Mr. Holland's Opus (1995)

Sadly Over-hyped

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

There's a more than satisfactory amount of boom-boom in the movie's trim running time.

Taking a position as a high school music teacher in order to pay the bills, an aspiring composer finds the job unexpectedly challenging but also unexpectedly rewarding in this Oscar nominated drama starring Richard Dreyfuss. The film gets off to a solid start with Dreyfuss discovering his every preconception of teaching challenged; there is no "free time", "high school is not a democracy" and it is absolutely impossible to leave campus at the same time as his students do. The movie missteps though by not spending more time on this section of his journey; before long, Dreyfuss transforms into an obsessively motivated teacher who has simply come to accept the demands of the job. A deaf son is eventually thrown into the mix to give Dreyfuss a chance to realise how his obsession with his job is negatively impacting on home life, but there is nothing especially novel or exciting about this plot development. A maudlin music score does not help matters either. In fact, were it not for its towering lead performance, 'Mr. Holland's Opus' would be difficult to endure. Fortunately, Dreyfuss is in fine form, credibly ageing over 30 years during the course of the movie. The film also does a good job capturing his reactions to various historical events over the three decades portrayed on screen (his grief over John Lennon's death is highly memorable). Whether this alone is enough to render the film worth viewing may vary per viewer. Clocking in at nearly two and half hours long, the film is not an easy, breezy watch, but fans of its lead actor might well find it worthwhile.

Mr Holland (Richard Dreyfuss) is a frustrated musician and composer. He is frustrated at his teaching job. It was supposed to be temporary to pay the bills. But the years pass, his life passes, and he feels he has achieved nothing. But what he discovers is that his life has meaning for all those he has touched over years.This is definitely one of those feel good movies. The individual stories are memorable. The feeling of lost palpable. The moment when he finally connects with his deaf child. That was powerful. All the stories are poignant. Richard Dreyfuss is perfectly suited as the old disillusioned teacher. It's a good cry movie all the way.

Oh for goodness sake. Would all musicians complaining about the music kindly stuff off. I play a bit of rugby but still thoroughly enjoyed "Invictus" despite some ropey rugby sequences. This film is not about the music. This is the wonderful story of an ordinary man who strived to be something extraordinary and always felt as though he had let himself and his family down by not becoming the man he felt he should have been, when in fact he became so much more extraordinary than he could ever have imagined. Mr Holland's opus WASN'T the music, his opus was his pupils and the impression he made on their lives, and the final scene, with his realisation that his life hadn't been wasted is one of the most moving things I have ever seen on screen. So there. I am a big girls blouse.

A heartfelt performance by Richard Dreyfuss is the strongest asset of this good, though not great, movie. Dreyfuss was nominated for Best Actor in playing Glenn Holland, a young man who dreams of one day completing a memorable piece of great classical music. In order to make ends meet and feed his wife and deaf son, he must lower his standards by taking on a frustrating teacher's job at a high school. Holland initially has a tough time trying to interest his lethargic students in music appreciation, but his efforts ultimately pay off as he begins to make a difference in their lives. Spanning a period of 30 years from about 1965 to 1995, the film does not successfully realize that transition as well as it might have. For example, I was able to spot a number of chronological errors in how the montage of passing years was represented. But one personal highlight in the film for me involved Holland's devastation upon learning of the murder of John Lennon in 1980. *** out of ****