Mr. Holland’s Opus (1995)

• Year: 1995
• Released: 19 Jan 1996
• Country: United States
• Adwords: Nominated for 1 Oscar. 5 wins & 5 nominations total
• IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0113862/
• Rotten Tomatoes: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/mr_hollands_opus
• Metacritics: https://www.metacritic.com/movie/mr-hollands-opus
• Available in: 720p, 1080p,
• Language: English, American Sign
• MPA Rating: PG
• Genre: Drama, Music
• Runtime: 143 min
• Writer: Patrick Sheane Duncan
• Director: Stephen Herek
• Cast: Richard Dreyfuss, Glenne Headly, Jay Thomas
• Keywords: musical, high school, husband wife relationship, father son relationship, teacher student relationship,

	7.3/10
	59/100
	75% – Critics
	84% – Audience

Mr. Holland’s Opus Storyline

1965. Musician and composer Glenn Holland decides to switch gears in his career by taking a music teaching job at John F. Kennedy High School in order to have more free time to spend with his bride, Iris Holland, and compose, most specifically a symphony which has always been his dream to do. This career change is despite music rather than teaching being his passion, and having no experience in teaching beyond having a teaching certificate. He quickly learns that it is a job that he hates – largely because his students generally don’t relate to music the way he does, and of where he and the music program fit within the pecking order of the school – but which he sticks with if only because of life circumstances. With some help most specifically from school principal Mrs. Jacobs, he understands he has to find the same passion that he has for music and translate that somehow into the way he relates to his work and to the students if he is to survive in this life. His teaching work over the years is seen at various specific stages, and against the backdrop of milestone events happening in the world. His job and dealing with students and the staff also affects his personal life, not only with Iris, but also with his son Cole (who is named after John Coltrane), who on the surface could not be more different than his father, and as such is someone to who Glenn has difficulties relating, and to that much wanted time to compose that symphony, which was the reason for taking the job in the first place.

Mr. Holland’s Opus Play trailer

Mr. Holland’s Opus Photos

Mr. Holland’s Opus Torrents Download

Mr. Holland’s Opus Subtitles Download

Mr. Holland’s Opus Movie Reviews

“Life is what happens when you’re making other plans”

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.

“Well, there’s a lot more to music than notes on a page.”

I’m sure I’ve said it in one or more of my other reviews, but I don’t think I could ever be a teacher. I just don’t have the patience for it, and I have to admire someone like Glenn Holland (Richard Dreyfuss) who can put aside those feelings of frustration when it seems like he’s not connecting with his students, or when they’re just not that interested in what he’s teaching. The story actually starts out that way, and I could identify with Holland the first time he erupts in class, only with me, it would probably be for the entire semester. So I acknowledge that deficiency on my part, and give teachers all the credit in the world they deserve.

The interesting thing is how Mr. Holland found himself stuck as a teacher much the same way young student Gertrude Lang remained stuck as an ineffective musician. Holland needed to reach into his inner reservoir of humanity to strike just the right chord in order for Gertrude to overcome the obstacle that hindered her ability. Once that hurdle was cleared, she was able to participate in the band successfully, even if it was not her career ambition. I liked the way that scenario played out. I think we probably all have had teachers in our past that struck just that right chord to make classroom participation enjoyable and steer us in the right direction.

It wasn’t until Holland introduced his class to the connection between Bach and rock n’ roll that he really hit his stride. Making subjects fun is an admirable skill that a lot of teachers just don’t get. It’s unfortunate however that Holland couldn’t translate some of that teaching ability to his home life and relationship with his own son. But that in time did also improve, a case of Holland learning how to be a talented human being as well as a talented teacher. So all in all, “Mr. Holland’s Opus” is an inspiring story, showing how a single individual can affect the lives of so many in ways that are both visible and invisible. Every school deserves to have at least one teacher on board like Mr. Holland, inspiring students and faculty alike.

Poignant film

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.