Dead Poets Society (1989)

Dead Poets Society rating: IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic

IMDb8.1/10· 644K votes

Rotten Tomatoes85%

Metacritic79%

TMDb8.3/10· 13K votes

With 85% on Rotten Tomatoes, backed by 8.1/10 on IMDb and 79/100 on Metacritic, critical reception of this film has been very positive.

About Dead Poets Society

At an elite, old-fashioned boarding school in New England, a passionate English teacher inspires his students to rebel against convention and seize the potential of every day, courting the disdain of the stern headmaster.

Cast of Dead Poets Society

• 

  Robin Williams

  as John Keating

• 

  Robert Sean Leonard

  as Neil Perry

• 

  Ethan Hawke

  as Todd Anderson

• 

  Josh Charles

  as Knox Overstreet

• 

  Gale Hansen

  as Charlie Dalton

• 

  Dylan Kussman

  as Richard Cameron

• 

  Allelon Ruggiero

  as Steven Meeks

• 

  James Waterston

  as Gerard Pitts

• 

  Norman Lloyd

  as Mr. Nolan

• 

  Kurtwood Smith

  as Mr. Perry

• 

  Carla Belver

  as Mrs. Perry

• L

  Leon Pownall

  as McAllister

Dead Poets Society facts

Budget

$16.4M

Box office

$235.9M

Our take on Dead Poets Society

Peter Weir's 1989 drama unfolds at an elite, old-fashioned New England boarding school, where a passionate English teacher urges his students to rebel against convention and seize the potential of every day, earning the disdain of a stern headmaster. It is a film about the pull between duty and desire, tradition and self-expression, told with autumnal warmth and gathering weight. The teaching-as-liberation premise is inspiring but not naive; the institution pushes back, and consequences follow. It suits viewers drawn to coming-of-age drama, thoughtful performances and questions about how much a mentor can change a life. Sincere and quietly stirring, it works entirely on its own.