Mr. Holland's Opus

Starring: Richard Dreyfuss, Glenne Headly, Jay Thomas, Olympia Dukakis, William H. Macy, Alicia Witt, Terrence Howard, Damon Whitaker, Jean Louisa Kelly, Alexandra Boyd, Joseph Anderson, Joanna Gleeson, Balthazar Getty (uncredited), Forest Whitaker (uncredited)
Directed by: Stephen Herek
Rating: PG
Genre: Drama, Music
1995

Times Seen:
Tim: 2

Summary: An aspiring musical composer (Richard Dreyfuss) reluctantly takes a high school music teacher job, but the experience begins changing him in ways he'd never imagined.

Review:

Tim: I first watched Mr. Holland's Opus sometime in the late 1990s, a few years before I started tracking movies. I remember thoroughly enjoying the movie, but feeling it was significantly too long. The thought of revisiting this movie popped up numerous times over the years, but it always felt a bit intimidating. Finally, (in 2023) I decided to sit down and watch it again. My memories of the film proved to stand the test of time. I like this movie so much AND it's definitely too long.

Let's focus on the positives first. This is such a beautiful, uplifting movie from Stephen Herek. I just adore the whole premise- a composer reluctantly takes a teaching job to make ends meet. Life continually gets in the way of him achieving his goals and he slowly begins to compromise more and more, giving up his dream of fame and fortune in small pieces over time. At the end of his career, he realizes that his life took a very different direction than he intended, but was no less powerful and important. I still get a bit teary-eyed at the ending. I don't think I cried either time watching this movie, but I did get close. That's such a beautiful, poetic message for people. I could go on and on about the depth of this story- that life happens when you're making other plans, that oftentimes, people don't realize the impact that they make, that you can't really understand a life until you can view it from a distance. There's a great deal of substance here and the way it's presented makes you thoughtful about your own life and the decisions you've made along the way. That's such a remarkable thing, a movie that makes you contemplate your own life and life in general. Herek certainly does good work here.

The other aspect of the film I loved is the focus on music. Mr. Holland isn't just a teacher- he's a music teacher. He uses the arts to enrich the lives of the students and teachers he interacts with. Music is a conduit for living here- not giving up, finding a way to succeed, putting in the effort to become great at something. Music and the arts make life more worth living. I loved how the film explored the importance of music in children's lives, something that too many school districts are okay cutting. There's more to life than reading and math (although, reading is so life-changing) and it's nice that this film shows the importance of it. I also thought the film did an outstanding job of depicting one of the movie's biggest tragedies- this man who adores music with his whole being has a son who is mostly deaf. That life event always hits home for me, and even more powerfully as an adult. Holland doesn't quite make the right adjustments in time, but I understand the emotional gut punch of realizing you can't share your life's passion with your child. I can't imagine how painful that would be. The movie truly tells a powerful story that hits a great deal of emotion throughout its run time.

I've been saving a paragraph for Richard Dreyfuss. Dreyfuss is one of my all-time favorite actors, but it never feels like he gets enough credit. I don't see his name as prominently as it should be in Hollywood. Everything he does in this movie is outstanding. He embodies this character in a way that's truly mesmerizing. He inhabits the character, makes him feel authentic, a complex, imperfect human being who is trying his absolute best to bring about the life he'd imagined. Holland feels so real because Dreyfuss pours so much of himself into the character. I've always thought Dreyfuss has one of the greatest laughs I've ever heard- every single time I hear it, I automatically smile. He gets to laugh numerous times in this film and it's wonderful every time. He shows so much emotion- anger, frustration, longing, joy, disappointment. It's one of his greatest performances. He makes you absolutely love Glenn Holland. He's truly one of the more memorable characters I've ever seen in a film. Dreyfuss was nominated for Best Actor, the film's only Academy Award nomination. I get that Nicolas Cage won for his remarkable performance in Leaving Las Vegas- it's more over-the-top and striking than the one here. Yet, I've rarely ever seen any actor bring so much heart and humanity into a role as Dreyfuss does with Holland. This is a truly special performance and it's the reason why this movie is so good.

The supporting cast works well, but they all feel so far below Dreyfuss. Glenne Headly gives a solid performance as Holland's wife. She has a few nice moments, but it feels like it's taking her all just to not fall too far behind Dreyfuss. Jay Thomas adds a great supporting performance, hitting the right notes when he comes on screen. I wish Olympia Dukakis had more to do, but she adds a lot with her role. William H. Macy gets a bit of a thankless role, but he plays it to perfection. I love Macy and his character here just bothered me, as it should have. Alicia Witt is memorable early on and it's fun to see a young Terrence Howard. Jean Louisa Kelly is quite memorable and changes the dynamic of the film the first time she steps out on that stage. Joseph Anderson adds a tremendous performance, one that really tugs at the heartstrings. These actors are all good, but they feel in the background of Dreyfuss' masterwork.

As much as I love Mr. Holland's Opus, the movie is simply too long. 2 hours, 23 minutes might not seem outrageous, but it hurts the film. The back half of the middle starts to really drag. You feel the weight of the movie, the plot feels like it's slowed down and momentum starts to lag. I felt that in my teen years and I felt it as an adult. Watching it this time, I noticed myself wanting to grab my phone and distract myself, because I'd started to get bored. The movie does pull itself together for the incredible ending, but the damage was done. That's the biggest reason why this movie isn't great- in my opinion. It loses too much momentum before the big conclusion. As much as I loved our time with Glenn Holland, the film needed to be edited down.

As always, though, I don't want to dwell on the flaws. Mr. Holland's Opus is an exceptionally good movie, an inspiring, powerful one. I can't do anything but shake my head in awe of what Richard Dreyfuss did here. This movie is a success, much like Holland's unexpected life.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- 7.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Life or Something Like It, The Mighty Ducks