I remember when this movie first came out and thinking, “This is desperately trying to be the ‘Dead Poets Society’ for our generation.” I finally got around to putting it on the Netflix queue, and Netflix finally got around to sending it to me, so I popped it in last night and gave it a viewing. Good to know my predictions from 12 years ago were true.
This wasn’t a bad movie by any means, though that doesn’t mean you should watch this instead of “Dead Poets”. Kevin Kline stars as William Hundert, the name already stumbling off the tongue, a teacher of Western Civilization at an all boy’s school. The movie opens with him looking old so it’s easy to guess that the whole thing is going to be a flashback. That assumption is quickly solidified as he opens up an old yearbook with a weathered ’76 on the cover, and thus the story begins….except you’d never guess it was the Seventies because there is no allusion to it at all. A minor detail that doesn’t really impact the story until much later.
So we have this teacher and a class of misfits, among them are younger versions of Paul Dano, Jesse Eisenberg, and the center of attention for the movie, Emile Hirsch. Kline’s teacher is very enthusiastic, possibly a 2nd cousin to Robin Williams’ Professor Keating, but with a bit more edge. Over the course of the film he rubs off on the kids as they start to rub off on him, though it’s really only focused on during random series of montages. Kind of upsetting since it doesn’t really let the audience feel like the characters are growing since it doesn’t hone in on one student in particular. That, and the last half hour takes place 25 years later so all of the actors are replaced with much older and handsomer versions (ie. Patrick Dempsey as an adult Jesse Eisenberg). Both of these “issues” make it difficult to connect with the characters in any real way, and you definitely don’t feel like standing on top of a desk at the end.
I’m sure there’s a racial joke here.
Granted, this movie was based off a short story so it’s not really fair to call it a ripoff of “Dead Poets”, but it just tries to be way too much. Kline’s acting is great as it always is and even the young students shine through the muck, but it just wasn’t enough for me to wind up recommending this film to anyone. I know I know, I said it wasn’t terrible and I seem to be berating it here, but I guess if it’s ever something on cable then I’d say it’s worth a view.
DIRECTOR’S CUT: Pretty sure by the end you’ll just kick the blankets off and say, “Meh.”
FLICKCHART RATING: 774/2099
The Scene Collector 