Dead Poets Society (1989)

Yes. 93% of real audiences liked it, by Google's archived audience score. Critics gave it 82%.

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. Wikipedia ↗

Dead Poets Society is a 1989 American drama film directed by Peter Weir and starring Robin Williams as John Keating, an unorthodox English teacher at the elite, conservative Welton Academy preparatory school in Vermont in 1959. Keating inspires his students to seize the day — "carpe diem" — encouraging them to think independently, question authority, and pursue their passions through literature and poetry. A group of students, led by Neil Perry played by Robert Sean Leonard and including Todd Anderson played by Ethan Hawke, are so inspired that they resurrect the Dead Poets Society, a secret club that meets in a cave to read poetry and explore ideas forbidden by the school's rigid traditions.

Robin Williams delivered one of his most restrained and effective performances, channeling his manic energy into a character whose passion for literature and teaching was infectious without descending into the sentimentality that sometimes marred his dramatic work. Peter Weir's direction established a vivid contrast between the oppressive formality of Welton Academy and the liberation that Keating's teaching represents. The film's tragic turn, when the consequences of individual expression collide with authoritarian institutional power, gave the story a devastating emotional weight that elevated it beyond a simple inspirational teacher narrative.

Tom Schulman won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, and the film received three additional nominations including Best Picture. Dead Poets Society earned $235 million worldwide and became a touchstone for educators and students, with "O Captain! My Captain!" becoming one of the most recognized literary references in popular culture.