This idealized tribute to a charismatic teacher who devotes himself to music appreciation has the same old-fashioned texture and sticky sentimentality as Goodbye Mr. Chips (of 1939), but Dreyfuss gives an effective, surprisingly restrained performance
Mr. Holland's Opus (1995)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:25
Fresh:18
Rotten:7
Average Rating:6.6/10
Synopsis: The year is 1965, and Glenn Holland, a composer convinced he is destined to write an historic opus, takes a job as a music teacher to pay the bills. Unbeknownst to him, it is the next 30 years,... The year is 1965, and Glenn Holland, a composer convinced he is destined to write an historic opus, takes a job as a music teacher to pay the bills. Unbeknownst to him, it is the next 30 years, spent as an instructor, that will define his life. His passionate teaching motivates and even changes a number of his students. However, Holland suffers a tragedy in his personal life: his young son Cole is deaf, and thus unable to fully appreciate the joys of music. As a result, Holland concentrates more on his students than on his own child. But when Holland finally realizes the extent of his neglect, thanks to his wife and Cole himself, the teacher must learn to accept his son's handicap, and give him the love and guidance he deserves. [More]
Starring: Richard Dreyfuss, Glenne Headly, Jay Thomas, Olympia Dukakis
Starring: Richard Dreyfuss, Glenne Headly, Jay Thomas, Olympia Dukakis, William H. Macy, Alicia Witt
Director: Stephen Herek, Patrick Sheane Duncan
Director: Stephen Herek
Composer: Michael Kamen
Director: Patrick Sheane Duncan
Producer: Ted Field, Michael Nolin, Robert W. Cort
Reviews for Mr. Holland's Opus
Holland may have been a failed composer, but he's a master at playing the heartstrings.
A touching, uplifting and life-affirming winner that makes it hard to avoid leaving the theater teary-eyed, with a lump in your throat.
Who knew the director of Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead was capable of making a profoundly moving drama?
Extraordinary movie about how a job can be transformed into a soul-satisfying vocation.
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