A frustrated composer finds fulfillment as a high school music teacher.A frustrated composer finds fulfillment as a high school music teacher.A frustrated composer finds fulfillment as a high school music teacher.
- Nominated for 1 Oscar
- 5 wins & 5 nominations total
- Vice Principal Wolters
- (as W.H. Macy)
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaEvery person in the film that portrayed a deaf person is deaf in real life.
- GoofsMr. Holland plays Lovers Concerto to his class and asks who wrote It. A student replies, 'The Toys.' Mr Holland corrects him and says "That was Minuet in G, by Johan Sebastian Bach." At the time the film was set this was attributed to Bach as it was found in a book kept by Bach's wife. It was determined in 1970 to be part of a larger piece written by Christian Petzold (1677-1733).
- Quotes
Adult Gertrude Lang: Mr. Holland had a profound influence on my life and on a lot of lives I know. But I have a feeling that he considers a great part of his own life misspent. Rumor had it he was always working on this symphony of his. And this was going to make him famous, rich, probably both. But Mr. Holland isn't rich and he isn't famous, at least not outside of our little town. So it might be easy for him to think himself a failure. But he would be wrong, because I think that he's achieved a success far beyond riches and fame. Look around you. There is not a life in this room that you have not touched, and each of us is a better person because of you. We are your symphony Mr. Holland. We are the melodies and the notes of your opus. We are the music of your life.
- Crazy creditsThanks to The Seattle Symphony Orchestra
- SoundtracksOne, Two, Three
Written by Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier, Eddie Holland (as Edward Holland), John Madara, Dave White, and Len Barry (as Leonard Borisoff)
Performed by Len Barry
Courtesy of MCA Records
Mr. Holland's Opus is the story of a man who loves music, who practically lives and breathes music. We see at the beginning of the film, and throughout the rest of it, a man who is most passionate when he is within music. When his wife informs him that she is pregnant, he likens the feeling to falling in love with John Coltrane's music. When a student complains to him that he knows everything there is to know about music, Mr. Holland responds by reminding him that the name of his class is Music Appreciation and explaining forcefully that it doesn't matter how much you know about music if you don't appreciate it.
The movie takes Mr. Holland through three decades- from the '60s to the mid-'90s. In the spirit of nostalgia films like Forrest Gump, we are guided through the decades by vignettes of archive footage depicting scenes such as Nixon announcing his resignation, Gerald Ford tripping down the stairs, and even good old Frankenfurter representing the sexual revolution. As a piece of nostalgia for those times and the days of high school, Mr. Holland's Opus works great. As a chronicle of a man's life and the impact he has on others, it works even better.
This film could have turned into cheap schmaltz, but through its cast and a story that reaches wonderful poignancy and honesty at times, it manages to represent something so much more than that. Richard Dreyfuss, always a natural actor, is perfectly real and moving as Glenn Holland. I can't describe his performance in words, simply because it deserves to be seen more than just written about. And even though this is basically Dreyfuss's movie, the supporting cast makes an impression as well. Glenne Headly, as Mr. Holland's wife, shows tremendous resilience and emotion as the mother of a disabled child. When she explodes at her husband because of his lack of understanding, you explode with her, because we believe every word she is saying.
I don't know if movies can change lives. I think some have the potential to. I know there are movies that can inspire their audiences to be better people- It's a Wonderful Life is one; Casablanca is another. While Mr. Holland's Opus does not reach the quality that those two do (and who can blame it?), it has a similar and near equal impact, and that is definitely a compliment. And how perfect- a movie about a man who changes lives that can also change lives.
- How long is Mr. Holland's Opus?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Languages
- Also known as
- Nhạc Phẩm Của Thầy Holland
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $23,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $82,569,971
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $14,466
- Jan 1, 1996
- Gross worldwide
- $106,269,971
- Runtime2 hours 24 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1