Mr. Holland’s Opus (1995)

Richard Dreyfuss 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 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 where 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.

Dreyfuss has only gotten across to me twice, and this is one of those movies (the other being “What About Bob?”). I don’t buy the highly liberal Hollywood propaganda for the arts. I don’t need their arguments, I have my own. I wish more had been brought out about the effects of music, beauty, creativity, etc. upon the soul, rather than simply making it look “magic” (if you play an instrument, you become governor, or some such thing). The human face of teaching, with its many temptations, is well portrayed. The feeling of “am I making any difference” is answered dramatically in this film, far more so than in most real life stories, but the truth that we often don’t know what we have done as teachers in this life is very palpable here.

~ by u2isgr8 on November 28, 2005.