4/10
DEAD POETS SOCIETY (1989). For the first part of this film, we only have to put up with Robin Williams being inspirational to susceptible teenage boys in a posh 1950s American private school, as he gets them to rip pages out of academic books. But later, there is a spurious melodramatic plot development designed to up the ante, followed by a closing scene of cheesy sentimentality. It’s not that it’s a bad film, and might have been better served by either Bill Murrray or Liam Neeson in the leading role (both were considered); but it’s emotionally dishonest and prefers fake emotion over genuine feeling.
