Mr. Holland's Opus

Many reviewers have blistered this movie, and I agree it contains too many cliches and is overly sentimental. But compared to the endless supply of Hollywood vapidity, this one isn't THAT bad. Mr. Holland is neither saint nor bad guy, but he clearly loves music and cares about his students. I understand that music is a very serious topic for many people including several reviewers who hated this film. But I think they miss the point; Mr. Holland is not a musical genius, he's a high school music teacher. And yes, his opus truly sucks balloons, and that's because Mr. Holland is a musical mediocrity. His dream of being a famous composer was delusional, a ridiculous pipe dream. But he Found his true calling in life as a decent teacher. That's the point of the movie.

This is a line of the Beatles' song that Mr. Holland sings to his son, Cole, at a concert. I've seen this movie plenty of times, but for the first time, I noticed just how well this line resonates in this movie. In fact, this line is the basis for the movie, and could stand in for the whole movie in a pinch- except that we would be missing out on one of the most moving and inspirational films to come out of Hollywood in the past few years.

Mr. Holland's Opus is the story of a man who loves music, who practically lives and breathes music. We see at the beginning of the film, and throughout the rest of it, a man who is most passionate when he is within music. When his wife informs him that she is pregnant, he likens the feeling to falling in love with John Coltrane's music. When a student complains to him that he knows everything there is to know about music, Mr. Holland responds by reminding him that the name of his class is Music Appreciation and explaining forcefully that it doesn't matter how much you know about music if you don't appreciate it.

The movie takes Mr. Holland through three decades- from the '60s to the mid-'90s. In the spirit of nostalgia films like Forrest Gump, we are guided through the decades by vignettes of archive footage depicting scenes such as Nixon announcing his resignation, Gerald Ford tripping down the stairs, and even good old Frankenfurter representing the sexual revolution. As a piece of nostalgia for those times and the days of high school, Mr. Holland's Opus works great. As a chronicle of a man's life and the impact he has on others, it works even better.

This film could have turned into cheap schmaltz, but through its cast and a story that reaches wonderful poignancy and honesty at times, it manages to represent something so much more than that. Richard Dreyfuss, always a natural actor, is perfectly real and moving as Glenn Holland. I can't describe his performance in words, simply because it deserves to be seen more than just written about. And even though this is basically Dreyfuss's movie, the supporting cast makes an impression as well. Glenne Headly, as Mr. Holland's wife, shows tremendous resilience and emotion as the mother of a disabled child. When she explodes at her husband because of his lack of understanding, you explode with her, because we believe every word she is saying.

I don't know if movies can change lives. I think some have the potential to. I know there are movies that can inspire their audiences to be better people- It's a Wonderful Life is one; Casablanca is another. While Mr. Holland's Opus does not reach the quality that those two do (and who can blame it?), it has a similar and near equal impact, and that is definitely a compliment. And how perfect- a movie about a man who changes lives that can also change lives.

Glenn Holland is a young composer. In the fifties he stops touring with his band to teach music in a school which he hopes will free him from touring to allow him to work on his main love of composing his own music. Despite initially hating his job, Holland soon learns to enjoy it and how best to communicate the love of music to his pupils. We trace his life over 30-40years as he has a son with his wife and goes through great emotional times while putting his personal dreams to one side.

Although this had `sentimental life lesson film' written all over it, I still wanted to give it a go and strangely still enjoyed it. The film is very much a bit of praise for all those who are unsung heroes in there lives and it had the potential to be really sickly sentimental. Happily a good script manages to avoid this for the majority of the time.

The weakness of the film is the fact it that it does try to cover a lifetime and occasionally there isn't enough plot to do that well. I know it would have been difficult but I do feel that the film could have been either a little tighter or filled to overflowing with plot to make it feel shorter. As it is it is still enjoyable but it does feel a little wandering at times – but I guess that's like life in a way. When the climax comes though it is hard not to be a little moved by the lesson that the film is teaching us.

However, the reason for the success of the film is also the reason for it's Oscar nomination – Richard Dreyfuss on good form. He kept me watching even when the material was stretched. He is totally believable in the role – for a microcosm of his performance watch his face when the announcement is made about the surprise they have prepared for him – his emotion got me right away! He deserved his nomination for this as he is captivating over the whole film. He even ages very convincingly and make up should be congratulated. However while makeup were concentrating on Dreyfuss they totally forgot about Headly who doesn't age a bit until the final time period (apart from looking a bit tired). She is badly miscast and she doesn't fit the role at all. Thomas, Macy, Dukakis and Anderson (as the teenage Cole) all do well in support – but this is Dreyfuss' movie.

Overall I enjoyed this. I usually struggle with things like this because they pile the sentiment on thick like a daytime TVM. Happily this script avoids that are the majority of the flaws are compensated for by a strong performance from Dreyfuss.

I love this movie because I had a fantastic, inspirational teacher in high school that all the students admired and looked up to. Even though I was in high school when this movie came out, I still carry the memories. Nicolas Cage deserved to win his Oscar for Leaving Las Vegas, but I still would have loved to see Richard Dreyfuss win. The whole cast was wonderful, and you actually felt like you were in the 60s and 70s, unlike other films set in that time period.

How often does a film come out that generations relate to; and a film so touching about a teacher who cares about his students, and vice versa? Will always be one of my favorite films.

The first time I saw this film was in the movie theater with one of my best friends--both of us musicians. By the time we left, both of us were bawling our eyes out. This film is very touching and well done. Granted, there are accuracy errors (every film has those) and I've noticed several complaints about the music in the final scene (why are people so nitpicky?). I had a band director much like Mr. Holland when I was in middle school, a man who struggled at first as a teacher but soon became a beloved and inspiring director. Every time I watch this film I think of that man, and how he changed my life for the better. It's a movie I can truly relate to.

Okay, enough reminiscing. :P If you want a film that will tug your heartstrings, this is it. Rating 9 out of 10.