Description
An earnest and at times overblown story of a music teacher's impact
on those around him, Mr.Holland's Opus is at times a genuinely
touching drama in the vein of It's a Wonderful Life. Richard
Dreyfuss (Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind) plays an
aspiring composer and musician who takes a job teaching music at a
local high school to save money while he composes his music. But
when his wife (Glenne Headley) becomes pregnant, Glenn Holland must
put aside his dreams and address the everyday realities of his
life, from the melancholy and sometimes tragic fates of his
students to the discovery that the son he cherishes is deaf.
Building to a highly emotional climax in which the teacher sees the
impact he's had on the world around him, Mr.Holland's Opus is a
showcase for a fine Oscar-nominated performance by Dreyfuss and an
engaging, heartwarming story. --Robert Lane