#15 Movies Like Dead Poets Society You Definitely Need To See

In “Dead Poets Society,” the students have the weight of the world on their shoulders. Everyone expects great things from them. The opposite is true of the students in “To Sir, with Love,” who live in poor neighborhoods on the East End of London where no one expects them to make anything of themselves. Both films are linked, however, by the presence of a great teacher.

Sidney Poitier stars in “To Sir, with Love” as an engineer who takes a position at a rough inner-city school while waiting to hear back about a job. He is initially repelled by his students, who are loud, belligerent, and make no effort to hide their lack of respect for authority. The students and teacher regard one another with contempt that borders on outright hostility. But the more time he spends with them, the more the teacher begins to foster a connection with his pupils, giving them a roadmap for how to enter the world as responsible adults. Poitier is dignified and charming, of course, and he’s joined by several talented young performers, including popular singer Lulu, whose recording of the title track “To Sir, with Love” would become a hit.