Starring: Richard Dreyfuss, Glenne Headly, Jay Thomas, Olympia Dukakis, William H. Macy Directed By: Stephen Herek Average Rating: Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested) Binding: VHS Tape Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, HiFi Sound, NTSC Label: Walt Disney Video Number of Items: 1 Release Date: November 12, 1996 Running Time: 143 minutes Theatrical Release Date: January 19, 1996
Amazon.com: An earnest and at times overblown story of a music teacher's impact on those around him, Mr. Holland's Opus is at times a genuinely touching drama in the vein of It's a Wonderful Life. Richard Dreyfuss (Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind) plays an aspiring composer and musician who takes a job teaching music at a local high school to save money while he composes his music. But when his wife (Glenne Headley) becomes pregnant, Glenn Holland must put aside his dreams and address the everyday realities of his life, from the melancholy and sometimes tragic fates of his students to the discovery that the son he cherishes is deaf. Building to a highly emotional climax in which the teacher sees the impact he's had on the world around him, Mr. Holland's Opus is a showcase for a fine Oscar-nominated performance by Dreyfuss and an engaging, heartwarming story. --Robert Lane
A Great Movie Mr. Holland's Opus This DVD is a bit long, but it includes some great music, fine acting, and many touching scenes. I saw it on TV one evening, and decided I needed to get the DVD so I could watch it several more times. Richard Dreyfuss is outstanding as Mr. Holland, a high school music teacher and father. The film covers his life from his first days as a teacher to his forced retirement many years later. His love of his wife and deaf son as well as his dedication to teaching touches many lives through the years. He experiences many highs and lows. If you appreciate great acting and music, you'll love this film.
Incredible I must confess that before writing this review, I read some of the lower-rated reviews first. It seems that the common complaint is that it's over-sentimental, over-dramatic, etc. I even read one in which the reviewer said it "glosses over" the tragedy of the music program being cut, and shouldn't have been a happy ending.
Okay, well, I am a music teacher. I can honestly say that the threat of budget cuts and loss of arts programs is a very real fear that we live with from year to year. We have more work than any other teacher and, in many cases, less respect. Mr. Holland's plight is not terribly exaggerated. Furthermore, his effect on his students is not exaggerated either. I haven't been teaching long enough to have that much impact on my students (one semester of student teaching doesn't really change lives), but I have watched enough music teachers to know that they have a profound influence on students. The concepts in this movie are certainly not made up.
This movie is beautiful, and shows not only Mr. Holland's virtues, but his flaws as well -- and how he overcomes them. No one likes the idea of a teacher falling for his beautiful student. No one likes the idea of a father avoiding his son simply because he is deaf. But he overcomes these things, and that is what matters! Throughout his career, he grows as a person and touches many lives. That is what makes this movie beautiful.
Mr. Holland's Opus An excellent positive book about the really important things in life. Good guys can win and what could be more important than legacy?
I was especially impressed by the creativity in terms of teaching methods and the pragmatism of this artist.
Also impressive was the appearance of being swept along by life's events and yet finishing with a great goal accomplished.
The love and respect between father and son dealt a separating wall by life was also remarkable.
What's not to like? Very few movies can be defined as perfect, this is one of them. None of the acting is over the top, Richard Dreyfus is exceptional in the role and there isn't a blemish on a single of the supporting actors and actresses. Olympia Dukakis, William H. Macy, Glenn Headley all are assets to the production.
A young Terrence Howard shows a hint of his future talent as a poor student who Holland takes under his wing and teaches the bass drum as a trade-off to the PE teacher who agrees to teach Holland's students to march.
Covering 30 years and hundreds of countless lives that he touched, the movie highlights the talent of a young Jean Louisa Kelly who can bring one to tears with her version of "Someone To Watch Over Me".
The movie montages several of the strifeful events of the 60s and 70s which add context to the times with the assassination of John Lennon being the most significant considering it brings Holland and his deaf son Cole to a crossroad in their relationship.
The one aspect that was somewhat disappointing but not at all a judgement on the film is the fact that after all he had done, he was easily cast aside over budget cuts. When we as a society simply can't afford to employ such a man who influenced so many people, it's probably time to reassess our values.
A Perfect Film I may be biased, being a music student in high school, but this film will strike a chord with anyone in the audience. Perfectly true to life with the crisis of school funding and the pretentious notion that sports and math are more important to education than musical theory, this film pulls you in without hesitation.
There are plenty of critics that interpret the quality of the film, and plenty of buyers who rated their delivery service, but I feel the need to find the middle ground. If you want a powerful movie that you will watch more than once... and something that you can easily enjoy with the whole family, this film is for you.
Incredibly casted and conducted, this movie is perfect for music fanatics and movie-goers alike. One of the best of the decade, and still in my personal top-ten list.
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