Maidgethma
Wonderfully offbeat film!
Ameriatch
One of the best films i have seen
Tetrady
not as good as all the hype
translatr
Have you ever sat through a movie that was so badly written it made you angry? I particularly disliked the message that angry black boys need empathy, while angry white boys need a kick in the backside. ("Sometimes the best thing to do with a pest is ignore them"--well, that's easy to say when it's some kid on the receiving end instead of you!) This is the sort of cheesy liberal bushwa that gave the '70s a bad name!
Avarhorn Focker
Without doubt,Mr Holland's Opus,is a reminder that not all heroes wear capes.The true beauty of this film is in how it is paced correctly to tell a story of a man,and how this man without trying to ,touched others lives in a profound fashion,due to his one passion,music,teaching music is one of the five keys of life,and this film should be required inspirational must watch while being educated for all students world wide in my humble view,it gently reminds us of the consequences of war,yet does not dwell too long,Richard Dreyfuss is talent beyond talent,possibly the only reason he did not win the Oscar for best actor in this 1995 tale ,is quite possibly due to the fact that an Oscar for this performance,was simply not a fitting accolade to suit,or in other words,this story is in a class of its own as is the performance he delivered,so any award would be superfluous,such are the lessons to be learnt within,I passed my love of this film on to my children,for to do other would be a disservice as a parent.
moonspinner55
Richard Dreyfuss, director Stephen Herek and screenwriter Patrick Sheane Duncan attempt to pull off a cinematic hat-trick with "Mr. Holland's Opus," yet this feat is impossible when none of them appears to know anything about music or high school music bands. Their film is pure sentiment, not existing as anything but a formula nosegay thanks to the built-in nostalgia factor and the 'emotional' score from Michael Kamen. Duncan's script is ostensibly about an indefatigable music teacher and his students, their scattered triumphs and lumpy relationships as seen through many years' time, though Herek turns the proceedings into a recycled lovefest. The picture is certainly well-produced, though the shameless, plastic-coated sincerity with which it was made is nearly enough to sink Dreyfuss' Oscar-nominated lead performance. *1/2 from ****
JoeKarlosi
A heartfelt performance by Richard Dreyfuss is the strongest asset of this good, though not great, movie. Dreyfuss was nominated for Best Actor in playing Glenn Holland, a young man who dreams of one day completing a memorable piece of great classical music. In order to make ends meet and feed his wife and deaf son, he must lower his standards by taking on a frustrating teacher's job at a high school. Holland initially has a tough time trying to interest his lethargic students in music appreciation, but his efforts ultimately pay off as he begins to make a difference in their lives. Spanning a period of 30 years from about 1965 to 1995, the film does not successfully realize that transition as well as it might have. For example, I was able to spot a number of chronological errors in how the montage of passing years was represented. But one personal highlight in the film for me involved Holland's devastation upon learning of the murder of John Lennon in 1980. *** out of ****
