Dead Poets Society (1989)
90%RT Audience Score: 92%
Awards & Nominations: Won 1 Oscar
20 wins & 19 nominations total
Affecting performances from the young cast and a genuinely inspirational turn from Robin Williams grant Peter Weir’s prep school drama top honors.
Dead Poets Society is a classic film that will make you laugh, cry, and question your entire existence. Robin Williams delivers a powerful performance as Professor Keating, who inspires his students to seize the day and live life to the fullest. The film’s message about individuality and following your dreams is timeless and still resonates today. Plus, who doesn’t love a good “O Captain! My Captain!” moment? It’s a must-watch for anyone who wants to be moved and inspired.
Production Company(ies)
Films,onor Vera Films,
Distributor
Buena Vista Pictures, Touchstone Pictures, Touchstone Home Video
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
St. Andrew’s School – 350 Noxontown Road, Middletown, Delaware, USA
MPAA / Certificate
PG
Year of Release
1989
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:2h 8m
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Language(s):English, Latin
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Jun 2, 1989 Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 1, 2003
Genre(s)
Drama
Keyword(s)
starring Robin Williams, starring Robert Sean Leonard, starring Ethan Hawke, directed by Peter Weir, written by Tom Schulman, drama, box office success, high school, teacher, unorthodox teaching methods, inspiration, coming of age, poetry, literature, conformity, rebellion, individuality, pressure, expectations, relationships, family, friends, society, tradition, passion, dreams, seize the day, carpe diem, Academy Award winner, PG rating, Steven Haft, Paul Junger Witt, Tony Thomas, reviewed by Gene Siskel, reviewed by Richard Schickel, reviewed by Angie Errigo, reviewed by Kurt Jacobsen, reviewed by Odie Henderson, produced by Buena Vista Pictures, produced by Touchstone Pictures, produced by Touchstone Home Video, $94.5M gross, 2h 8m runtime, surround sound, magnetic stereo 6 track, Dolby, flat aspect ratio, John Keating, Neil Perry, Todd Anderson, Knox Overstreet, Charlie Dalton, Richard Cameron
Worldwide gross: $235,860,116
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $574,737,324
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 237
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 62,675,826
US/Canada gross: $95,860,116
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $233,589,246
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 285
US/Canada opening weekend: $340,456
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $829,614
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,296
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $16,400,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $39,963,061
Production budget ranking: 963
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $21,520,108
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $513,254,155
ROI to date (est.): 835%
ROI ranking: 154
Robert Sean Leonard – Neil Perry
Ethan Hawke – Todd Anderson
Josh Charles – Knox Overstreet
Gale Hansen – Charlie Dalton
Dylan Kussman – Richard Cameron
Director(s)
Peter Weir
Writer(s)
Tom Schulman
Producer(s)
Steven Haft, Paul Junger Witt, Tony Thomas
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Won 1 Oscar
20 wins & 19 nominations total
Academy Awards
Oscar Best Writing Winners, Oscar Nominees, Oscar Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen Winners, Oscar Winners
All Critics (61) | Top Critics (13) | Fresh (50) | Rotten (11)
We never are privy to Keatings’s personal life, nor do we quite grasp why such a talented individual is devoted to pedagogy.
May 11, 2022 | Rating: 1/4
Kurt Jacobsen
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
A refreshing if obvious drama.
August 23, 2017 | Rating: 3/4
Gene Siskel
Chicago Tribune
TOP CRITIC
On the surface Robin Williams appears to be giving his standard performance as Prof. Keating – witty, sincere and lovable. But there’s much more here.
June 1, 2016 | Rating: 3.5/4
Hank Gallo
New York Daily News
TOP CRITIC
Dead Poets Society purports to be about the bravery of following one’s own path. This is a bright, shining lie, one the film is ballsy enough to tell to your face.
June 4, 2014
Odie Henderson
House Next Door
TOP CRITIC
Beautifully directed and with an Oscar-winning story.
August 24, 2010 | Rating: 4/5
Angie Errigo
Empire Magazine
TOP CRITIC
Williams, who has comparatively little screen time, has come to act, not to cut comic riffs, and he does so with forceful, ultimately compelling, simplicity.
August 24, 2010
Richard Schickel
TIME Magazine
TOP CRITIC
This excellent film turns a refrain into an axiom. [Full review in Spanish}
July 1, 2022
Rene Jordan
El Nuevo Herald (Miami)
I’d originally found it inspiring in 1989 but upon reviewing DPS in 2021, I’ve come to see it as the poster child (or movie poster) for the insidious, creeping way Hollywood helped sneak communism, Trojan-horse-wise, into America via the movies.
September 9, 2021 | Rating: 3.5/5
Mark Jackson
Epoch Times
Robin Williams may have been famous because of his comedy work but his non-comedy role in Dead Poets Society is one of his best performances.
August 11, 2021
Danielle Solzman
Solzy at the Movies
I can’t help but melt underneath this movie: it chisels away the cynic and gets at the sap.
August 18, 2014 | Rating: 3.5/4
Josh Larsen
LarsenOnFilm
It’s not so easy to dismiss Dead Poets Society. For all its faults, it still has as much power as it ever did.
January 20, 2012
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid
Williams keeps a stiff upper lip, showing a more sedate and sensitive side, and the Oscar-winning screenplay provides a strong backbone.
January 9, 2012 | Rating: 7/10
James Plath
Movie Metropolis…
Plot
Painfully shy Todd Anderson has been sent to the school where his popular older brother was valedictorian. His roommate, Neil Perry, although exceedingly bright and popular, is very much under the thumb of his overbearing father. The two, along with their other friends, meet Professor Keating, their new English teacher, who tells them of the Dead Poets Society, and encourages them to go against the status quo. Each does so in his own way, and is changed for life.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Robin Williams delivers a “charismatic and heartfelt performance” in Dead Poets Society, according to one critic review on Fresh Kernels.
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