Sarah Himmelstein- Mr. Holland's Opus Review

Sarah Himmelstein

Lodge

APLAC

12 February 2012

Mr. Holland’s Opus-Movie Review

Pursuing individual dreams is a common desire. It is also common to feel unsatisfied if these dreams are not accomplished. Mr. Holland’s Opus is a film which explores this ordinary theme in humanity; yet its plot, character development, message, and other features work concurrently to create an outstanding American drama, arguably the most inspirational of our time.

An inspirational film is one which stimulates the audience emotionally through realistic circumstances and relatable and unique characters. In Mr. Holland’s Opus, Glenn Holland (Richard Dreyfuss) takes a job as a music teacher to pay rent while his spare time is spent attempting to achieve his true goal of becoming a composer and leaving his mark on the world through music. Mr. Holland comes to realize that teaching is not a job that offers much spare time and like many adults, he becomes conflicted while trying to balance his time between his wife and son, his job, as well as his own pursuits. When Holland learns that their son, Cole, is deaf, he is devastated that he cannot share his love of music with his own child. He begins to choose teaching music to his students over trying to connect with his son. Through three decades as a teacher, Holland becomes closer to his students than to his own son. Holland tries to deal with his struggles to what he thinks is the best of his ability, but he is not void of emotion. His pain is manifested through losing his temper. He becomes angry with his students while trying to reach them and help them succeed and with his son due to their dysfunctional communication. Glenn Holland’s realistic display of emotions compels the audience to sympathize and empathize with him and his struggles.

Mr. Holland is also a unique character who intrigues the audience with his unorthodox teaching methods. He uses rock- and- roll music to capture the students’ interests and have them understand why certain music is appealing. He also uses visualization to help his student, Gertrude, rediscover her love of playing the clarinet and become a more skilled musician. Additionally, in attempt to motivate his students to appreciate music, he tells them, “Playing music is supposed to be fun. It's about heart, it's about feelings, moving people, and something beautiful, it's not about notes on a page. I can teach you notes on a page, I can't teach you that other stuff” (IMDb). These insightful views and teaching techniques make Mr. Holland a memorable character to the audience.

An inspirational film also leaves the audience contemplating poignant messages even after it is over. Mr. Holland’s Opus goes even further to incorporate these messages skillfully and subtly. “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans,” Glenn Holland comes to realize. He sings this line in John Lennon’s “Beautiful Boy” at the end of the film to his son. This is a depiction of growth in Mr. Holland’s character because he now understands that striving to be a composer was causing him to miss out on being a part his family and community. This quotation could surely be striking to the audience or simply emphasize an important awareness about living for and appreciating the moment. Furthermore, the film offers the idea that achieving a goal requires hard work and possibly unusual efforts. This message can be taken from Mr. Holland’s lecture to his students about Ludwig Van Beethoven composing music despite his hearing impairment. Holland says, “There is a story, that in order to write his music, Beethoven literally sawed the legs off of his piano, so that the body would lay flat on the floor. And he would lie down next the piano with his ear pressed to the floor, and he would hit the keys with his fingers in order to hear his music through the vibrations of the floor” (IMDb Memorable Quotes). This allusion to Beethoven draws a parallel to Mr. Holland’s struggle to connect with his deaf son. In order for him to find some common ground and have a healthy relationship with Cole, he may have to take an unconventional approach. He gradually began to do just this. One last message that the film offers is about defining success. Through Glenn Holland’s struggle to feel successful without having published his famous symphony, he realizes that he is actually very successful because of the observable impact he has had the people around him. This film reaches the audience on a personal level and asks them to consider how they measure or should measure their own success.

Due to its inspirational nature, Mr. Holland’s Opus is a film for everyone. Teachers and parents will be especially moved by its sentiments. In order for a film to be inspirational, it must present relatable and unique characters. Because of Richard Dreyfuss’s ability to create this model, it is no wonder this tile role received him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor in 1995 (Wikipedia-Mr. Holland’s Opus). Inspirational films must also incorporate memorable lessons. While critics may argue that the messages about success and achieving goals in Mr. Holland’s Opus are cliché (Polenz), the means through which they are presented are surely original. If you are “soul searching “or looking for inspiration, this emotionally inducing yet feel-good movie will undeniably grant you satisfaction.

Works Cited

"Mr. Holland's Opus (1995) - Memorable Quotes." The Internet Movie Database (IMDb). Web. 12 Feb. 2012. .

"Mr. Holland's Opus." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 12 Feb. 2012. .

Polenz, Chad. "Review for Mr. Holland's Opus (1995)." The Internet Movie Database (IMDb). Web. 12 Feb. 2012. .

"Mr. Holland's Opus (1995) - Memorable Quotes." The Internet Movie Database (IMDb). Web. 12 Feb. 2012. .