Mr. Holland's Opus

1995

Action / Drama / Music

18
Rotten Tomatoes Critics - Rotten 84% · 28 reviews
Rotten Tomatoes Audience - Upright 84% · 50K ratings
IMDb Rating 7.4/10 10 43860 43.9K

musical high school husband wife relationship composer music teacher mentor

Plot summary

In 1965, passionate musician Glenn Holland takes a day job as a high school music teacher, convinced it's just a small obstacle on the road to his true calling: writing a historic opus. As the decades roll by with the composition unwritten but generations of students inspired through his teaching, Holland must redefine his life's purpose.

Director

Stephen Herek Photo
Stephen Herek

Top cast

Damon Whitaker Photo
Damon Whitaker as Bobby Tidd - Student
Olympia Dukakis Photo
Olympia Dukakis as Principal Helen Jacobs
William H. Macy Photo
William H. Macy as Vice Principal Gene Wolters
Richard Dreyfuss Photo
Richard Dreyfuss as Glenn Holland
720p.BluRay 1080p.BluRay
1021.51 MB
1280*544
English 2.0
NR
Subtitles us  
23.976 fps
2 hr 24 min
Seeds 6
2.14 GB
1920*816
English 2.0
NR
Subtitles us  
23.976 fps
2 hr 24 min
Seeds 25

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by vinceb-3 7 / 10

Lots Of Harsh Reviews On MHO

Many reviewers have blistered this movie, and I agree it contains too many cliches and is overly sentimental. But compared to the endless supply of Hollywood vapidity, this one isn't THAT bad. Mr. Holland is neither saint nor bad guy, but he clearly loves music and cares about his students. I understand that music is a very serious topic for many people including several reviewers who hated this film. But I think they miss the point; Mr. Holland is not a musical genius, he's a high school music teacher. And yes, his opus truly sucks balloons, and that's because Mr. Holland is a musical mediocrity. His dream of being a famous composer was delusional, a ridiculous pipe dream. But he Found his true calling in life as a decent teacher. That's the point of the movie.
Reviewed by Rilchiam-1

Oh for the love of crumbcake...

So many people have complained about the Gertrude Lang character (Alicia Witt), Holland's interaction with her, and the purpose of the character, and I am simply amazed at the hostility.1) "Playing the sunset" was Holland's way of getting Gertrude to relax so she could play the notes fluidly. They both knew that she didn't sound professional, and wasn't going to. The idea was to get her just above the level of making a fool of herself as she did the first time he called on her in class. Then she could, and did, perform in the band without dragging down the whole ensemble.2) Her goal was not to be a professional musician. Did no one else hear her speech about "I just wanted to be good at *something*"? She listed all the fabulous achievements of her parents and siblings, and concluded, "I'm the only one who's..." The missing word would have been "useless" or "worthless". Or "a failure". Thirty years later she's the governor (not the mayor!), because in 1966, Holland helped her gain confidence for the first time.3) She wasn't "wasting" Holland's efforts by going into politics. Art, music and theater education don't exist solely to create professional artists, musicians and actors. They also exist to give young people an opportunity for change and growth, even if they never use a paintbrush again.I liked that plot twist. Almost every high school has an alumnus who has achieved something in art or entertainment, but a lot of people sell one painting or appear in one film and become a hero to their home town. But there are only fifty states, and it takes an extraordinary amount of drive to become governor of one of them. It's unlikely that she would have taken that first step towards empowerment without Holland.
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