Mr. Holland's Opus

Rating:
Summary: A touching inspiration
Review: If you've ever once wondered how you might have touched the lives of those around you, you will both laugh and cry at "Mr. Holland's Opus". It's the story of a man who decided to devote his entire life to composing a great opus but practicality interfered and in order to pay the bills, he decided to fall back on his teaching certificate by taking a teaching job at a local high school. For the first five months, he went through the motions and the students were as bored in his class as he was. Furthermore, the student he was tutoring in clarinet was making no progress. He then realized that the boredom and frustration his students were feeling was due to his failing them, rather than the reverse so he began teaching them about classical music through the rock 'n roll that they could relate to. Soon, his students' performance began to improve and they began to appreciate the music that HE could relate to. His clarinet student drastically improved as well. As he gained the love and respect of his students and the faculty at the school, Mr. Holland's duties began to increase. He was in charge of the orchestra, the marching band and later, the school play. All the while, he hadn't given up trying to compose his opus. During that time, his wife gave birth to their son, Cole and soon afterward, it was discovered that Cole was deaf and Holland realized that he couldn't share the music that he loved with his own son. He continued teaching students, dealing with the frustration of not being able to communicate with his son and trying desperately to finish his opus. What was intended to be a short "gig" at the local high school, turned in to a career spanning 30 years. At the age of 60, Mr. Holland found that the school was no longer going to be funding the music department and he was out of a job. When the students whom he taught and whose lives he affected over the years found out the news, they held a farewell gathering for him and assembled an amateur orchestra consisting of the students from the past years, they played for him and the audience, Mr. Holland's Opus. It was then that he realized that his opus wasn't really the music piece that he had spent the last 30 years struggling over. It was the lives of all of those students that he affected by his passion for music and his desire to teach it to them as well. Believe me, I haven't given away everything! There are plenty of details that you will have to see for yourself. It's an incredible film and Richard Dreyfuss, despite being one of my absolute favorite actors, has an Oscar-winning performance in this movie. Buy this movie AND a box of tissues!

Rating:
Summary: Good movie, but a bit too long
Review: It's one of the best movies which I've ever watched. But the movie is a bit too long. I think 1.5 hours is enough. Also, I'm disappointed that the feedback of this movie, from Hong Kong (China), is not good. What about the feedback from US ? Anyone can answer me :>

Rating:
Summary: Simply great!
Review: This is one of my all-time favorite movies. Dreyfuss is the perfect actor for playing Glen Holland. "For 30 years Glen Holland found a way to make a differenct. Of all the lives he changed, the one that changed most was his own." The ending is a tear-jerker! A... really great movie!

Rating:
Summary: One of the best movies I've seen.
Review: I've watched this movie three times in as many days. It's a little slow paced and took me about a half hour to get into it, but then I was hooked, and couldn't get enough. Richard Dreyfuss plays a man, attempting to persue his dream, but gets bogged down with family and financial responsibilities, and the pressures and demands of his job. Have some tissues handy, you'll need them, but it's not all tears, There are some laughs along the way. It contains some profanity, which I don't care for, but very little, and would be a shame to miss so great a movie because of it.

Rating:
Summary: Fantastic!!!!!!!
Review: This movie pulls at the heart strings and also makes you feel good. Richard Dyfruss performs supurbly in this movie. If you like music and a good story line this is the movie for you!!!

Rating:
Summary: Excellent!
Review: Just below of a 5 I know..but this movie is excellent! The acting is so great..and the story itself is terrific!

Rating:
Summary: This is a really good movie
Review: A touching movie about a music teacher. Anyone that has ever had a favorite teacher can relate to this movie, and anyone that loves music will love this flick. A must see!!!

Rating:
Summary: Disturbingly glib, this movie glosses over tragedy.
Review: While it portends to be an uplifting tale of a person drawn to teaching despite other aspirations, this movie glosses over the destruction of musical education in many parts of America by tacking on a Mickey Mouse ending where the audience is meant to cheer when it should be outraged. Mr. Holland's fate, in the end, is to be cast aside and denied the further pursuit of his life's work- teaching music to children and young adults in the public education system of America.

In the end the students at Holland's school are deprived of music in their curriculum. A tragedy that is glossed over by the trivial festivities required by a Hollywood obsessed with the "bittersweet" ending.

This movie infuriates me, and I do not recommend it to anyone of good conscience and good taste.

Rating:
Summary: A Movie About Love and Love For Music
Review: Recent showing of "Music of My Heart" starring Merryl Strepp as a substitute teacher striving to sustain a violin program for low-income kids in New York City reminds me of this all-time favorite classic released back in 1996. The bottom line is love.

Situated in Oregon in the fall of 1964, Glen Holland (Richard Dreyfuss) took up a job as a high school music teacher as his wife became pregant. Holland, now shouldered with added responsibility as a soon-to-be father, a composer, and a teacher, faced the immediate challenge of working with a diverse group of students: the naturally talented, the rebellious, and the physically impaired.

This is a movie about love and love of music. Glenn Holland is the central figure who strives to love his students and family through his devotion to music. Born deaf-toned, the dream of teaching his own son to become an eminent violinist inevitably bursts with much frustration. Glenn Holland is not perfect; in fact, interactions with his students through failures and triumphs gradually refine him to be a loving and well-respected man. Love propels him to reconcile his frustration for his son and breaks the ice in his relationship with his wife.

For over 30 years, this young composer has taught generations of students not only about music, but love, respect, faith, and confidence. The final reunion of his students features orchestration of "American Symphony" to pay the highest tribute to this self-sacrificing teacher.

This is a movie that will move every soul and make everyone's tears roll down the cheek. It's all about love, and love moves. After 4 years since I first watched the premiere, it still touches my heart and brings tears to my eyes when I see it again on my flight to Asia.

Rating:
Summary: Movie that I think enspires the Deaf to watch
Review: In my opinion this movie is an excellent way for the Hearing In Paired to watch movies like this one.There should be more movies like Mr Holland's Opus.I have read in one reveiw which The Beatles are the main topic of the movie (music)which is crap as there are all types of music in the movie wheather there influence is there or not,watch the movie and love the music or don't watch it at all.