide off camera due to parental pressure, and his father later blames this on Keating. TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT Where the Welton prepatory school strives to teach its boys to conform and face life stoically, Mr. Keating, through his poetry class, teaches the boys to think for themselves, to develop their own voice rather than mimicking the voices of those before them and to live, because though they believe they're invincible at their young ages, there's not as much time as they think. Neil lives in his father's strict shadow, forced to do what he does not want to do. His father insists on him going to Harvard for medical school, for one, and makes sure he's dropped from his position as assistant editor on the school yearbook. Later, Neil's father tells him that he's withdrawing him from Welton and enrolling him in "Braden Military School." His father also tells him that he can "forget" his desire to be an actor, because he's going to Harvard and is going to be a doctor, though his father couches it in his believed fact that he wasn't able to pursue the dreams that Neil can. His father essentially tries to live vicariously through him. Todd doesn't like the assignment Mr. Keating has put before them, in writing a poem and then reading it in front of the class, and tries to tell Mr. Keating that he didn't do the assignment. Yet, Mr. Keating brings him in front of the class and tells him to just speak out whatever comes to mind in a poem and he's inspired enough to do so. The Dead Poets Society and its consequences. Suicide among young people. VIOLENCE Neil taps Todd on the shoulder with a set of papers while explaining to him who Cameron is. Two boys fence outside with swords. The boys play soccer under Mr. Keating's supervision, and the ball bounces off the nose of one of the boys. Todd flings the desk set his parents sent him for his birthday (second one of the same in two birthdays) off a roof and we see parts of it fly upward from off-camera. Chet throws Knox to the floor, then sits on him and punches him repeatedly in the face. Charlie is given corporal punishment for his actions in the hall, bent over, receiving at least five swats with a paddle, administered by Mr. Nolan. A student commits suicide off camera with his father's revolver. Charlie punches Cameron squarely in the face. Reviewed off DVD / Posted March 25, 2009