Mr Holland's Opus | Richard Dreyfuss, Glenne Headly

Mr Holland's Opus | Richard Dreyfuss, Glenne Headly | A Great Movie

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Mr Holland's Opus

	Mr Holland's Opus Richard Dreyfuss, Glenne Headly Walt Disney Video, 1996 average customer review:based on 142 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

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

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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.

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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.

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Really worthwhile film

A really sensitive and human story about youth and high school orchestra music. I heartily recommend it.

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Mr. Holland's Opus is a great movie. I have watched it several times and I will keep watching it. It has so much meaning and caring and Richard Dreyfuss did a great job.

Mr. Holland's Opus

"Mr. Holland's Opus" is an excellent movie! More importantly, however, the introduction of Jean Louisa Kelly's George Gershwin solos to movies -- particularly "Someone To Watch Over Me" -- is incredible, and just plain sensuous! I find myself drawn to hear her sing it over and over. But the subplots of Holland and his son, of the love story between Holland and his wife, and of the incredible affinity between Holland's music students and him, are also excellent. All in all, worth a mature family's watching.

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