Nauman Qureshi

Incredibly moving. I came into this not knowing much besides the “Oh captain my captain” phrase I learnt from the show “Suits”. I knew it had a symbolic meaning, and the fact that the movie was based in a high-school setting, I was expecting a feel-good movie with a coming-of-age story guided by the wonderful teachings of Robin William’s character. But it's so much more than that. I’m not going to spoil anything but this movie explores themes that will forever be timeless, it challenges the audience to look beyond the often set out path of our futures that naturally conform to society's standards of what a “good” life should be, what it should look like. It uses poetry, friendship, mentorship, and love to demonstrate life's multifaceted beauty. Especially in times of turmoil which are frighteningly relatable for many whether that be controlling parents, facing societal expectations, struggling with your self-worth, or trying to comprehend these new daunting feelings of attraction and love. The movie interweaves these different varying struggles of the main characters which are the school kids that find their answers in art, in the teachings of Mr Keating, who doesn’t passively teach them, but just guides them to find their truths. Sometimes I would catch myself feeling a cathartic release in how the characters develop over time, in their poetry, I found myself almost feeling intimately part of the dead poet's society. This movie will make you laugh, ponder, and cry which is beautiful. Couldn’t recommend it more.

**SOMEWHAT SPOILER REVIEW but NOT COMPLETELY** It’s a thoroughly enjoyable film! If you want to watch something light-hearted with good acting and engaging throughout, I highly recommend this. It’s by no means revolutionary but it lets Glen Powell flex his acting skills and it also draws you into his character and the moral conundrum he faces which ultimately forces him to further explore the themes of identity, nature vs nurture, and free will. The movie follows Gary Johnson (Glen Powell), a college philosophy professor who moonlights as a sort of research assistant on personalities for the police. He works in a niche department which arrests those who want to hire a “hitman” on the charge of conspiracy to commit murder. He facilitates that by providing the research to the field agent, Jasper, who tricks the suspect into confessing that they want to have someone killed. However, Jasper gets suspended which forces Gary to be the field agent and oh boy did he become a good one. He was wearing all types of costumes and did extensive research on each person to guarantee a 100% conviction rate until Madison happened. They characterised Gary more in the movie by showing how he believes he is destined to be alone, subtly implying a longing for love and a possible desire to change himself. Unlike most suspects, which tend to be on the lower ends of humanity in terms of showing clear malicious criminal intent, Madison was more human, she was kinder and was more devastated by her circumstance that seemingly forced her to consult a “hitman” to kill her controlling and abusive husband. Instead of leading the conversation to convict her, he advises her to not do this and be better instead. They had this immediate spark of chemistry which was undeniable and very well portrayed by the actors. Nonetheless, Madison only knew the “hitman” personality that Gary concocted for her who he called “Ron”. Then begins the true journey of Gary, a character we’ve already endeared ourselves to, struggling with his identity and his love life as we all do, while he wrestles with how and if he’ll tell Madison the truth, how his identity changes throughout the movie in staple locations that serve as motifs such as the classroom and the police precinct where he begins to merge the confident personality of “Ron” with his more nerdy old self of “Gary”. Until a massive climactic event occurs which changes his life forever. I enjoyed the acting and the time they took to flesh out the romance between Madison and Gary, it was very sexual in nature with moments of endearing truth between them and it just felt real. The other supporting cast weren’t really developed beyond their roles which is fine but it also made the movie’s progression very predictable. The climax was decently predictable but it felt warranted and earned because of Gary’s character progression and Gary and Madison’s seemingly illicit affair. The message at the end was empowering though, although provided through possibly morally questionable means (as the film intends) but still nice and resolute in that the film had me rooting for this character and his happiness which made me want to take in the moral of the movie. So again, if you’re thinking about kicking back and relaxing to watch something with your significant other perhaps after a long day at work, then put on this flick and enjoy!