Mr. Holland's Opus

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Summary: A good eye opener for those blind to the beauty in life.
Review: This is a great movie. Richard Dreyfuss does a great job playing the part of Mr. Holland. My mother told me to watch it because she knew I would get a good lesson from it. I watched it and learned that life is not always what you want it to be. Instead of putting focus on one goal in life, this movie shows that in every little obstacle in life there is something rewarding in it.....it may not be what you wanted or expected, but take it and make the best of it....one day you'll look back and will be thankful for everything that happened......good and bad. This movie is a great reminder to enjoy what you have. If you fit into the category of people thinking they should be doing something else with their life or you're not happy with what life is throwing at you, then this movie is for you....it may change your life.

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Summary: My All-Time Favorite Movie
Review: Mr. Holland's Opus is an excellent movie with an all-star cast. Each actor/actress gets into the role so much that you would have no idea whatsoever that they were merely playing, you think that they are the person. The music is extraordinary and gorgeous, and the scenes are dramatic and/or sentimental. I have been playing the piano for 7 years, so I first saw this movie when I was in the 4th grade. I fell in love with it, especially with the music. Even if you do not play a musical instrument, Mr. Holland's Opus is fantastic movie that everybody should have the privilege of seeing. It is, without a doubt, my favorite movie.

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Summary: You Will Need Kleenex For This One
Review: This is my all time favourite movie. I ,who, never cry in movies, weeped like a little school girl. It was so touching to see the way Glenn Holland finally understands his son; and deals with the pain that his son is deaf. The entire story is a touching one. You she the life of Mr Holland through out his years of teaching, which he hated at first, and later grows to love. He touched so many people in the movie, and the climax of the film shows you exactly how much he had. This movie will help you appreciate your teacher more..and maybe make you want to become one..or not.----Jay Campbell

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Summary: This Movie will Please All
Review: Being a music student myself, I appreciated this movie very much. Seeing Mr. Holland change over 30 years, going from hating teaching music to absolutely loving it, was a remarkable part of the film. I, who stayed dry-eyed all the way through "It's a Wonderful Life", AND Titanic, actually got choked up at the end of this movie. Go out and see and enjoy it, and if you are sensitive to movies, bring Kleenex!

Rating:
Summary: Alright!
Review: Having heard that this movie, i.e., Mr. Holland's Opus VHS ~ Richard Dreyfuss is a modern classic (I came in to watch this movie with these expectations); then I must say that my feelings after having watched it was ho-hum (not nearly as good as I had initially expected and it did disappoint me on several levels). The acting by Dreyfuss sometimes feels forced and there are two many leaps in time. The goal of the movie, (at least the one I attained after it), was that music in itself is something that should be enjoyable at the core of it all. However, there is a major flaw in this movie; this flaw being that the movie has a hard time sticking to one goal. I just stated what I thought was the goal whilst I was watching the movie. However, amongst the many side plots, it is hard tom tell the real and therefore authentic purpose of the movie. If it, i.e., Mr. Holland's Opus VHS~ Richard Dreyfuss, had had this, i.e., a clear plot then maybe I would have like it better. Unfortunately, as previously stated, the plot is at times very hard and cumbersome to follow and therefore the movie ends up being merely adequate (when it could have been quite enjoyable).

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Summary: A tribute to favorite teachers everywhere
Review: Richard Dreyfuss plays a musician and composer, Glenn Holland, whose ambition is to write an opus that will be his gift to the world. Unfortunately, such dreams don't pay the rent and utilities, so Holland is forced to take a job as a music teacher in the local high school until his legacy is composed and put to music. However, as is so often the case because of unforeseen circumstances, the stopgap job becomes permanent. In Holland's case, the critical event is the unplanned pregnancy of his wife Iris, played by Glenne Headley, and the subsequent birth of a son. So, a year or two becomes three decades, and, in the end, Holland faces the realization that his legacy is of a different sort than originally envisioned.

Filmed in and around Portland, Oregon, OPUS defines Holland through his relationships: his long-suffering wife, his paternally neglected son (ironically born with a significant impairment), the happy-go-lucky gym teacher (played wonderfully by Jay Thomas), the crusty school principal, the weasely vice-principal, and the phenomenally talented student (played by the lovely Jean Louisa Kelly) who, unlike Holland, has the determination to act on her own dream now.

The movie's conclusion is pure schmaltz. However, it works, I think, because the audience has long since conceded Holland's contribution to the young lives he's touched, and because there's maybe a little of Holland in each of us. How many can truly say that they've realized the dreams of their youth, much less been of usefulness to the community, rather than living lives of quiet desperation. For Glenn Holland, at the end of OPUS, I was tempted to stand and shout out "Yes!"

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Summary: An overlooked performance
Review: One of the most beautiful films I have seen. Totally overlooked by most reviewers, however, was the magnificent, touching performance by the beautiful young Jean Louisa Kelly as Rowena. Her presence in the film was a gem of casting; her voice is that of an angel. She brought me to tears. And now we find that she is also a fine comedy actress, as witnessed in the new CBS sitcom, "Yes, Dear."Hopefully, we will see much more of this lovely lady in the future. I am in love.

Rating:
Summary: A heart warming tale?
Review: Vicious stereotyping by a film that didn't seem to think it was yanking the heartstrings enough, they had to make his kid deaf as well. What a sick, pathetic oscar ploy from a washed up actor way past his prime. If you like schlock, or are into gimmicky, syrup-ridden tripe, then you will love Mr. Holland's Opus.

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Summary: Why Do Guys Cry at the Movies? Watch this one; You'll know!
Review: In 1965, Glenn Holland is aspiring composer who needs to pay the bills for himself and his photographer wife. He winds up taking a job as a music teacher at the local high school. As usual, one thing leads to another (she get's pregnant, the road gets a little farther away) and he seems to be stuck there. Then, to make it worse, their son (the light in Glenn's eyes) is discovered to be deaf. What seems like defeat after defeat is continuously becoming just another way for Holland's devotion to music and kids (even, in a very unexpected way, his own, deaf son) to shine through.

Yeah, this hard-core "macho" geek was moved to cry at the end, when the Gov shows up at the recital. So shoot me. It's STILL a great flick, even if it isn't John Wayne or Star Wars (wow, there's a combination...nahhhh).

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Summary: MY ALL TIME FAVORITE MOVIE IN CREATION!
Review: I love this movie. I really do. On January 19, 1996 it opened in theaters across the country and people gave it a standing ovation at the theater where I saw it. This movie set a precedent for me -- I saw it 5 times in the theater, something I have never done before. I REALLY LOVE IT.

The movie starts out in the 1964-1965 school year. Mr. Glen Holland (Richard Dreyfus) plays a musician forced to table his musical career for economic reasons. His wife is pregnant and he has to find stable work. An opening for a music teacher at the former Grant High School (now Kennedy) in Oregon has become available. Mr. Holland applies for and gets the job.

Reluctant to put his dream on the back burner, Mr. Holland enters the classroom. He is confronted with an array of students ranging from naturally talented to tone deaf. After initially getting nowhere with his pupils, Mr. Holland tries a new approach. He encourages them to talk about the music they like and uses this as a way of establishing an interest in music. One young clarinetist catches his attention and he works 1x1 with the girl, extracting hard work and talent for her. He helps her find her voice. He tells her that he can "teach her music and notes on the page," but as for "all that other stuff," he cannot teach. It has to be felt. ....

The movie does an excellent and convincing job of covering a three-decade time span. One of my favorite scenes was when Mr. Holland borrowed the Driver's Ed class' 1965 Dodge Coronet (an especially cool car) and drove it like the proverbial bat ...

The movie is really about love. Love for music, love for people and love for the best people have to offer. The high school coach who befriends Mr. Holland early in his teaching career helps him work with his pupils in marching band drills. The coach also helps the administration continue their tradition of hosting school shows....

I really love this movie. I even bought the tape. It is a loving work of genuine art.