History Film / MrHollandsOpus

* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: Rowena, Mr. Holland's highly talented student singer, decides to more or less run away to New York to try and make it on Broadway. Though they share a touching farewell at the bus stop, she is never heard from again. (According to actress JeanLouisaKelly, they did shoot a scene where she returns to the leaving party as a Broadway star but test audiences didn't like it so they cut it.[https://kenkousen.substack.com/p/tales-from-the-jar-side-what-happened])

* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: Rowena, Mr. Holland's highly talented student singer, decides to more or less run away to New York to try and make it on Broadway. Though they share a touching farewell at the bus stop, she is never heard from again.

The film was critically praised, with Richard Dreyfuss's performance earning him Best Actor UsefulNotes/AcademyAward and UsefulNotes/GoldenGlobeAward nominations. It was also a considerable box office hit, earning almost $83 million in the U.S. (making it the 12th most successful film of its year domestically) and over $106 million internationally. Music/MichaelKamen, who composed some of the original music for the film, went on to found the Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation, devoted to "enabling more students to participate and experience a quality music education."

->''"Why is everyone else's child more important than yours?"''

The film opens in 1965, with Glenn Holland (Dreyfuss) as a professional musical performer who wants to turn his efforts to composing a piece of orchestral music, something he intends as his MagnumOpus. Needing a job that pays enough to support himself and his wife Iris (Creator/GlenneHeadly), yet leaves him with enough free time to compose music, Holland accepts a position as a high school music teacher. However, he soon discovers the position leaves him firmly at the bottom of the school's hierarchy of teachers. And, as his apathy towards the job becomes more apparent, Principal Jacobs (Creator/OlympiaDukakis) starts demanding more actual effort from him.

The film then follows his life with a specific segment devoted to each decade and different trials he has to go through. His domestic problems include his only son Cole being effectively deaf and unable to understand his father's work. Iris forms a strong bond with the boy and learns sign language to better communicate. Glenn, however, can't bring himself to do it, and ends up somewhat estranged from his own family. Meanwhile, his school life includes more than teaching music. He inspires troubled students to make something of themselves, change their lives for the better.

By 1995, Holland has spent most of his last three decades devoted to his students, at the cost of his personal life. His musical work is still incomplete and by now unlikely to ever see release. Even if completed, he is too old to re-establish his career. Then his life turns for the worst. New principal Gene Wolters (Creator/WilliamHMacy), who never cared for Holland anyway, decides to make necessary budget cuts. Among the first things to go are the music classes, leaving 60-year-old Holland unemployed. Holland fears he has wasted his life, and resigns himself to the fate of being forgotten by all those students he helped over the years.

The film earned Dreyfuss an Oscar nomination for the Best Actor and a Golden Globe award. It was also a considerable box office hit, earning $106,269,971 in the international market. With almost $83 million from the United States market, it was the 12th most successful film of its year. Music/MichaelKamen, who wrote some of the original music of the film, went on to found "The Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation", devoted to "enabling more students to participate and experience a quality music education."

''Mr. Holland's Opus'' is a 1995 Amercican drama film directed by Stephen Herek and starring Creator/RichardDreyfuss. It was partly intended as a remake of a previous film, ''[[Film/FollowMeBoys Follow Me, Boys!]]'' (1966), but ended up very different. Among the most significant changes was the historical era covered. The original film was set in the 1930s and 1940s, this one covers a period of thirty years (1965–95).

[[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/s_Opus_7943.jpg]]

''Mr. Holland's Opus'' is a 1995 drama film, directed by Stephen Herek. It was partly intended as a remake of a previous film, ''[[Film/FollowMeBoys Follow Me, Boys!]]'' (1966), but ended up very different. Among the most significant changes was the historical era covered. The original film was set in the 1930s and 1940s, this one covers a period of thirty years (1965–95).

The film opens in 1965 with Glenn Holland (Creator/RichardDreyfuss) as a professional musical performer who wants to turn his efforts to composing a piece of orchestral music, something he intends as his MagnumOpus. Needing a job that pays enough to support himself and his wife Iris (Creator/GlenneHeadly), yet leaves enough free time to compose music, Holland accepts a position as a high school music teacher. He soon discovers the position leaves him firmly at the bottom of the hierarchy of teachers. And as his apathy for the job starts to become apparent, Principal Jacobs (Olympia Dukakis) starts demanding more actual effort from him.

* WhenYouComingHomeDad: Thinking that deafness makes music useless to Cole, Glenn refuses to share its beauty with him, [[TheCobblersChildrenHaveNoShoes instead focusing on his hearing students]]. A teen-aged Cole calls him out on it. (First off, for Glenn thinking Cole had no idea who Music/JohnLennon was, and since this is the first time ''Cole'' heard Lennon died, he might have been just as upset.)

* AdultFear:
** Gertrude starts crying mid-practice and explains to Mr. Holland that she's worried she will never accomplish anything with how everyone in her family is an overachiever. Mr. Holland stops being stern, tells her YouWereTryingTooHard and convinces her to relax while playing.
** The scenes where Mr. and Mrs. Holland realize their infant son is deaf. They start calling his name, and Mr. Holland goes OhCrap when Cole doesn't respond.

** NotSoDifferent: Bill has his own serious artistic skills as well, being an excellent dancer and even having minored in it during college.

* TheMuse: Mr. Holland is inspired by student Rowena Morgan (Jean Louisa Kelly) and begins writing music again. Iris, however, is devastated when she discovers "Rowena's Song"

* WorldOfCardboardSpeech: Given ''to'' Holland by the adult Gertrude Lang, the first student he managed to inspire and [[spoiler:had become ''the state governor'']].

* RepayingForTheNeedsOfTheOne: As SerendipityShock below mentions, [[spoiler: all of Glenn Holland's surviving students have returned to perform his magnum opus.]]

** RepayingForTheNeedsOfTheOne: As SerendipityShock below mentions, [[spoiler: all of Glenn Holland's surviving students have returned to perform his magnum opus.]]

* DisabledMeansHelpless: Mr. Holland doesn't want to send Cole to a special school where, according to him, "they'll treat him like he's retarded." Given the time period, this was probably a valid concern.
** Actually, this came from Iris. She was upset with a specialist who insisted that Cole must learn to talk, without using sign language. She says the specialist thinks deaf people are retarded, and pushes for Cole to go to the deaf school so he can learn to sign and thus communicate more effectively.

--->'''Helen:''' (while smiling faintly) That's an acceptable answer. I can tell them that.

* SecretRelationship: Between Glenn and Rowena. Played with in that it's ''not'' about YourCheatingHeart (though Rowena seems to want to). Rather, Glenn just wants a talented student to succeed at her art, shipping her off to New York to live with friends who will help her. Iris finds out who Rowena is, and harbors fears Glenn ''did'' cheat on her. Those issues are never resolved on-screen, however. (It's possible with some minor sleuthing, Iris will realize that Glenn had no interest in her sexually.)

* HardTruthAesop: Trying to seek perfection is a worthwhile goal but it means that your work may never see the light of day.

** Gertrude starts crying mid-practice and explains to Mr. Holland that she's worried she will never accomplish anything with how everyone in her family is an overachiever. Mr. Holland stops being stern, tells her YoureTryingTooHard and convinces her to relax while playing.

* BittersweetEnding: Due to budget cuts, Mr. Holland is laid off after 30 years as a music teacher However, on his last day, he is given a surprise concert in his honor, where he finally makes his initial dream come true and is given a giant roar of applause once it's over. However, the music and art classes are still cut from the curriculum.

* TheMuse: Mr. Holland is inspired by student Rowena Morgan (Jean Louisa Kelly) and begins writing music again.

* TakeOurWordForIt: The "symphony" at the end of the film is okay, but really nothing to write home about -- but then if the composer really wrote something as wonderful as it was supposed to be, he would have published it on his own.

* TookALevelInBadass: Creator/RogerEbert remarked that the band at the beginning started playing [[Music/LudwigVanBeethoven Beethoven's]] Eighth Symphony and you could barely recognize it. By the climax Mr. Holland had a band formed from his students that would rival any orchestra.

The film opens in 1965 with Glenn Holland (Creator/RichardDreyfuss) as a professional musical performer who wants to turn his efforts to composing a piece of orchestral music, something he intends as his MagnumOpus. Needing a job that pays enough to support himself and his wife Iris (Glenne Headly), yet leaves enough free time to compose music, Holland accepts a position as a high school music teacher. He soon discovers the position leaves him firmly at the bottom of the hierarchy of teachers. And as his apathy for the job starts to become apparent, Principal Jacobs (Olympia Dukakis) starts demanding more actual effort from him.

->''Why is everyone else's child more important than yours?''