Nothing about Emperor's Club will strike you as new. It's first half especially is an almost perfect retread of Dead Poets Society, et al. But -- Kevin Kline is as effective as always, and the film does introduce flaws into the estimable teacher role that are new, which automatically makes it more interesting than it otherwise would have been. It is a good film in that it's well acted with a better than average script; you've just seen most of it before, and even the new part is rather predictable, if only because the direction is too obvious. A lukewarm recommendation, to be sure, but still a recommendation. It does make me want to watch Dead Poets and Goodbye Mr. Chips again, though.
Review of The Emperor's Club
