This is the time of year when filmmakers release movies that tend to allow one actor to shine just bright enough to catch the eye of the elusive Oscar. “The Emperor’s Club” is no exception — and it may actually have a chance with Kevin Kline (“Life as a House”) carrying the film.

Kline plays William Hundert, a man who has recently retired from nearly 34 years as a classics professor at St. Benedict’s. The film presents one of Hundert’s greatest challenges from his past, a student named Sedgewick Bell (Emile Hirsch).

Hundert believes it is his responsibility as an educator to mold his students into honorable and contributing members of society. He pushes them to learn and practice the teachings of great scholars who used their knowledge to better society.

One of the ways that he encourages the students is by holding the annual Mr. Julius Caesar competition, in which the top three students in his class attempt to prove their knowledge on several classical subjects ranging from the contributions of Gaius Marius and Augustus to Latin translations. Anyone who didn’t know the answer to a question like “into how many administrative regions did Augustus divide Rome?” (14) was left out of the running.

The storyline is terribly predictable but doesn’t make the film a total loss. Hundert is forced to deal with the moral dilemma of deciding whether Sedgewick should be approved for the Julius Caesar competition. While grading one of many essays that the students turned in, Hundert notices that Sedgewick is one point away from making it into the competition (just after the equally deserving Martin Blythe) and considering the hard work Sedgewick has put in, he changes the grade.

Let’s just say Sedgewick abuses the opportunity that Hundert gives him.

Kline was brilliantly cast in the role of the passionate and moral classics professor. He is not only an accomplished actor, but also highly intelligent. These qualities allow him to spout the beliefs and teachings of brilliant scholars with great believability and tact.

Hirsch stands out as the rebellious kid who puts a wrinkle in Hundert’s perfect world. While we are meant to understand that Sedgewick is under a lot of pressure from his father (the senator of West Virginia, played by Harris Yulin) no real background is shown.

The rest of the cast was filled with relative newcomers: Paul Franklin Dano as Martin Blythe, Rishi Mehta as Deepak Mehta, and Jesse Eisenberg as Louis Masoudi. Screenwriter Neil Tolkin attempts to write a significant purpose for them into the film, but they really serve no purpose throughout but to fill desks in the classroom. The characters reappear later but with other actors. Only in the last half hour are they really important to the storyline.

Audiences have seen this idea before. Films such as “Dead Poets Society” and “Mr. Holland’s Opus” focus on the lasting impact a teacher can have on his students or them upon him. In this film, the lesson is similar but explained in a new way: One student or professor can make all the difference. Not only that, but it is not simply one failure that defines us, nor is it a single success. It is how we handle our successes and failures that identifies who we are.

While there is a bit of comedy throughout the film, the remainder is dramatic. If you liked “Dead Poets’ Society” or wish to see Kline at his best, I’d definitely recommend this film to you.