I often find myself tackling new releases, and I rarely ever have the time to come back around to a classic, or a favorite of mine. So, for my birthday, as a gift to myself, as the first birthday being on the TomatoMeter, I wanted to review a film I love. I think all critics have a few films that fall off the beaten path of typical classic fare, which are films that just hit them in the right way, and maybe not the same for everyone. I often cut to the chase nowadays and say my favorite film is Jurassic Park, because it really did start a transformation for me in terms of watching slightly more adult fare, and sparked a love and passion for the craft beyond the offerings of Nickelodeon and Disney.

But I’ve also mentioned others over the years, including American Beauty, The dark Knight, Wall-E, Toy Story 2, Memento, The American President, and believe it or not, Mr Holland’s Opus. Admittedly, Richard Dreyfuss has evolved into a figure who is hard to embrace as he continues to share the first thought that comes to his warped mind, but in 1995, I fell in love with Glenn Holland, in a film not made for kids, but for a wide audience. A 12 year old wasn’t the target demo for this, but it had me. For years, I keep revisiting this film, on VHS, DVD, Cable, and now streaming on Disney Plus with audio description narrated by Tansy Alexander.

Mr Holland’s Opus follows the story of a composer who takes a detour into teaching to earn an income, thinking he can balance teaching and finishing his score, but he finds himself continuously consumed by work and other obligations. His wife, portrayed by the late Glenne Headley, is supportive, and as the couple gain a son, Cole (short for Coltrane, like John Coltrane), she remains a stable part of the environment, but one that can be taken for granted.

Along for the ride are some notable names, with the late Olympia Dukakis playing the principal, William H. Macy portraying a stick in the mud Vice-Principal, the late Jay Sanders playing a mismatched best friend as the football coach, and some up and coming talent among the kids, including Terence Howard, Alicia Witt, and Jean-Louisa Kelly. Even with this wonderful ensemble, in the tough year that was 1995, only Dreyfuss got awards attention. Even his composition, American Symphony, wasn’t nominated, but did earn a Grammy.

I was very much into music as a kid, starting in piano, which led to other instruments, and my participation in not just choirs but musicals and stage plays. So, a film about a dedicated and inspirational music teacher was geared toward me. But, if I’m being 100% honest, which I always am, 1995 as I’ve mentioned in a few other reviews, started my awakening in terms of realizing who I was attracted to. I had no gay positive role models in my life, and lived in an area where no one was out. Even people who probably were, stayed to themselves. So, when I started to realize that what I was attracted to wasn’t what everyone else was attracted to, I didn’t have anywhere to go with that. I just sat on that for years, until I got out of the Ozarks. But, yes, I had a crush on Richard Dreyfuss, and his Glenn Holland.

I know. Everyone else had crushes on Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise, Cameron Diaz, Halle Berry, and other popular actors. No one had a crush on Richard Dreyfuss in 1995. Especially not someone my age. I was supposed to like Jennifer Love Hewitt or Sarah Michelle Gellar, someone portraying roles close to my age. Dreyfuss was in his 50’s when he filmed this, and that part has never changed for me. I have a generational gap that needs to be present, which is exactly what I was noticing in 1995 with the crushes I started developing. Not only woudl it be weird for me to admit in this time and place what I was thinking about, but also who. Even now, it’s probably gotten a few eye rolls.

But the thing about this film, is that while it sparked me to look at more Richard Dreyfuss films, it pretty much contained my crush to just this role, this film. it isn’t like I followed it up with an obsession over Krippendorf’s Tribe. Not every Richard Dreyfuss movie skews up. There’s something magical specifically here, and it might be the Rowena storyline. In the film, Mr Holland is presented with a potential detour in Rowena (Kelly), a siren who shows up at the right time, with a gorgeous voice, and a crush for her teacher. She tries everything she can to get him to choose her, and the film even dabbles with the idea, having him write a piece inspired by her. But, ultimately, the relationship never happens, it goes nowhere, and when she asks him to go with her to New York, he meets her at the bus station not to follow, but to tell her he found her a place to land in the city. He offers a familiar kiss, not where Rowena would prefer, and she exits the film. Notably, in the films final climax, when all these former students return, Rowena does not.

I don’t think I had a crush on a teacher at 12, but certainly after that, it happened. I bet it is probably far more common, the Rowena’s of the world, destined to be rejected because that’s the appropriate thing. As an adult, I reflect on this film both ways. Of course he had to walk away, but at 12, I was rooting for Rowena, because I projected myself onto her. I figured if she could do it, there was hope for the rest of us. I wasn’t thinking logistically about the ethics of it, or if I had gotten him to say Yes what that woudl look like. People asking how we met, or noticing that the answer to “how long have you two been together?” Makes things extremely problematic. At 12, that’s not where my head was. I also don’t think, for all the girls I knew in high school who really wanted Brad Pitt, they gave it much thought either. It’s just their crush was socially acceptable, because Pitt was a matinee idol. Dreyfuss has never been, even in his prime, a matinee idol.

Now, I’m in my 40’s, and Richard Dreyfuss has said a lot of dumb shit since then, so rewatching this film is almost a slightly neutered effect. He doesn’t work on me anymore, but the film takes me back, and then I feel like I’m 12 all over again, on the strangest nostalgic trip. Not every favorite film of mine involves a crush, but this one did and does. but it’s more than that.

He’s really good in it, and the Oscar nomination validates that to some extent. The scene where he sings Beautiful Boy to Cole is perfect, because it plays like a band teacher singing. Dreyfuss, clearly not a singer, wasn’t concerned about sounding like a professional, and his simple singing while signing is emotionally effective. He also does a great job at breaking down in his final moments. Dreyfuss is one of the best actors we’ve ever had, across mostly the early half of his career. By the late 90’s and into the 2000’s, he does seem to lose steam in terms of projects offered. However, part of that could be him being notoriously difficult to work with.

I also love that this serious film was from the director of The Mighty Ducks and the 101 Dalmatians live action adaptation, not to mention Bill and Ted’s Excellent adventure. It shouldn’t work because Stephen Herek is out of his element, but the worst this can be accused of is being emotionally manipulative, or perhaps not original enough since we get lots of films about inspirational teachers. However, even if you don’t think it’s great, it is still hard to imagine calling it a failure on any level. Even now as I approach the film from my disabled point of view, I see the deaf representation on screen, incorporating colors into the musical performance, focusing on sign language, and using Cole as a bridge for Mr Holland to find yet another way to guide a young mind toward the thing he loves. He struggles with reaching young minds that aren’t his son, so when it comes to Cole, he really does try eventually to close that gap, which leads to his wonderful dedication of Beautiful Boy.

The film also benefits from traveling across decades, showing how not only Mr Holland has changed, but the world around him. Eventually the film hits a brick wall in the 90’s, when the school board, which includes former students, eliminates arts from the budget. The arts are always on the chopping block, seen as being frivolity, yet when everyone was in lockdown during the pandemic, they certainly enjoyed the arts didn’t they? Film, Television, Books, Music, Podcasts, Video Games, and plenty of other artistic lanes. I suppose people just assume that stuff happens on its own?

Over the years, I’ve found plenty of people who love this film, perhaps not as much as me, but seem delighted when I bring it up. Of course, there’s zero chance they liked it for the same reasons as I did, but it has fans. I’m probably the most passionate, and that’s OK. I’m glad this has audio description, because plenty of blind and low vision people will never watch the film without it, but its also really pretty good. From what I could remember, the audio description pulled at the memories in my head left from multiple viewings before blindness. This is also a decent film to watch, because while Dreyfuss does ahve to age, there isn’t an actual Glenn Holland for him to look like. With real life figures, there’s always that comparison of how close they get to the real deal, but all Dreyfuss is expected to do here is look younger, then eventually his age, and a bit older. As I said, he was about 50 when he filmed this, and at the end of the film, he ages himself by mentioning he’s 60, when Macy’s newly appointed principal offers to write him a letter of recommendation. It was probably harder to pass off Dreyfuss in the younger scenes than the older ones. But, I remember, he aged well on screen, across the decades.

So, if I get to speak on film, and in a world of a thousand critics, who we are is more important than ever. While critics often represented who they wrote for, now critics represent a wide variety of opinions, and if you don’t know what built us, what got us here, it may not make sense why we like certain things and not others. I consider this a foundational work, not necessarily for my cinematic education, but rather who I am as a person. A few films likely shaped me, not just my tastes and opinions, but who I am. When I’m not reviewing films, I’m working in a similar situation to this film. Music is still a part of my life, and as I get older, my taste has never changed. I have always been exclusively attracted to men generationally older than me. I can trace all of it back to this film, and one of my first on screen crushes, in a film I’ve seen multiple times.

I also wanted to get this in for Pride month, just in time, because while this isn’t an LGBTQ film, how we got to where we are in the queer community doesn’t exclusively include a smattering of specifically LGBTQ films and television shows. Sometimes, the strangest inspiration comes in the most unlikely forms.

So, yes. I adore this film. Consequently, this is now the second Richard Dreyfuss film I’ve reviewed for Rotten Tomatoes that has gotten a near perfect score. The other film, Jaws, got there because it is truly one of the greatest films ever made, and this one gets there, because I can watch it whenever, wherever, and I’m not sure if I’d be on the same path today without it. it’s so weird to put that on a film like this, but as I look at how my life has laid out, I basically structured my life in part, accidentally or subconsciously, to a similar effect. We often talk about how movies reach people, or inspire people, and generally when critics talk about that, they don’t expect it to be this film. But, why not? I think every critic, every cinephile, has a not quite guilty pleasure. Not a film everyone else thinks is bad, but perhaps a film that is recognized as good, or great, but maybe not standing the test of time like some of its contemporaries.

In the film, Mr Holland is challenged when he is teaching rock to reach his students, and his answer is that he’ll teach any style of music that gets through to his kids. I’d say the same about film. Not everyone has the same tastes, and its more important to spark that imagination, that sense of feeling like you experienced something meant for you, that turns someone into more than a casual fan of film. Being passionate about film requires movies that are inherently passionate.

All these years later, and time never fails Mr Hollands Opus, a film I can rewatch anytime, anywhere. Richard Dreyfuss is exceptional in what may have been his last truly great performance.

Fresh: 9.9/10