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Shat the Movies: 80's & 90's Best Film Review

Dead Poets Society (1989)

Shat the Movies: 80's & 90's Best Film Review

Shat on Entertainment

Film Reviews, 80s, Shermerhighschool, Sixteencandles, Movies, Tv & Film, Weirdscience, Breakfastclub, Vcr, Johnhughes, Vhs, 90s, Classicmovies

4.61.7K Ratings

🗓️ 15 September 2025

⏱️ 66 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

This week, the Shat The Movies boys dust off their prep school blazers and follow Robin Williams into Welton Academy for 1989’s Dead Poets Society.

Commissioned by listener Rob F., this Oscar-winning coming-of-age drama gave the world “Carpe Diem,” a standing-on-desks finale, and enough inspiration to launch a thousand “cool teacher” clichés. But does it still move us 35 years later, or has it become too earnest for its own good?

Gene and Big D wrestle with their own school baggage while debating whether John Keating is a saintly mentor or a reckless enabler who lit fires in his students without offering any guardrails.

We revisit Ethan Hawke’s breakout role, the betrayal of Cameron (still unforgivable), and whether Neil’s tragedy hits harder as adults who now understand the crushing weight of parental expectation.

Along the way, Big D confesses he usually hates “inspirational teacher” movies, Gene compares Keating’s lessons to Krav Maga, and both hosts admit Robin Williams nails his most delicate performance without veering into schmaltz.

Is Dead Poets Society timeless poetry, or just a prep school fantasy that collapses under its own sentimentality? Seize the day and find out.

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Transcript

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0:00.0

We've been doing a lot of ebonics on this show.

0:03.9

It's probably going to...

0:05.9

I apologize.

0:06.8

I'm sorry, guys.

0:07.9

Remember when we first met John McLean?

0:11.0

Our God picked him up from the plane

0:13.2

and took him down the Nakatomi Tower

0:16.0

at the Christmas party.

0:18.5

And the terrorists were overzealous,

0:20.7

but it was sweet when they killed Ellis

0:23.6

And with a little help from Allen

0:26.1

John McClake kid dies

0:28.0

Welcome back to chat, the movies, the podcast

0:30.2

Where we answered the question

0:31.4

Were the movies we loved when we were growing up

0:33.4

Really that good

0:34.4

You ever car yourself thinking,

0:35.9

Why don't they make movies like they used to?

0:38.1

Can you still remember spending your Friday night searching for the perfect movie rental Blockbuster video? Do you know what Blockbuster video is? If you answered yes, then this is the podcast for you. I am one of your hosts, Gene Lyons. Alongside me as my co-host, Big D. Dickievert. Good evening. each week we take a look back in time

0:54.9

decided for our favorite films still hold up

0:56.8

the movies we cover are chosen by you, the listeners, who generously commissioned the films you love. If you like to see all the movies we have covered, we'll cover one, to choose one for yourself. Please visit chatpod.com and have a look at the end of each podcast. We'll provide you the audience with a number of wipes each movie take to get off your respective butts. So thank you so much for listening. If you have not already, hit that subscribe button and share with a friend. It's how we help the podcast grow. Additionally, subscribe to our sister podcast, Shat on TV, or review TV series such as Westworld, Taboo, American Gods, Game of Thrones, true detective, love cat country, and Watchmen, find all information at past episodes at chatpod.com slash TV. And finally,

1:32.0

if you'd like to hang out with this live, follow and subscribe to our Twitch channel,

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