I love this movie. I'm a 50+ man, and I was clutching a tissue the entire reaction. When you look back, this is the best testimony for a life. How you impact the world around you.
@@yourlifeisagreatstory I just made the same comment elsewhere. I’ve been pushing this movie and also Penny Marshall’s Awakenings for ages. Just so underrated.
It must be my age, I can't even watch reactions to this one anymore without welling up, lol. 30 years later, I notice 2 things: one, the make up is amazing. They made Dreyfuss look 15 years younger in the first act, and 15 years older in the third act, and all without CGI, it's so refreshing. And two: when I was younger, the whole Rowena plot was the point where I'd kind of get a little bored. I don't know really why, just the part of the film that interested me the least - but now, I feel the importance of this point in the movie, what it had all been building up to from the beginning, Mr. Holland's final temptation, his ultimate fork in the road, and it's so amazing to see him make the right choice. I could argue he would be only human to go fulfill his dream and find riches and fame through this talented lady who was obviously in love with him. But he rose above temptation and weakness, so admirable. And it is in the final act he finally sees the effects of his choice - yes, Mr. Holland's Opus really is the perfect title, even if it sounds a little boring on paper!
I graduated high school the year after this film came out. Our band leader was an old jazz musician and he was highly respected. I was never able to clear my schedule enough to make it into band but he had heard me on the piano and liked the way I played so he let me be part of our senior concert. I was deeply touched. A few years later I learned he was retiring and someone was planning a Mr. Holland's Opus sendoff for him. I jumped at the chance to be a part. We practiced in secret and snuck on stage during the break between segments of the final concert for the year. The look on his face when he realized who was on stage was absolutely priceless and I will never forget that night.
Wonderful comment. Best one on this video. As a teacher myself, I can testify that it is the highest honor for a teacher to be praised by their students. I guarantee your band teacher's swelled with gratitude and joy seeing you and everyone else that night.
Michael Kamen, who was the composer for the movie, founded the Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation, which would donate funds and instruments to schools that didn't have funding for their music program. 24 years strong, over 2 million students have benefited from this. Some notable donors are Eddie Van Halen and Prince. Also, I'm probably in the minority on this, but looking back at the nominees and winner, Richard Dreyfuss deserved the Oscar over Nicolas Cage.
Prince cared a lot about supporting music in schools. He found out a school in Minneapolis needed money for their band, and he called the school himself, asked how much they needed, and wrote a check for all of it.
He was definitely an odd choice. He typically did action movies, especially 80s action movies. He does well here, but it’s definitely not his niche. He did Lethal Weapon and Licence To Kill.
Michael James, rip, was a composing genius who wrote all orchestral parts for the Metallica live album, S&M (undoubtedly top 5 live albums of all time)
When it was recommended to me I read the synopsis and thought "yawn!" and that is coming from a guy who was in band from 6th -12 grade but man what a surprise I had at how good this movie is. It's right up there with Forrest Gump and really showcases Richard Dryfus as an underrated actor.
@@larrybremer4930 You’d be VERY surprised at how many movies you’d have the same yawn reaction that are either just as good or even better! Give them classics a chance! 😁
@@larrybremer4930 Or shall we say Nicholas Cage, who won Best Actor that year over Richard Dreyfus, was overrated. Hollywood politics for you. if you don't kiss everyone's ass, you don;t have a chance at winning. Dreyfus wouldn't kiss anyone's ass, he was too busy being a great actor.
Even watching it out of context, the "Beautiful Boy" scene absolutely destroys me. That song contains a line that sums up the entire film: "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans."
I love the title, because he had his musical opus he always worked on, but the students he reached, and his son, were a different kind of opus he created without even realizing it :-)
Richard Dryfus should have gotten an Oscar for this roll. I think he was nominated for it. This has been one of my all-time favorite movies since I first saw it.
He was robbed by Hollywood politics, they gave it to Nicholas Cage foe Leaving Las Vegas, a film that has not nearly the moral impact as Mr Holland' s Opus. we live in a culturally stupid country.
My mom passed away before my first child, son was born and 1 1/2 years before I went back in to music teaching at age 40. She never saw me successfully return to the band podium. or...did she make sure I did? I'll never know...
Regards to your mom. I never became a professional musician, but people like her made my life much better. "Don't dream it..be it." Yeah. even if it's only with the other neighborhood kids in my garage.
One of my favourite movies. I love movies that depicts the positive influences of teachers and I have great respect for mine. Teachers who may be “insignificant” in their own eyes but are genuinely interested in his/her students. I’m in my 60s, I still have teachers who remain my friends because they impacted my life one way or another. I recommend you similar movies like To Sir With Love (1967) which I have watched multiple times, Front Of The Class (2008), Stand And Deliver (1988), Dangerous Minds (1995) and of course, Dead Poet Society (1989) are some of my favourite. Cheers! See you in the movies!
@@domcoke Magnum opus means great work. In the days of the guilds boys or young men would become apprentices to a master. When they learned all that the master could teach them they would take their tools and a sample of their work and seek further training from another master, they became journeymen. They would add to the sample of their work and it was called a masterpiece. The movie is called Mr Holland's Opus. His work, not necessarily his Magnum Opus. It did demonstrate how he learned and grew with his students and with his family, it was a demonstration of his mastery.
This is one of those movies I will absolutely judge a persons character by their reaction to it. If you haven't accumulated a pile of used tissues by the end, your not human. A criminally underrated movie.
R.I.P. Glenne Headly. :/ To this day, I cannot possibly watch the moment where she screams in the kitchen without absolutely dying inside. We all know what line it is. I barely want to imagine what was going through her mind at the time, but it couldn't have been easy to perform without having a lasting effect. Trust me, I know that kind of feeling. #former_actor
Dreyfus was at his peak in this film, as a viewer you could feel everything he was feeling in this performance. My absolute favorite role of his, ever.
He's a wonderful actor who doesn't get the respect he deserves, imo. I loved him in Close Encounters of the Third Kind and The Goodbye Girl. That one's an oldie. I think it was the first movie I ever saw him in.
Way to go Cassie!!! I am a 60 year old man that cries like a baby every time I watch it. Great reaction to a fabulous movie that deals with 3 decades of teaching new classes every year. Seeing the changes in the kids and once every generation you see a special talent. I was a coach for only 10 years and that was 30 years ago. Still to this day I remember not all of them but I do remember the one quiet introverted girl who came out of her shell and by the end of the season at the banquet - she came up to me and my wife and gave us a big hug. Then said thank you for being her coaches. And to this day that is the most important thing I have accomplished. This movie is a tribute to all professionals that teach our future generations in schools.
My mom taught English grammar for over 40 years; the year she retired, at graduation, the entire class stood up on their chairs and did "Oh Captain, My Captain" from Dead Poet's Society. I remember reading something once, a very long time ago, about how very few people remember celebrities or political figures from various times or what effect they might have had on you, but there is always at least one teacher that's stuck in your mind who had an impact on your life.
Long post coming.... 😊 My dad just passed away two weeks ago. He was a teacher for 37 years, and although he didn't teach music, it's been a huge part of his life, and of our family. He played the organ at our church for over 50 years, and he and my mom shared their love of music with everyone around them. This was one of his favorite movies, and we watched it together many times. I'll be sharing about his love of music, and his teaching career, at his memorial service in a week. Although I don't believe he considered his life unfulfilled, I don't think he realized the depth and breadth of the impact he had, similar to Mr. Holland. I cried right along with you during this reaction, Cassie. This movie gets you in the feels, and it's absolutely an underrated gem. Thank you so much for watching it. 😊
I'm over 50 now and my high-school band director was by far not only the biggest influence on my life but on the most lives of anyone I've ever encountered. He transformed an entire community around an exceptional music program that led to boundless successes. And he's deeply missed to this day.
As a teacher the funeral scene hits hard. I have been teaching for 10’ years and have gone to 4 former students funerals. I always remember that line “ we know to many of these kids”.
I have been teaching for 30 years at the high school level (English), and yeah, the funeral scene hits hard. I have lost too many students over the years, both former and, very sadly, present.
This movie is absolutely amazing! I honestly never cared for this movie growing up, but ever since my dad passed away in 2020 from stage 4 cancer, this movie means so much more. My dad was into music his entire life and while getting his ph.d at the University of Miami (FL), he was in the marching band. Then after college, my parents got married in 75' and my dad composed their wedding song. This is the first time watching this movie since before 2020 and I've been balling my eyes out almost the entire time because it reminds me of my dad. 😭😭😭
You missed the point of the title. Mr Holland's 'Opus' was not the music he created. It was all of the students he taught over the years and all of the lives he affected. Truly a great movie.
Thats just it-the whole film, he is chasing what he THINKS is his dream goal-only to find by the end he nearly didnt notice the REAL dream he created-that of his students and his family.
I don't think she missed it - Gertrude's character literally say it at the end of the movie. I'm sure she's just meaning that superficially the title is not attention-grabbing.
Also Opus, is short for Magnum Opus, the full word which means the greatest work of a musician/composer/artist, so he though the symphony was going to be it, but the lives he touched, that was his Magnum Opus
This has been recommended to many well known reactors, none of whom have been willing to give it a go. Watch them all add it to their schedules now. An absolutely underrated gem.
It’s like Awakenings. Very few big channels have given that a go, but it’s stunning. De Niro and Williams are amazing, and Penny Marshall directs sublimely.
They'll add it to their schedules cause it's working the algorithm. If you watch something, youtube will reccomend you similar (or the same) stuff that came out recently. That's why movies tend to get reacted to across a few weeks of each other. If they all upload around the same time, there's a better chance of drawing views off each other
@@sean---the-other-one Your comment suggested that they'd add it now cause it got big views, and it was shown to be able to pull in traffic. Since you were talking about the quality of the movie, and all.
OMG, this movie is so powerful. Every time I forget HOW devastatingly amazing it is, I watch it again and it slaps me all over again. It is one of my all-time favorite movies. GH screaming about how she wants to talk to her son is always the moment that starts the tears, and the rest come much quicker after that.
When I was in middle school, I was put into a choir class had 30 male student and 30 female students we were given a week to switch classes. I was ready to switch the first day and the teacher said wait until the end of the week. The very next day the class was down to 4 males students. I waited too long and couldn't switch the teacher saw I was trying. I told her I don't want to be bad at anything. She worked with me and gave me a vocal solo and mentored me all the way through High School. Now I'm a radio host and a singer songwriter. Living a fulfilling life in something I didn't know I wanted.
"Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful, beautiful, beautiful Cole." I always loved this movie, it always makes me cry when Dreyfus sings that song to his son. 😢💔
Mr. Holland's Opus is the perfect title for this film. It's not about music. His opus is the work of art that's all of the lives he touched. His opus is living & breathing and growing. Those lives go on to touch more lives. Perfect title.
It is not a true story - but takes inspiration from many teachers throughout the 60's to the 90's. A real life organisation sprung up after the movie, the composer founded an organisation that provides free musical instruments to schools that have funding shortages in music education. Another fun fact, this is one of the first films to showcase deaf people positively and naturally and all people who played deaf characters, including Cole are actually deaf or hard of hearing for real.
One of your BEST reactions, because you had such low/middling expectations and were invested and tearing up and on the edge of your seat (bed lol) throughout. It's a beautiful story of family and teachers and music. You came in unsure and came out in tears, and that is what a good movie is supposed to do.
As a band student growing up, my most memorable teachers were my band teachers, especially my high school teacher. He was old school and I was the cocky freshman who thought he knew it all. He and I ended up having a great relationship by my senior year and I stopped back after boot camp to say hi. His funeral a couple of years later was hard and it was clear that despite his hard nosed teaching, he really was beloved. Firm believer that every student should try being in the band. They were some of the best years of my life.
This movie isn't on my regular re-watch list, but I am a retired teacher and this movie really moved me when I originally saw it. Fellow teachers might understand the special connection to this one.
The young man in this movie in the 90s was Terrence Howard. Cassie, he was along side with Robert Downey Jr in first "Iron Man." Also, he was in "Prisoners," "Red Tails," and based on true story movie, "Pride."
One of my favourite movies of all time. So many tear jerking moments. The number one for me is hearing Gertrude play Stranger on the Shore perfectly for the first time. As a high school trumpet player, that resonated with me so hard. I struggled badly with nerves and not thinking I was good enough, and I can’t thank Mr Stubbs enough for taking the music away from me and making me play from memory with feeling. Great reaction ❤
Every time I listen to Beethoven's 7th, this is one of the movies I think of, because that scene when he talks about his son's deafness with his students just hits you in the heart.
I remember my middle school band teacher showing us this movie and sarcastically saying it’s the story of his life. My other classmates were whatever’s about it but I was so enthralled with this movie from start to finish. It honestly made me fall more in love with music. And I’ll always be grateful to my band teacher for not only showing me this beautiful movie, but also impacting my life the way Mr. Holland did Also the storyline about his son always breaks my heart. The sad part is they advised against hand gestures (asl) because they believed kids who were deaf or mute would eventually just find their voice. So many parents started speaking out against this because they could not communicate with their kids. And this was around a time where people with any sort of disability were heavily stigmatized
8 minutes in and i already have tears. My degree was music education and taught for only 4 years. I still hear from a few of my students 40 years later. Music brings people together, even when they don't know why. ❤
One of my favs ever, not just me, but also shared it with my Dad, who was in fact a teacher (not music) but he was a lot of his students 'favorite' - he even helped not only me, but friends of mine find and choose colleges. This film always reminds me of my Dad.
Rowena represented Mr. Holland's dreams. saying goodbye to her was saying goodbye to his dreams. that's why she wasn't at the retirement celebration at the end of the movie. his dreams left him years ago, never to return. His wife felt sad for him, that he never realized his dreams...
I love the part where Mr. Holland is so stricken by John Lennon’s murder. It was such a tragic day for the world, and he captured the emotion perfectly, followed by a cathartic moment with Cole.
I was 16 when Lennon died. I felt the same way as Glenn Holland. My parents as well, especially my mom. I grew up singing "Hey, Jude" with her whenever it would come on the radio, or someone played it on the jukebox at the pizza place we used to go to all the time. It was the first time I cried when I heard about a music artist dying. I had a similar reaction when David Bowie died, as well as Chris Squire (bassist for Yes) and Neil Peart (drummer and lyricist for Rush).
I was also around 16 and a huge beatles fan, and oddly enough our family was watching birth of the beatles in a hotel room when the new broke. We were all devastated. Elvis also died while we were on a family vacation and heard the news in a hotel room. Someone who who you connected with through their music can really hit hard. It was so ironic that a man who preached for peace and love was violently taken away from us before his time by a deranged psychopath. His songs on Double Fantasy were amazing and one can only imagine what could have come next for him on his journey back into the limelight.
@@jodonnell64 I was five when Lennon was killed. My parents were watching Monday Night Football, the Patriots were playing. When his death was announced my mother woke my sister and me up, turned down the TV, and played one Beatles song after another. It is one of my favorite (and earliest) memories.
John Lennon was murdered just 8 days before my father committed suicide. All the radio stations were playing Lennon and the Beatles all the time, so sadly, John Lennon became the soundtrack for the worst time in my life. 😢
Just like you... you touch each of us 384k...we are all better because of your vids... maybe you arent told this enough...but its true... bless you as well as your sister when she joins you...hugzzzz
Yep, hours and hours of entertainment, laughter and tears shared through this channel. Your genuine spirit, silliness and fun as well as your kind heart have brightened many a day for me. So, thank you! ❤
I have a very deep connection to this film. I've been playing music since I was 3. I grew up watching my Dad's band play, and fell in love with music. I played in high school band, jazz band, and multiple rock and metal bands since. Music has always been one of the most important parts of my life, my dreams, my passions, my very soul. I am also a father and a husband. The struggle to balance life as an adult, as a dad, as a husband, and as a musician has always been a battle. Sometimes I win that battle, sometimes I lose it. I would not trade my family for anything, and, much like Mr. Holland, I've had to learn to stay true to my heart and my passion for music while also not neglecting them and my responsibilities to support them, love them, guide them, and help them grow. In return, they have supported me in my music and I've been fortunate to have had, and continue to have, some amazing experiences in doing what I love (I now get paid rather handsomely to perform on a part-time basis). It can be so hard to pull oneself away from something they care about so deeply to focus on the rest of life. This movie depicts those struggles so well. Thanks for watching this movie and making this video.
This film is beautiful and I believe highly underrated. I've also seen other reactors COMPLETELY misunderstand the whole storyline with Rowena and say he was gross and the movie was awful. But they simply don't understand. As you said, he made the right choice in the end, choosing his family and his life there. But it's even more important to realize that it really wasn't Rowena herself that had him entranced, it was her talent, and ALL the possibilities she still had open to her. She represented all his broken and quashed dreams for himself. Running away with her was his last chance to live the life he'd always thought he wanted. But through looking at the pictures Iris had taken of them, he realized that he loved the life he had even though it wasn't perfect. He wasn't trying to be creepy with a student, he was pulled towards the possibilities and missed opportunities she represented for him. So many people miss that and just have a knee jerk reaction, immediately calling the film gross. 🙄 And here's my argument for "Mr. Holland's Opus" as the title. It goes back to the idea that he thought he was missing out on creating this great opus, his masterpiece, but really he was creating it all along. His whole life and everything he poured into it was his opus, that is the whole point of the movie. So, I like the title. 😁 This was a great reaction, glad you enjoyed it!
I have a soft spot for this movie because it's filmed in Oregon and that's where I went to high school and learned music. It was a simple life as in the movie yet a magical time. But also because this exact same thing happened to my grandfather, he taught kids to read for free on his free time and they gave him a surprise assembly thank-you celebration after then years.
Dreyfuss gained fame in a movie titled "The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz" and superstar status in "The Goodbye Girl" and "Jaws". This movie is a love letter to all teachers.
You MUST see him in "Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead". Tom Stoppard's work was bloody brilliant, and the film (under his direction) was wonderful. Dreyfuss was head of the traveling troupe of players.
@@Novastar.SaberCombat Yeah I love that film-but unless they are vaguely familiar with Hamlet they'll be SO confused/or miss some of the main themes of the film, by being distracted by the mention of Hamlet in it!
Thanks, I will watch it on your recommendation. I love Shakespeare so of course I know the characters, but have never seen the movie. "The play's the thing By which we'll catch the conscience of the king."
tears. My dad was a music teacher for almost 30 years. He taught in two countries, and 9 schools. I wish he could have had a send off like this when he retired from teaching.
I just wanted to add this. Music is a language, it conveys emotion. When you hear a mournful song you feel it, when you hear a song of joy, you feel that. Great music touches us in our hearts. That is also why a good soundtrack can make a good movie great. Listen to the music of the movies that you loved and you will understand.
My dad and I love this movie. My dad had a mr holland when he went to high school in the 70s. His name was Eric Hammer and he eventually became conservatory of music professor at University of the Pacific. I even met Eric Hammer on a choir trip in San Jose.
Thanks for watching this. I only have seen this when it was in theaters and it so affected me. I was a band geek - clarinet - and did marching band. Our band director is the one teacher who impacted me the most and taught me to be a leader.
Something I didn't notice the first time I watched this... If you pay attention to the background music throughout the course of the movie you will be hearing the individual parts of the symphony that he directs at the end. His life was music.
Yup. When the film itself is about music, the score OF the film is definitely something that needs to be absolutely spot-on. Hidden thematic underpinnings abound everywhere.
I've heard true stories about awesome teachers helping students. That being said, I went to 9 schools and not one teacher noticed my struggles. I dropped out junior year. Got my GED years later. This movie will always put hope in my heart for others.
Rowena Morgan was played by Louisa Kelly, and years later she would play Val "Iceman" Kilmer's wife in Top Gun: Maverick and despite 20+ years between the two movies it was like she didn't age a day.
@@dsepan Holy crap, really? I never would've made that connection. The two characters look so different from each other. Not to mention the personalities of those two characters are so different.
Congrats, Cass. You're watching an underappreciated classic. Being the sweet soul that you are [and by the thumbnail itself], you were in for a delightful cinematic treat that will give you happy memories for many years to come. Although it has a protagonist that deals with many hardships, the character arc of Mr. Holland is remarkable to watch. Great job, Cass.
At the beginning, he’s been a freelance musician (composer/pianist/conductor) for years. Freelance musicians work a lot of nights and evenings. 7:30am rehearsals are pretty rare.
My Music Teacher literally changed my life. My personal life was a mess I was alone and then I tripped over Steve Vargo the Music teacher and I came to life . Met my future life met my best friends and the music shaped my life. One teacher is the reason I am alive with a spectacular life today. Just a guy Directing a Band at a small High School , he grew a generation of the best people I know. This Movie means so much to me and I am so glad you got to share it with all of us Thank You
I can’t lie, when I saw the bracket, I was rooting to Mr. Hollands Opus… and here we are. I was crying as you reviewed, such a beautiful classic. I have another one, The Man from Snowy River.
An absolute favorite movie of mine! The top 5 in my 50 years. There’s a moment that some may miss that screams poignancy to me; the empty spot of “Class of 66” for Mr. Russ onstage at the playing of the opus. Being the grandson of a veteran, it grabs my heart.
The empty chair of “Class of 66” went right over my head and the funeral scene is part of the movie that always tares me up.. I'm of the age where kids in high school died in Vietnam that scene hits home hard.
Ive seen this wonderful film many times before and Cant believe I had never noticed that! Good spot. Stephen Herek the Director is very good at that sort of thing. He has a couple of very subtle camerawork misdirections in this film too.
Jean Louisa Kelly did a stage show at our regional theater. I remember her telling us she was going from the show to filming this movie. Kristin Chenowith was another then unknown, who performed at our theater to go on to a big career.
My wife teaches elementary school, started with 3rd grade now 5th grade. She loves seeing her former students grow up and do well in middle and high school and beyond.
I had lots of good teachers, but one in particular really changed my life. He taught high school history and geography. I learned so much about the world from him. He challenged me and taught me a lot about how to write well, which I consider the most important skill I ever learned. He encouraged me to go to college when I probably wouldn't have, otherwise. I loved it and excelled. I also met my wife there. Thank you, Mr. Boynton.
It's kind of funny that Alicia Witt, who played the girl he coached in playing the clarinet, was a musical prodigy and a classically trained pianist. So she could probably play circles around anyone on the set.
I was a music teacher. Because of this movie I got back into teaching after failing 15 years earlier out of college. I never regretted going back. When I got back into school band directing the year after this movie, my wife gave me a compass and I still have it. Now she says to use it so I can find my way back from the store😂 Richard Dreyfus was robbed of the Best Actor Oscar by Hollywood politics. i will say folks contrary to popular belief by common jerks, music is not for whimps, it takes dedication and guts and brains.
Richard Dreyfus is one of the 50 best actors of all time groundbreaking film after groundbreaking film, after hit after hit. This film is very underrated and needs to be seen by parents and community's to see the damage by cutting the arts from high schools
I just love this movie so much. It’s not even about music really. It’s about life. How life very often doesn’t go the way you planned and it gives you challenges you never dreamed of facing. But that is the joy of life. You find a way to stay kind and make a positive difference as best you can. And that is so rewarding. This is one of my favorite movies ever.
This is actually one of my favorite Richard Dreyfuss films. It is so heartwarming and heartfelt. One of the major reasons why I wanted to learn sign language. And there's nothing that is more beautiful than memories that are brought to your mind by music. I also have many fond memories of my favorite teachers and it has been decades later and I can still see their faces and remember their words of wisdom. I hope this becomes one of your favorites as well
Rowena was played by Jean Louisa Kelley. Cassie might remember her as Sarah Kazinski in Top Gun Maverick as well as the teenage girl Tia in Uncle Buck.
Taking music and creative arts out of school was one of the biggest mistakes. Look at the state of education now. 😢This movie is a Gem and his symphony gives me goosebumps everytime 💙😢
Wow, wasn't expecting this... Great reaction. I believe there's a Mr. Holland in all our lives at some time, and a Mr. Holland in all of us. Olympia Dukakis was so good in this.
I saw this with a friend when it first came out. So meaningful and relatable. My cousin was a music teacher in San Jose and after he passed from cancer they named the auditorium after him. The depth of a teacher's influence is immeasurable.
I love this movie. It always makes me cry. I had a few teachers who impacted my life so much. I struggled with reading in elementary school and one teacher helped me I love to read to this day, another was from Australia which fueled my love of geography and interested in other places in the world, and one who fueled my love of history. I love seeing Mr. Holland inspiring so many students. I love that they included a deaf character Cole my cousin was deaf and growing up around the same time. He faced many of the challenges Cole faced.
When Mr. Holland announced he was going to conclude with a song by John Lennon, I thought, "SWEET JESUS, DON'T LET IT BE 'IMAGINE!'" When it turned out to be "Beautiful Boy," I felt overcome with a gratitude that came from the deepest part of my soul.
This movie came out in 1995, the year I graduated high school, and pushed me into teaching. I can safely say that after 24 years in education, it was the right choice. Each one of us creates a tapestry that is chaotic and messy on the side nobody sees, but a work of art on the side everyone sees. The only thanks you get are from the students.....their faces when they finally understand something.....the expressions of gratefulness when the graduate.....the notes from former students who graduate college and say they got through it all because of you.
His wife Iris, telling him, after he was frustrated, Trying to do his best, only to be told "Well your best isn't good enough"; was such a hard-hitting, deep-stabbing insult to his efforts,.. only for him at least to see how many deeply appreciated his attention, filling up the theatre seating at the end of the movie, letting him perform as the conductor for the American Symphony, fulfilling his other, original dream.
Alicia Witt, the clarinet player who became a governor is a classically trained concert pianist , I didn't know she could play the clarinet also. She later costarred in Cybill with Cybill Shepherd and Christine Barranskis who won emmies for her quirky character. Alicia Witt also had a supporting role in 8 weeks notice with Hugh Grant and Sandra Bullock so this was a while ago. Loved your reaction... don't cry shop girl.
My dad was a music teacher for many years. My brothers and I were among his students. When Dad passed away, I can't tell you the amount of his former students who told me how much of an impact he had on their lives. So yeah, this movie always gets me too. And so does the song "Leader of the Band" by Dan Fogelberg.
Man, I haven't seen this movie in a looong time. It was wonderful to see it again with you. Truly uplifting. My favorite line: "No teacher ever said goodbye to me like that."
Saw this in the theater when it came out - on a military base. 300 people, mostly men, base theater. There was a symphony of sniffles in the last 15 minutes.
Another "The Miracle Worker" 1962 , true story of Helen Keller during her childhood (1880- 1968) born deaf and blind ,political activist and lecturer, stared Patty Duke and Anne Bancroft.
Also a good remake in '79, with Patty Duke playing Anne Sullivan and Melissa Gilbert (then of Little House on the Prairie fame) playing Helen Keller. It was cool seeing Patty Duke do both roles, almost 20 years apart.
- Iris Holland was played by the late Glenne Headly. She was an amazing actress who passed at 62 in 2017. Among her bigger films: Dirty Rotten Scoundrels with Steve Martin & Michael Caine; Dick Tracy with Warren Beatty as the title character, and she played Tracy's love, Tess Trueheart (an underrated comic book movie in my opinion); 2 Days in the Valley, and Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen. Of all of her movies...Dirty Rotten Scoundrels is a MUST SEE! It's hysterically funny! - Gertrude was played by Alicia Witt, who is actually a piano prodigy. Her first film was David Lynch's Dune, she was 8 years old and played Paul Atreides's sister, Alia. She still acts and tours her music. Some of her best work: Last Holiday with Queen Latifah, Two weeks Notice with Sandra Bullock & Hugh Grant, and the 1990s sitcom, Cybil. She's also done a bunch of Hallmark Christmas romance movies. The older Gertrude, the governor, was played by Tony Award -winning actress Joanna Gleeson, who has made films, but is best known for her role as The Baker's Wife in the original production of Stephen Sondheim's Into the Woods, the role that won her the Tony for Best Actress in a Musical, and it is easily found on TH-cam. - You recognized Lou, the drummer because he was played by Terrence Howard, the first Col. James "Rhodey" Rhodes aka War Machine in Iron Man (but he never got in the suit). He was replaced by Don Cheadle. He was also in the hit series Empire, and has done tons of other stuff. One of his best movies was Hustle & Flow, about an aspiring rapper. - Rowena Morgan was played by Jean Louisa Kelly, who would later do a film version of one of New York's longest running musicals, The Fantasticks. She made more of a name for herself doing sitcoms like Yes, Dear. However, she did also play Sarah Kazansky, wife of Admiral Tom "Iceman" Kazansky in Top Gun Maverick.
I can't say enough how much I love this movie. I play in a local concert band, basically an adult version of this. At our Christmas concert, we played a song specifically dedicated to our conductor. It immediately made me think of the end here. Only It's a Wonderful Life's ending matches the power of the end of the film for me.
As soon as I saw she was doing this movie, I thought, "Someone get the box of tissues. She's going to need them."
OMG if Awkward Ashleigh watches this she'll become a blubbering mess!
@@moeball740 I think it is a travesty because it has two of her favourite actors.
@@moeball740 I know right! I need to to watch it!
The ultimate tear jerker
I love this movie. I'm a 50+ man, and I was clutching a tissue the entire reaction.
When you look back, this is the best testimony for a life. How you impact the world around you.
Not very many reactions to this one, a vastly underrated classic. Every few years I rewatch it, and every time I find myself loving it even more.
I’m willing to bet you/we will start to see a number of reaction channels posting this one in the upcoming weeks.
@@yourlifeisagreatstory
I just made the same comment elsewhere.
I’ve been pushing this movie and also Penny Marshall’s Awakenings for ages. Just so underrated.
Agree w everything u just said.
Yes same sentiment here!
It must be my age, I can't even watch reactions to this one anymore without welling up, lol. 30 years later, I notice 2 things: one, the make up is amazing. They made Dreyfuss look 15 years younger in the first act, and 15 years older in the third act, and all without CGI, it's so refreshing.
And two: when I was younger, the whole Rowena plot was the point where I'd kind of get a little bored. I don't know really why, just the part of the film that interested me the least - but now, I feel the importance of this point in the movie, what it had all been building up to from the beginning, Mr. Holland's final temptation, his ultimate fork in the road, and it's so amazing to see him make the right choice. I could argue he would be only human to go fulfill his dream and find riches and fame through this talented lady who was obviously in love with him. But he rose above temptation and weakness, so admirable. And it is in the final act he finally sees the effects of his choice - yes, Mr. Holland's Opus really is the perfect title, even if it sounds a little boring on paper!
I graduated high school the year after this film came out. Our band leader was an old jazz musician and he was highly respected. I was never able to clear my schedule enough to make it into band but he had heard me on the piano and liked the way I played so he let me be part of our senior concert. I was deeply touched. A few years later I learned he was retiring and someone was planning a Mr. Holland's Opus sendoff for him. I jumped at the chance to be a part. We practiced in secret and snuck on stage during the break between segments of the final concert for the year. The look on his face when he realized who was on stage was absolutely priceless and I will never forget that night.
Wonderful comment. Best one on this video. As a teacher myself, I can testify that it is the highest honor for a teacher to be praised by their students. I guarantee your band teacher's swelled with gratitude and joy seeing you and everyone else that night.
Michael Kamen, who was the composer for the movie, founded the Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation, which would donate funds and instruments to schools that didn't have funding for their music program. 24 years strong, over 2 million students have benefited from this. Some notable donors are Eddie Van Halen and Prince.
Also, I'm probably in the minority on this, but looking back at the nominees and winner, Richard Dreyfuss deserved the Oscar over Nicolas Cage.
I agree. Dreyfuss gave the best performance of his career
I didn’t know about the foundation. That’s cool!! Dreyfus absolutely gave an outstanding performance.
Prince cared a lot about supporting music in schools. He found out a school in Minneapolis needed money for their band, and he called the school himself, asked how much they needed, and wrote a check for all of it.
He was definitely an odd choice. He typically did action movies, especially 80s action movies. He does well here, but it’s definitely not his niche. He did Lethal Weapon and Licence To Kill.
Michael James, rip, was a composing genius who wrote all orchestral parts for the Metallica live album, S&M (undoubtedly top 5 live albums of all time)
This is a vastly underrated film.
When it was recommended to me I read the synopsis and thought "yawn!" and that is coming from a guy who was in band from 6th -12 grade but man what a surprise I had at how good this movie is. It's right up there with Forrest Gump and really showcases Richard Dryfus as an underrated actor.
@@larrybremer4930 You’d be VERY surprised at how many movies you’d have the same yawn reaction that are either just as good or even better! Give them classics a chance! 😁
Music is magic.
@@larrybremer4930 Or shall we say Nicholas Cage, who won Best Actor that year over Richard Dreyfus, was overrated. Hollywood politics for you. if you don't kiss everyone's ass, you don;t have a chance at winning. Dreyfus wouldn't kiss anyone's ass, he was too busy being a great actor.
@@daniel.maitheny Who cares what you wish
Even watching it out of context, the "Beautiful Boy" scene absolutely destroys me. That song contains a line that sums up the entire film: "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans."
From the old Jewish proverb. "Man plans. God laughs" It is so very true
From the hardest hitting insult "your best isn't good enough" to the hardest hitting compliment "each one of us is a better person because of you"
Music is magic.
I love the title, because he had his musical opus he always worked on, but the students he reached, and his son, were a different kind of opus he created without even realizing it :-)
exactly! but i get it too lol
Ikr, not once have I ever thought it was a bad title.
100 percent this. Thats EXACTLY it.
Richard Dryfus should have gotten an Oscar for this roll. I think he was nominated for it. This has been one of my all-time favorite movies since I first saw it.
He was robbed by Hollywood politics, they gave it to Nicholas Cage foe Leaving Las Vegas, a film that has not nearly the moral impact as Mr Holland' s Opus. we live in a culturally stupid country.
@thomastimlin1724
I so agree 💯
My mother was a music teacher... for 30 years.... she loved this movie. She passed away in 2012 and seeing it makes me bawl. Such a great movie.
God bless your mom, you, and your family!
I wasn't in band during high school. This movie made me wish I was.
May your mom rest in musical paradise.
My mom passed away before my first child, son was born and 1 1/2 years before I went back in to music teaching at age 40. She never saw me successfully return to the band podium. or...did she make sure I did? I'll never know...
Regards to your mom. I never became a professional musician, but people like her made my life much better. "Don't dream it..be it." Yeah. even if it's only with the other neighborhood kids in my garage.
May she rest in peace.
In music an opus is a masterpiece. His masterpiece was the students he encouraged and mentored. The title was perfect when you look at it that way.
One of my favourite movies. I love movies that depicts the positive influences of teachers and I have great respect for mine. Teachers who may be “insignificant” in their own eyes but are genuinely interested in his/her students. I’m in my 60s, I still have teachers who remain my friends because they impacted my life one way or another. I recommend you similar movies like To Sir With Love (1967) which I have watched multiple times, Front Of The Class (2008), Stand And Deliver (1988), Dangerous Minds (1995) and of course, Dead Poet Society (1989) are some of my favourite. Cheers! See you in the movies!
That's completely incorrect. You're thinking of "Magnum opus"
@@domcoke Magnum opus means great work. In the days of the guilds boys or young men would become apprentices to a master. When they learned all that the master could teach them they would take their tools and a sample of their work and seek further training from another master, they became journeymen. They would add to the sample of their work and it was called a masterpiece. The movie is called Mr Holland's Opus. His work, not necessarily his Magnum Opus. It did demonstrate how he learned and grew with his students and with his family, it was a demonstration of his mastery.
@@JesseOaks-ef9xn In music, "opus" doesn't mean "masterpiece".
Agreed
The makeup department for this movie deserve so much credit, they way they aged Mr. Holland is amazing, solely because he looks exactly like this now
This is one of those movies I will absolutely judge a persons character by their reaction to it. If you haven't accumulated a pile of used tissues by the end, your not human. A criminally underrated movie.
R.I.P. Glenne Headly. :/ To this day, I cannot possibly watch the moment where she screams in the kitchen without absolutely dying inside. We all know what line it is. I barely want to imagine what was going through her mind at the time, but it couldn't have been easy to perform without having a lasting effect. Trust me, I know that kind of feeling. #former_actor
Dreyfus was at his peak in this film, as a viewer you could feel everything he was feeling in this performance. My absolute favorite role of his, ever.
One of my two favourites and the other is Jaws
MHO was his best performance. His work in "Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead" (alongside Oldman and Roth) is super brilliant as well.
This was my intro to Dreyfus when I was a kid. Loved him in everything Ive seen him in since.
He started off hot in the Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz.
He's a wonderful actor who doesn't get the respect he deserves, imo. I loved him in Close Encounters of the Third Kind and The Goodbye Girl. That one's an oldie. I think it was the first movie I ever saw him in.
Way to go Cassie!!! I am a 60 year old man that cries like a baby every time I watch it. Great reaction to a fabulous movie that deals with 3 decades of teaching new classes every year. Seeing the changes in the kids and once every generation you see a special talent. I was a coach for only 10 years and that was 30 years ago. Still to this day I remember not all of them but I do remember the one quiet introverted girl who came out of her shell and by the end of the season at the banquet - she came up to me and my wife and gave us a big hug. Then said thank you for being her coaches. And to this day that is the most important thing I have accomplished. This movie is a tribute to all professionals that teach our future generations in schools.
My mom taught English grammar for over 40 years; the year she retired, at graduation, the entire class stood up on their chairs and did "Oh Captain, My Captain" from Dead Poet's Society.
I remember reading something once, a very long time ago, about how very few people remember celebrities or political figures from various times or what effect they might have had on you, but there is always at least one teacher that's stuck in your mind who had an impact on your life.
Long post coming.... 😊
My dad just passed away two weeks ago. He was a teacher for 37 years, and although he didn't teach music, it's been a huge part of his life, and of our family. He played the organ at our church for over 50 years, and he and my mom shared their love of music with everyone around them. This was one of his favorite movies, and we watched it together many times.
I'll be sharing about his love of music, and his teaching career, at his memorial service in a week. Although I don't believe he considered his life unfulfilled, I don't think he realized the depth and breadth of the impact he had, similar to Mr. Holland.
I cried right along with you during this reaction, Cassie. This movie gets you in the feels, and it's absolutely an underrated gem. Thank you so much for watching it. 😊
"Is this based on a true story?"
No, it's based on many, many true stories.
Great comment
Oh my, this comment made me cry :)
Well said 👏🏾
I'm over 50 now and my high-school band director was by far not only the biggest influence on my life but on the most lives of anyone I've ever encountered. He transformed an entire community around an exceptional music program that led to boundless successes. And he's deeply missed to this day.
As a teacher the funeral scene hits hard. I have been teaching for 10’ years and have gone to 4 former students funerals. I always remember that line “ we know to many of these kids”.
I have been teaching for 30 years at the high school level (English), and yeah, the funeral scene hits hard. I have lost too many students over the years, both former and, very sadly, present.
I hope your not an English Teacher 😄
This movie is absolutely amazing! I honestly never cared for this movie growing up, but ever since my dad passed away in 2020 from stage 4 cancer, this movie means so much more. My dad was into music his entire life and while getting his ph.d at the University of Miami (FL), he was in the marching band. Then after college, my parents got married in 75' and my dad composed their wedding song. This is the first time watching this movie since before 2020 and I've been balling my eyes out almost the entire time because it reminds me of my dad. 😭😭😭
You missed the point of the title. Mr Holland's 'Opus' was not the music he created. It was all of the students he taught over the years and all of the lives he affected. Truly a great movie.
Thats just it-the whole film, he is chasing what he THINKS is his dream goal-only to find by the end he nearly didnt notice the REAL dream he created-that of his students and his family.
I don't think she missed it - Gertrude's character literally say it at the end of the movie. I'm sure she's just meaning that superficially the title is not attention-grabbing.
Also Opus, is short for Magnum Opus, the full word which means the greatest work of a musician/composer/artist, so he though the symphony was going to be it, but the lives he touched, that was his Magnum Opus
@@NoodlenutStudios"Oeuvre" could also be applied, but it just doesn't have the same ring to it😊
Everyone missed the point of the title until they saw the movie...
This has been recommended to many well known reactors, none of whom have been willing to give it a go.
Watch them all add it to their schedules now.
An absolutely underrated gem.
It’s like Awakenings.
Very few big channels have given that a go, but it’s stunning. De Niro and Williams are amazing, and Penny Marshall directs sublimely.
They'll add it to their schedules cause it's working the algorithm. If you watch something, youtube will reccomend you similar (or the same) stuff that came out recently. That's why movies tend to get reacted to across a few weeks of each other. If they all upload around the same time, there's a better chance of drawing views off each other
Much appreciated, Captain Obvious!!
🤣😂🤣
@@sean---the-other-one Your comment suggested that they'd add it now cause it got big views, and it was shown to be able to pull in traffic. Since you were talking about the quality of the movie, and all.
@@Eidlones
Mmm-hmmm
OMG, this movie is so powerful. Every time I forget HOW devastatingly amazing it is, I watch it again and it slaps me all over again. It is one of my all-time favorite movies. GH screaming about how she wants to talk to her son is always the moment that starts the tears, and the rest come much quicker after that.
When I was in middle school, I was put into a choir class had 30 male student and 30 female students we were given a week to switch classes. I was ready to switch the first day and the teacher said wait until the end of the week. The very next day the class was down to 4 males students. I waited too long and couldn't switch the teacher saw I was trying. I told her I don't want to be bad at anything. She worked with me and gave me a vocal solo and mentored me all the way through High School.
Now I'm a radio host and a singer songwriter. Living a fulfilling life in something I didn't know I wanted.
I'm glad you figured it out early enough to pursue it in a meaningful way. The world needs way more fulfilled dreams than it has.
I was the Co-Music Supervisor of Mr Holland's Opus and worked on the film for two years. So glad you got to see the film and enjoyed it Cassie!
Wow. That's amazing! The music in this is great. I especially love how it goes from the 2nd movement of Beethoven's 7th Symphony to Lennon's Imagine.
"Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful, beautiful, beautiful Cole." I always loved this movie, it always makes me cry when Dreyfus sings that song to his son. 😢💔
Saaaaaammmeeee!😢
Mr. Holland's Opus is the perfect title for this film. It's not about music. His opus is the work of art that's all of the lives he touched. His opus is living & breathing and growing. Those lives go on to touch more lives. Perfect title.
Well it's both actually. In the literal and figurative sense.
A man’s life work…and his influence on so many…one of Dreyfus’ best…heartfelt..
It is not a true story - but takes inspiration from many teachers throughout the 60's to the 90's. A real life organisation sprung up after the movie, the composer founded an organisation that provides free musical instruments to schools that have funding shortages in music education. Another fun fact, this is one of the first films to showcase deaf people positively and naturally and all people who played deaf characters, including Cole are actually deaf or hard of hearing for real.
This movie is such an unsung classic. It’s one of those movies that makes you want to be a better person.
One of your BEST reactions, because you had such low/middling expectations and were invested and tearing up and on the edge of your seat (bed lol) throughout. It's a beautiful story of family and teachers and music. You came in unsure and came out in tears, and that is what a good movie is supposed to do.
I've been teaching for 32 years (music teacher)... this movie makes me cry every time...
English teacher, 30 years, and I get wrecked everytime I watch it as well. This movie is so amazing.
As a band student growing up, my most memorable teachers were my band teachers, especially my high school teacher. He was old school and I was the cocky freshman who thought he knew it all. He and I ended up having a great relationship by my senior year and I stopped back after boot camp to say hi. His funeral a couple of years later was hard and it was clear that despite his hard nosed teaching, he really was beloved.
Firm believer that every student should try being in the band. They were some of the best years of my life.
This is the only movie in my life that made me cry. I was in band, marching band, jazz band, and pep band. It was good times, even at band camp.
This movie isn't on my regular re-watch list, but I am a retired teacher and this movie really moved me when I originally saw it. Fellow teachers might understand the special connection to this one.
The young man in this movie in the 90s was Terrence Howard. Cassie, he was along side with Robert Downey Jr in first "Iron Man." Also, he was in "Prisoners," "Red Tails," and based on true story movie, "Pride."
MCU screwed Howard over for Iron Man 2...He was originally offered 8 million but because of Downey Jr's salary demands, the studio downgraded it to 1.
Ah yes, that's where I've seen him before. Thank you.
And recently tried to convince Joe Rogan that 1x1 = 2. No kidding.
@@adamjones5148 I heard differently, but I guess that will always be up in the air. Actor salaries are almost always ridiculous.
Now he's a crazy person!
One of my favourite movies of all time. So many tear jerking moments. The number one for me is hearing Gertrude play Stranger on the Shore perfectly for the first time. As a high school trumpet player, that resonated with me so hard. I struggled badly with nerves and not thinking I was good enough, and I can’t thank Mr Stubbs enough for taking the music away from me and making me play from memory with feeling. Great reaction ❤
Every time I listen to Beethoven's 7th, this is one of the movies I think of, because that scene when he talks about his son's deafness with his students just hits you in the heart.
"He couldn't hear. Of all people."
What a gut-wrenching line.
In my 56 years on this planet this is the one movie that brings tears to my eyes every time I see it. Thank you for doing this one.
I remember my middle school band teacher showing us this movie and sarcastically saying it’s the story of his life. My other classmates were whatever’s about it but I was so enthralled with this movie from start to finish. It honestly made me fall more in love with music. And I’ll always be grateful to my band teacher for not only showing me this beautiful movie, but also impacting my life the way Mr. Holland did
Also the storyline about his son always breaks my heart. The sad part is they advised against hand gestures (asl) because they believed kids who were deaf or mute would eventually just find their voice. So many parents started speaking out against this because they could not communicate with their kids. And this was around a time where people with any sort of disability were heavily stigmatized
Must have seen it four times throughout middle school in class. One of our favorite fall back activities, esp. as a reward for a good concert.
8 minutes in and i already have tears. My degree was music education and taught for only 4 years. I still hear from a few of my students 40 years later. Music brings people together, even when they don't know why. ❤
Opus literally means "Work", as in a work of art. And it's about more than a piece of music.
One of my favs ever, not just me, but also shared it with my Dad, who was in fact a teacher (not music) but he was a lot of his students 'favorite' - he even helped not only me, but friends of mine find and choose colleges. This film always reminds me of my Dad.
Rowena represented Mr. Holland's dreams. saying goodbye to her was saying goodbye to his dreams. that's why she wasn't at the retirement celebration at the end of the movie. his dreams left him years ago, never to return. His wife felt sad for him, that he never realized his dreams...
And why the wife wasn't mad at him.
I love the part where Mr. Holland is so stricken by John Lennon’s murder. It was such a tragic day for the world, and he captured the emotion perfectly, followed by a cathartic moment with Cole.
I was 16 when Lennon died. I felt the same way as Glenn Holland. My parents as well, especially my mom. I grew up singing "Hey, Jude" with her whenever it would come on the radio, or someone played it on the jukebox at the pizza place we used to go to all the time.
It was the first time I cried when I heard about a music artist dying. I had a similar reaction when David Bowie died, as well as Chris Squire (bassist for Yes) and Neil Peart (drummer and lyricist for Rush).
Literally the only time I ever saw my dad cry.
I was also around 16 and a huge beatles fan, and oddly enough our family was watching birth of the beatles in a hotel room when the new broke. We were all devastated. Elvis also died while we were on a family vacation and heard the news in a hotel room. Someone who who you connected with through their music can really hit hard. It was so ironic that a man who preached for peace and love was violently taken away from us before his time by a deranged psychopath. His songs on Double Fantasy were amazing and one can only imagine what could have come next for him on his journey back into the limelight.
@@jodonnell64 I was five when Lennon was killed. My parents were watching Monday Night Football, the Patriots were playing. When his death was announced my mother woke my sister and me up, turned down the TV, and played one Beatles song after another. It is one of my favorite (and earliest) memories.
John Lennon was murdered just 8 days before my father committed suicide. All the radio stations were playing Lennon and the Beatles all the time, so sadly, John Lennon became the soundtrack for the worst time in my life. 😢
Just like you... you touch each of us 384k...we are all better because of your vids... maybe you arent told this enough...but its true... bless you as well as your sister when she joins you...hugzzzz
Amen.
Yep, hours and hours of entertainment, laughter and tears shared through this channel. Your genuine spirit, silliness and fun as well as your kind heart have brightened many a day for me. So, thank you! ❤
I have a very deep connection to this film.
I've been playing music since I was 3. I grew up watching my Dad's band play, and fell in love with music. I played in high school band, jazz band, and multiple rock and metal bands since. Music has always been one of the most important parts of my life, my dreams, my passions, my very soul.
I am also a father and a husband. The struggle to balance life as an adult, as a dad, as a husband, and as a musician has always been a battle. Sometimes I win that battle, sometimes I lose it.
I would not trade my family for anything, and, much like Mr. Holland, I've had to learn to stay true to my heart and my passion for music while also not neglecting them and my responsibilities to support them, love them, guide them, and help them grow. In return, they have supported me in my music and I've been fortunate to have had, and continue to have, some amazing experiences in doing what I love (I now get paid rather handsomely to perform on a part-time basis).
It can be so hard to pull oneself away from something they care about so deeply to focus on the rest of life. This movie depicts those struggles so well.
Thanks for watching this movie and making this video.
This film is beautiful and I believe highly underrated.
I've also seen other reactors COMPLETELY misunderstand the whole storyline with Rowena and say he was gross and the movie was awful. But they simply don't understand.
As you said, he made the right choice in the end, choosing his family and his life there. But it's even more important to realize that it really wasn't Rowena herself that had him entranced, it was her talent, and ALL the possibilities she still had open to her. She represented all his broken and quashed dreams for himself. Running away with her was his last chance to live the life he'd always thought he wanted. But through looking at the pictures Iris had taken of them, he realized that he loved the life he had even though it wasn't perfect. He wasn't trying to be creepy with a student, he was pulled towards the possibilities and missed opportunities she represented for him. So many people miss that and just have a knee jerk reaction, immediately calling the film gross. 🙄
And here's my argument for "Mr. Holland's Opus" as the title. It goes back to the idea that he thought he was missing out on creating this great opus, his masterpiece, but really he was creating it all along. His whole life and everything he poured into it was his opus, that is the whole point of the movie. So, I like the title. 😁 This was a great reaction, glad you enjoyed it!
I have a soft spot for this movie because it's filmed in Oregon and that's where I went to high school and learned music. It was a simple life as in the movie yet a magical time. But also because this exact same thing happened to my grandfather, he taught kids to read for free on his free time and they gave him a surprise assembly thank-you celebration after then years.
Dreyfuss gained fame in a movie titled "The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz" and superstar status in "The Goodbye Girl" and "Jaws". This movie is a love letter to all teachers.
You MUST see him in "Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead". Tom Stoppard's work was bloody brilliant, and the film (under his direction) was wonderful. Dreyfuss was head of the traveling troupe of players.
@@Novastar.SaberCombat Yeah I love that film-but unless they are vaguely familiar with Hamlet they'll be SO confused/or miss some of the main themes of the film, by being distracted by the mention of Hamlet in it!
Thanks, I will watch it on your recommendation. I love Shakespeare so of course I know the characters, but have never seen the movie. "The play's the thing By which we'll catch the conscience of the king."
Don’t forget jaws!
tears. My dad was a music teacher for almost 30 years. He taught in two countries, and 9 schools. I wish he could have had a send off like this when he retired from teaching.
Best line of the night. "None of my treachers kissed me goodbye like that."
Always hits you with a gold Cassie-ism when you least expect it.
So then teachers DID kiss her goodbye?! 🫢
I went to a very small country school but we had the greatest music teacher. She taught generations of kids the love of music. Love this movie.
I just wanted to add this. Music is a language, it conveys emotion. When you hear a mournful song you feel it, when you hear a song of joy, you feel that. Great music touches us in our hearts. That is also why a good soundtrack can make a good movie great. Listen to the music of the movies that you loved and you will understand.
As a teacher myself, I can tell you this is one of my favorites. It really pulls at the old heart strings.
Opus is another word for masterpiece. I can’t think of a better title for this film.
My dad and I love this movie. My dad had a mr holland when he went to high school in the 70s. His name was Eric Hammer and he eventually became conservatory of music professor at University of the Pacific. I even met Eric Hammer on a choir trip in San Jose.
Thanks for watching this. I only have seen this when it was in theaters and it so affected me. I was a band geek - clarinet - and did marching band. Our band director is the one teacher who impacted me the most and taught me to be a leader.
Something I didn't notice the first time I watched this... If you pay attention to the background music throughout the course of the movie you will be hearing the individual parts of the symphony that he directs at the end. His life was music.
Yup. When the film itself is about music, the score OF the film is definitely something that needs to be absolutely spot-on. Hidden thematic underpinnings abound everywhere.
I've heard true stories about awesome teachers helping students. That being said, I went to 9 schools and not one teacher noticed my struggles. I dropped out junior year. Got my GED years later. This movie will always put hope in my heart for others.
Rowena Morgan was played by Louisa Kelly, and years later she would play Val "Iceman" Kilmer's wife in Top Gun: Maverick and despite 20+ years between the two movies it was like she didn't age a day.
She also played the troubled niece, Tia, in Uncle Buck a few years before this movie.
@@dsepan Holy crap, really? I never would've made that connection. The two characters look so different from each other. Not to mention the personalities of those two characters are so different.
…and starred in the TV sitcom, “Yes Dear”.
Not in the original movie, though. I never saw the remake so I was confused. 😁
@@pegatheetoo1437 Ummm…if you’re talking about Uncle Buck, I mean the original. I never saw the 2016 remake either.
Congrats, Cass.
You're watching an underappreciated classic.
Being the sweet soul that you are [and by the thumbnail itself], you were in for a delightful cinematic treat that will give you happy memories for many years to come.
Although it has a protagonist that deals with many hardships, the character arc of Mr. Holland is remarkable to watch.
Great job, Cass.
At the beginning, he’s been a freelance musician (composer/pianist/conductor) for years. Freelance musicians work a lot of nights and evenings. 7:30am rehearsals are pretty rare.
My Music Teacher literally changed my life. My personal life was a mess I was alone and then I tripped over Steve Vargo the Music teacher and I came to life . Met my future life met my best friends and the music shaped my life. One teacher is the reason I am alive with a spectacular life today. Just a guy Directing a Band at a small High School , he grew a generation of the best people I know. This Movie means so much to me and I am so glad you got to share it with all of us Thank You
I can’t lie, when I saw the bracket, I was rooting to Mr. Hollands Opus… and here we are. I was crying as you reviewed, such a beautiful classic.
I have another one, The Man from Snowy River.
An absolute favorite movie of mine! The top 5 in my 50 years. There’s a moment that some may miss that screams poignancy to me; the empty spot of “Class of 66” for Mr. Russ onstage at the playing of the opus. Being the grandson of a veteran, it grabs my heart.
The empty chair of “Class of 66” went right over my head and the funeral scene is part of the movie that always tares me up.. I'm of the age where kids in high school died in Vietnam that scene hits home hard.
Ive seen this wonderful film many times before and Cant believe I had never noticed that! Good spot. Stephen Herek the Director is very good at that sort of thing. He has a couple of very subtle camerawork misdirections in this film too.
Such a great movie. Another great teacher movie is "To Sir With Love" 1967 with Sidney Poitier
Absolutely! Also, Stand and Deliver.
Jean Louisa Kelly did a stage show at our regional theater. I remember her telling us she was going from the show to filming this movie. Kristin Chenowith was another then unknown, who performed at our theater to go on to a big career.
My wife teaches elementary school, started with 3rd grade now 5th grade. She loves seeing her former students grow up and do well in middle and high school and beyond.
I had lots of good teachers, but one in particular really changed my life. He taught high school history and geography. I learned so much about the world from him. He challenged me and taught me a lot about how to write well, which I consider the most important skill I ever learned. He encouraged me to go to college when I probably wouldn't have, otherwise. I loved it and excelled. I also met my wife there. Thank you, Mr. Boynton.
It's kind of funny that Alicia Witt, who played the girl he coached in playing the clarinet, was a musical prodigy and a classically trained pianist. So she could probably play circles around anyone on the set.
I was a music teacher. Because of this movie I got back into teaching after failing 15 years earlier out of college. I never regretted going back. When I got back into school band directing the year after this movie, my wife gave me a compass and I still have it. Now she says to use it so I can find my way back from the store😂 Richard Dreyfus was robbed of the Best Actor Oscar by Hollywood politics. i will say folks contrary to popular belief by common jerks, music is not for whimps, it takes dedication and guts and brains.
This movie does tell true story of Mr. Glenn Holland teaching high school students for 30 years, and his life.
Richard Dreyfus is one of the 50 best actors of all time groundbreaking film after groundbreaking film, after hit after hit. This film is very underrated and needs to be seen by parents and community's to see the damage by cutting the arts from high schools
I just love this movie so much. It’s not even about music really. It’s about life. How life very often doesn’t go the way you planned and it gives you challenges you never dreamed of facing. But that is the joy of life. You find a way to stay kind and make a positive difference as best you can. And that is so rewarding. This is one of my favorite movies ever.
This is actually one of my favorite Richard Dreyfuss films. It is so heartwarming and heartfelt. One of the major reasons why I wanted to learn sign language. And there's nothing that is more beautiful than memories that are brought to your mind by music. I also have many fond memories of my favorite teachers and it has been decades later and I can still see their faces and remember their words of wisdom. I hope this becomes one of your favorites as well
I taught high school Spanish for 20 years. My tears at the end are for my dad, and for all the students I have taught over the years.
Rowena was played by Jean Louisa Kelley. Cassie might remember her as Sarah Kazinski in Top Gun Maverick as well as the teenage girl Tia in Uncle Buck.
I remember Dreyfuss coming to our restaurant multiple times during filming. I served him drinks, seemed like a cool guy.
Taking music and creative arts out of school was one of the biggest mistakes. Look at the state of education now. 😢This movie is a Gem and his symphony gives me goosebumps everytime 💙😢
Wow, wasn't expecting this... Great reaction. I believe there's a Mr. Holland in all our lives at some time, and a Mr. Holland in all of us. Olympia Dukakis was so good in this.
I was 15 years old when I saw this with my grandmother in the theaters. To this day it still makes me cry.
I had a big crush on Mr Holland's wife. Lol
She does have kind of a 'perfect wife and mother' quality to her.
I saw this with a friend when it first came out. So meaningful and relatable.
My cousin was a music teacher in San Jose and after he passed from cancer they named the auditorium after him.
The depth of a teacher's influence is immeasurable.
Generational.
The cruelest joke to anyone whom loves a subject is to to have a child they can't share it with
I guess that is one way to look at it. Another is that perhaps it's an invitation to grow.
I love this movie. It always makes me cry. I had a few teachers who impacted my life so much. I struggled with reading in elementary school and one teacher helped me I love to read to this day, another was from Australia which fueled my love of geography and interested in other places in the world, and one who fueled my love of history. I love seeing Mr. Holland inspiring so many students. I love that they included a deaf character Cole my cousin was deaf and growing up around the same time. He faced many of the challenges Cole faced.
When Mr. Holland announced he was going to conclude with a song by John Lennon, I thought, "SWEET JESUS, DON'T LET IT BE 'IMAGINE!'" When it turned out to be "Beautiful Boy," I felt overcome with a gratitude that came from the deepest part of my soul.
Why not imagine
I have always hated 'Imagine'. They did use it in another part of the movie though.
@@libertyresearch-iu4fy WHY? It's a beautiful song, Just curious as to why you hate it,
@@patticrichton1135 It is a Communist manifesto.
It was a perfect name because THEY were his Opus ......he had been working on his Opus his whole life he just didn't know it....
This movie came out in 1995, the year I graduated high school, and pushed me into teaching. I can safely say that after 24 years in education, it was the right choice. Each one of us creates a tapestry that is chaotic and messy on the side nobody sees, but a work of art on the side everyone sees. The only thanks you get are from the students.....their faces when they finally understand something.....the expressions of gratefulness when the graduate.....the notes from former students who graduate college and say they got through it all because of you.
Gertrude Lang is played by Alicia Witt, famously known for her role as Alia Atreides in David Lynch's Dune.
...as well as a short-lived villian in the walking dead!
And the daughter in Cybill.
Except there are two actresses who played the character.
@@libertyresearch-iu4fy The teenage Gertrude
His wife Iris, telling him, after he was frustrated, Trying to do his best, only to be told "Well your best isn't good enough"; was such a hard-hitting, deep-stabbing insult to his efforts,.. only for him at least to see how many deeply appreciated his attention, filling up the theatre seating at the end of the movie, letting him perform as the conductor for the American Symphony, fulfilling his other, original dream.
As a former teacher and parent to a nonverbal, autistic child, this movie hits close to home.
Alicia Witt, the clarinet player who became a governor is a classically trained concert pianist , I didn't know she could play the clarinet also. She later costarred in Cybill with Cybill Shepherd and Christine Barranskis who won emmies for her quirky character. Alicia Witt also had a supporting role in 8 weeks notice with Hugh Grant and Sandra Bullock so this was a while ago. Loved your reaction... don't cry shop girl.
I'm over 50 and have always wanted to play an instrument. So I started taking piano lessons. I guess we will see if and old dog can learn new tricks.
Good for you but 50 is not old I'm 70 and am learning the bagpipes,If not now then when?
You can…I taught people over 50.
My dad was a music teacher for many years. My brothers and I were among his students. When Dad passed away, I can't tell you the amount of his former students who told me how much of an impact he had on their lives. So yeah, this movie always gets me too. And so does the song "Leader of the Band" by Dan Fogelberg.
Man, I haven't seen this movie in a looong time. It was wonderful to see it again with you. Truly uplifting. My favorite line: "No teacher ever said goodbye to me like that."
Saw this in the theater when it came out - on a military base. 300 people, mostly men, base theater. There was a symphony of sniffles in the last 15 minutes.
Another "The Miracle Worker" 1962 , true story of Helen Keller during her childhood (1880- 1968) born deaf and blind ,political activist and lecturer, stared Patty Duke and Anne Bancroft.
And written by the late Bill Gibson, a woodpile relation of mine. Not to be confused with the sci-fi author of the same name.
Also a good remake in '79, with Patty Duke playing Anne Sullivan and Melissa Gilbert (then of Little House on the Prairie fame) playing Helen Keller. It was cool seeing Patty Duke do both roles, almost 20 years apart.
- Iris Holland was played by the late Glenne Headly. She was an amazing actress who passed at 62 in 2017. Among her bigger films: Dirty Rotten Scoundrels with Steve Martin & Michael Caine; Dick Tracy with Warren Beatty as the title character, and she played Tracy's love, Tess Trueheart (an underrated comic book movie in my opinion); 2 Days in the Valley, and Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen. Of all of her movies...Dirty Rotten Scoundrels is a MUST SEE! It's hysterically funny!
- Gertrude was played by Alicia Witt, who is actually a piano prodigy. Her first film was David Lynch's Dune, she was 8 years old and played Paul Atreides's sister, Alia. She still acts and tours her music. Some of her best work: Last Holiday with Queen Latifah, Two weeks Notice with Sandra Bullock & Hugh Grant, and the 1990s sitcom, Cybil. She's also done a bunch of Hallmark Christmas romance movies. The older Gertrude, the governor, was played by Tony Award -winning actress Joanna Gleeson, who has made films, but is best known for her role as The Baker's Wife in the original production of Stephen Sondheim's Into the Woods, the role that won her the Tony for Best Actress in a Musical, and it is easily found on TH-cam.
- You recognized Lou, the drummer because he was played by Terrence Howard, the first Col. James "Rhodey" Rhodes aka War Machine in Iron Man (but he never got in the suit). He was replaced by Don Cheadle. He was also in the hit series Empire, and has done tons of other stuff. One of his best movies was Hustle & Flow, about an aspiring rapper.
- Rowena Morgan was played by Jean Louisa Kelly, who would later do a film version of one of New York's longest running musicals, The Fantasticks. She made more of a name for herself doing sitcoms like Yes, Dear. However, she did also play Sarah Kazansky, wife of Admiral Tom "Iceman" Kazansky in Top Gun Maverick.
I can't say enough how much I love this movie. I play in a local concert band, basically an adult version of this. At our Christmas concert, we played a song specifically dedicated to our conductor. It immediately made me think of the end here. Only It's a Wonderful Life's ending matches the power of the end of the film for me.