Mr. Holland's Opus (1995)

A frustrated composer finds fulfillment as a high school music teacher.

Director:

Stephen Herek

Writer:

Patrick Sheane Duncan

Stars:

Richard Dreyfuss, Glenne Headly, Jay Thomas

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 5 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Richard Dreyfuss	...	Glenn Holland
Glenne Headly	...	Iris Holland
Jay Thomas	...	Bill Meister
Olympia Dukakis	...	Principal Jacobs
William H. Macy	...	Vice Principal Wolters (as W.H. Macy)
Alicia Witt	...	Gertrude Lang
Terrence Howard	...	Louis Russ
Damon Whitaker	...	Bobby Tidd
Jean Louisa Kelly	...	Rowena Morgan
Alexandra Boyd	...	Sarah Olmstead
Nicholas John Renner	...	Cole at 6 Years Old
Joseph Anderson	...	Cole at 15 Years Old
Anthony Natale	...	Cole at 28 Years Old
Joanna Gleason	...	Adult Gertrude
Beth Maitland	...	Deaf School Principal

Storyline

Glenn Holland is a musician and composer who takes a teaching job to pay the rent while, in his 'spare time', he can strive to achieve his true goal - compose one memorable piece of music to leave his mark on the world. As Holland discovers 'Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans' and as the years unfold the joy of sharing his contagious passion for music with his students becomes his new definition of success.

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Plot Keywords:

teaching | high school | 1990s | deafness | high school teacher | 

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Taglines:

We are your symphony, Mr. Holland. We are the melodies and the notes of your opus. We are the music of your life.

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Genres:

Drama | Music

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for mild language

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English American Sign Language

Release Date:

19 January 1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

Mr. Holland's Opus

Filming Locations:

Oregon, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$23,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$14,466, 1 January 1996

Gross USA:

$82,569,971

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$106,269,971

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hollywood Pictures, Interscope Communications, Polygram Filmed Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

143 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR SDDS

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

John F Kennedy High School is Grant High School in real life.

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Goofs

The two children at the funeral are stifling laughter, in direct opposition to the sadness on their parent's faces as the father is presented with the American flag.

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Quotes

Glenn Holland: [leaving his office hears that Gertrude is still practicing next door] Give it up miss Lang!
Gertrude Lang: [stops playing and begins to cry]
Glenn Holland: I meant for today...

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Crazy Credits

The producers wish to thank: Alain Levy; Michael Kuhn; Portland Public Schools; Grant High School, Portland, Oregon (Pricipal: Darryl Tucker); The Christie School Marylurst, Oregon.

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Connections

Referenced in The Last Drive-In with Joe Bob Briggs: C.H.U.D. (2019)

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Soundtracks

Beautiful Boy
Written by John Lennon
Performed by Richard Dreyfuss

User Reviews

Excellent film, with even better music

Richard Dreyfuss is outstanding (as is the whole cast) in this thoroughly enjoyable film. I really liked it the first time, but with repeated viewings, I'd say that this film got even better. It's a little predictable, but so what? For me, it was impossible not to care about these characters, and the ending was the perfect heartwarming note to go out on. It was rather funny as well, but my favourite thing about this movie was the music. It seems only fitting, considering the importance of music to this film, that it would have a great number of songs, but I was astonished by how much I LOVED the music in this movie. All-in-all, this was a completely satisfying film, and I would call it a must-see.