Movie Type: Inspirational Drama, Psychological Drama
Themes: Teachers and Students, Fathers and Sons, Living With Disability
Main Cast: Richard Dreyfuss, Glenne Headly, Jay Thomas, Olympia Dukakis, William H. Macy
Release Year: 1995
Country: US
Run Time: 142 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG
Plot
A teacher belatedly discovers just how important his job really is in this emotional drama. Glenn Holland (Richard Dreyfuss) is a man with a deep love of music and a desire to write at least one piece of lasting significance. However, playing piano in cocktail lounges while he works on his own compositions doesn't pay the bills, so in 1965 he reluctantly accepts a job as a high school music teacher. Over the next 30 years, Holland is able to teach a great deal about both music and life to thousands of kids who pass through the various classes he leads and school bands he directs; however, he finds it easier to reach his students than his son Cole (played, as he grows older, by Nicholas John Renner, Joseph Anderson, and Anthony Natale), who is deaf, which drives a wedge between Glenn and his wife Iris (Glenne Headly). Richard Dreyfuss earned an Academy Award nomination as Best Actor for Mr. Holland's Opus; the cast also includes Olympia Dukakis, William H. Macy, and Jay Thomas. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Review
Richard Dreyfuss gives a stirring performance in director Stephen Herek's sentimental tribute to a music teacher's career. Dreyfuss plays an aspiring composer of symphonies whose ambition fades as his life is increasingly taken over by his job has a high school music teacher. Although it ignores the fact that nearly all serious (read classical) composers earn their living as teachers, the film is a rare entry in a once flourishing genre: the tribute to a life of selfless dedication. A specialty of director John Ford, the genre seems to have dried up in recent decades as narcissism has taken center stage in American life. Like most such films it's awash in sentimentality, but here the schmaltz is balanced by Dreyfuss' natural irascibility and comic energy. The intensity of his histrionics and eventual commitment to awakening his students' interest to the world of music make his effectiveness credible, though the scenes manifesting their growth lean toward cliché. With heavy-handed irony, the script also gives the teacher a deaf son, and the subplot concerning his supposed indifference to his family is too undeveloped to have much weight. Yet, Olympia Dukakis as the sympathetic school principal and W.H. Macy as one of Dreyfuss' hissable colleagues join the star in bringing life to a familiar tale. ~ Michael Costello, All Movie Guide
Alicia Witt - Gertrude Lang; Joanna Gleason - Adult Gertrude; Terrence Howard - Louis Russ; Jean Louisa Kelly - Rowena Morgan; Damon Whitaker - Bobby Tidd; Joseph Anderson - Cole at 15; Eric Michael Cole - Boy 2; Anthony Natale - Cole at 28; Nicholas John Renner - Cole at 6; Mark Daniels - Ralph; Zoe McLellan - Girl; Donnie Burns - City Official; Spencer Riviera - Mr Hosta; Jacob Adams - Football Player; Brent Archie - Football Player; Kathryn Arnett - Ms Swedlin; Pal Bernard - Auditioner; Sean Bevington - Mr McMartin; Dennis Biasi - Adult Stadler; Alexandra Boyd - Sarah Olmstead; John Boyer - Billy Faraday; Kevin Calaba - Football Player; Joe Campbell - Boy; Jordan Carlton - Auditioner; Kaili Carlton - Ms Wayne; Kelly M. Casey - Deaf School Teacher; David Clegg - Superintendent; Freeman O. Corbin - Mr Sullivan; Benjamin J. Dixon - Mr Mims; Conan Doherty - Toby Klein; Alex Dudgeon - Auditioner; Tara Eng - Auditioner; Moira Feeney - Ms Godfrey; Adam Fitzhugh - Mr McKenzie; Patrick Fong - Study Hall Student; Jay Frank - Auditioner; Dieffyd Gilman Frederick - Auditioner; Ashley Hamrick - Miss Reeves; Linda Williams Janke - Secretary; Beth Maitland - Deaf School Principal; Chris Math - Football Player; Michael Mendelson - Chaplain; Aurora J. Miller - Auditioner; Joshua Minnick - Mr Shapiro; Kasey Nelson - Girl; Mary Kay O'Mealy - Auditioner; Tomiko Peirano - Girl; John Henry Redwood - Mr Russ; Ted Roisum - Dr Sorenson; Janine Shouse - Miss Schumaker; Stacey Siegel - Diner Waitress; Nicholas Sirianni - Football Player; Keith Swift - Football Player; Daniel J. Vhay - Mr Malone; Rachel Wooley - Auditioner
Credit
Dina Lipton - Art Director, Sharon Bialy - Casting, Bruce McDonald - Choreography, Judith James - Co-producer, William Teitler - Co-producer, Aggie Guerard Rodgers - Costume Designer, Jeffrey Wetzel - First Assistant Director, Stephen Herek - Director, Trudy Ship - Editor, Patrick Sheane Duncan - Executive Producer, Scott Kroopf - Executive Producer, Michael Kamen - Composer (Music Score), William D. Barber - Camera Operator, David Nichols - Production Designer, Oliver Wood - Cinematographer, Robert W. Cort - Producer, Ted Field - Producer, Michael F. Nolin - Producer, Jan K. Bergstrom - Set Designer, Alan Manzer - Set Designer, Kirk A. Francis - Sound/Sound Designer, Sharon Boyle - Supervisor/Manager, Patrick Sheane Duncan - Screenwriter
The story follows Mr. Holland's teaching career over a 30-year span. The film features American history from the 1960s to the 1990s, including the Vietnam War, assassination of John Lennon, and the Watergate scandal. The story also deals with the issues of attitudes towards the deaf and the cutting of arts programs in public schools across the United States.
The film features an orchestral score by Michael Kamen and many pieces of classical music. Kamen also wrote An American Symphony, the work Mr. Holland is shown working on throughout the movie.
Two soundtrack albums were released for this film in January 1996. One is the original motion picture score, and includes all of the original music written for the film by Michael Kamen. The second album is a collection of popular music featured in the film:
Inspired by the motion picture, its composer, Michael Kamen, founded The Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation (MHOF) in 1996 as his commitment to the future of music education. [2]
Financial aspects
In the United States, gross domestic takings totalled US$ 82,569,971. International takings are estimated at $23,700,000, for a gross worldwide takings of $106,269,971. Rental totals reached $36,550,000 in the US.
Similar films
A few other films with a similar theme, e.g. someone with a love for classical music and their journey as a result of their passion include August Rush and The Competition.
