Celebrate 37 Years of 'Dead Poets Society': A Timeless Coming-of-Age Classic

Coming-of-age movies have always been popular, but doesn't it seem like they were an especially big deal in the 1980s? Stand by Me, St. Elmo's Fire, all of the John Hughes films, they all had major culture impacts on the decade and beyond.

On June 2, 1989, 37 years ago today, Touchstone Pictures released a coming-of-age film that still resonates to this day. Peter Weir's Dead Poets Society produced at the box office and the awards circuit, and left behind countless lessons and memorable quotes for audiences to draw on in the years to come.

Dead Poets Society: What to know

Set in 1959, Dead Poets Society features Robin Williams as John Keating, teacher at fictional Welton Academy, a tony all-boys prep school set in Vermont.

Williams' unique teaching methods rankle the Welton administration, but have a profound impact on his students, a group that includes Neil Perry (Robert Sean Leonard), Todd Anderson (Ethan Hawke in his breakthrough role), Knox Overstreet (Josh Charles), Richard Cameron (Dylan Kussman), Steven Meeks (Allelon Ruggeiro), Charlie Dalton (Gale Hansen) and Gerard Pitts (James Waterston).

Norman Lloyd, Kurtwood Smith, George Martin, Lara Flynn Boyle, Leon Pownall and Alexandra Powers also have major roles.

The movie is both heartwarming and heartbreaking, as Keating's students deal with everyday teenage life and the pressures and difficulties of attending an elite institution.

What is Dead Poets Society's overall resume?

Equipped with a reported $16.4 million budget, Dead Poets Society delivered and then some, raking in $235.9 million worldwide. The film also received multiple awards, including the BAFTA Award for Best Film, with screenwriter Tom Schulman earning the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.

Dead Poets Society is "certified fresh" on Rotten Tomatoes, with an 85% approval rating and a 92% score on the site's Popcornmeter. Elsewhere, the film has an 8.1/10 score on IMDb and a 79% rating on Metacritic, based on "generally favorable reviews" from 14 critics.

You can currently access the movie via purchase on YouTube, Apple TV, Google Play, Fandango and Amazon Prime Video.

This story was originally published by Men's Journal on Jun 2, 2026, where it first appeared in the Entertainment section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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This story was originally published June 2, 2026 at 10:14 AM.