Mr Holland's Opus (Richard Dreyfuss)

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While we’re starting to watch some films for the second time this year, there aren’t many that I want to see for a third time - and already look forward to seeing again some day. But one film that bears multiple viewings is the little-known Mr Holland’s Opus, which we last saw in 2007. I don’t know why we’ve waited so long to see it again, but last night we finally watched it once more.

Richard Dreyfuss is the title character, and he carries the story superbly. We meet him first as a thirty-year-old man about to start his first teaching job at a high school. He’s not particularly keen to teach; he has been working as a travelling musician up to this point. But he wants to be able to spend more time with his wife Iris (Glenne Headley), and also to compose a symphony which he has started working on.

However, he quickly realises that teaching is more than just a nine to four job. He has to arrange appointments before or after school to help students who are struggling with music, and he has to attend school meetings, and organise school choirs, and eventually a marching band. At first Mr Holland is nervous, teaching by the book, and evidently not catching anyone’s interest. Gradually he relaxes, and tries different methods, interacting with his students more directly, and discussing their tastes in music.

Richard Dreyfuss was born in 1947, so when this film was made in 1995 he would have been almost fifty; yet he carries the energy and youthfulness of a much younger man at the start of the film. He also manages to portray a sixty-year-old by the end; perhaps rather older looking than most people his age, but realistically different from how he appeared at the start of the film. His wife, too, looks much older at the end of the film. We were extremely impressed by the skill of the make-up artistes, as well as the acting.

The story is not just about music teaching, however. There are rivalries and friendships amongst the staff; Mr Holland is a likeable, unthreatening man, yet the deputy head (William H Macy) dislikes him from the start. The school head (Olympia Dukakis) is much fairer and more reasonable, and the sports coach (Jay Thomas) becomes a good friend despite their very different subjects and teaching styles.

And there’s another important subplot, that of Mr Holland’s home life. We see their son Cole as a baby, and a toddler; we see, too, the shock and grief that both parents suffer when they realise that Cole has a disability. It’s one that his father finds very difficult to deal with, and the teenage years show them struggling to communicate. Iris decides that Cole needs to be at a special school, so her husband must keep working, and take extra duties in the summer break to pay for it.

There are some light-hearted moments to this film, such as the appalling standard of the school band at first, and the behaviour of some of the students Mr Holland attempts to teach to drive during the summer break. There’s a lot of poignancy, too, in the family and also at the end; and there’s some excellent music as background. Teaching methods are challenged - and change, over the years, as do the students - and the productions become higher quality, more classy.

There’s a low key possible love interest story that kept me on the edge of my seat the first time I saw this, but all was resolved in what was (to me) the best possible way, so on subsequent viewings I was able to appreciate them better. And there’s one very sad scene, too; as with some of the news that’s briefly covered, it cleverly sets the scenes in their time periods without anything too overt.

Once again, I loved the film; I was totally absorbed as we watched, and sorry when it finally ended. Apparently there are quite a few anachronisms and other errors, but I didn’t notice any of them while watching.

Very, very highly recommended. It’s a gentle, moving film with a positive message. The rating is PG, probably due to some mild bad language and some tension, but there’s nothing unsuitable for young children.

Review copyright 2019 Sue's DVD Reviews