Review of Mr. Holland's Opus (1995) by Charlie M — 23 Feb 2015

His is one of those movies that teachers and parents love because it reinforces the rewards of efforts in education, and acknowledges that teachers work more than 8 months a year. Like Goodbye Mr. Chips, this movie is meant to be an emotional reflection on how the efforts of one can inspire many for greatness or just goodness. Dead Poets Society was on the same path with it's lessons in literature (until shit got dark), but music is a more transferrable medium than English. Music is ingrained in the human soul as a means of expression, it's the power of poetry without all those damn words. Whether it's classic, soul, hip-hop or house music, there's an innate human need for jamz.

Throughout there are plenty of cheesy moments played up to make us cry, but Richard Dreyfuss (at his best here) sells it all so well that the moments work. Sure some teenagers look a little old (including Terrence Howard), the vice principal (William H. Macy) is a straw-man asshole, and there's the bitter irony of a music teacher's son being deaf, but you can't help but be moved when Dreyfuss signs & sings John Lennon's"Beautiful Boy" to his son in concert. I think there is a value to a maudlin film where a man doesn't get the life he wanted, but still ends up happy. It can feel forced but the sentiment is still very reassuring.