Mr. Holland s Opus is a 1995 American drama film directed by Stephen Herek, produced by Ted Field, Robert W. Cort, and Michael Nolin, and written by Patrick Sheane Duncan. The film stars Richard Dreyfuss in the title role of Glenn Holland, a dedicated high-school music teacher who attempts to compose his own music while struggling to balance his job and life with his wife and profoundly deaf son. The cast also includes Glenne Headly, Olympia Dukakis, William H. Macy, and Jay Thomas.

The film was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay. Richard Dreyfuss received nominations for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama and the Academy Award for Best Actor.

Plot

In the fall of 1964, 30-year-old Glenn Holland is a successful and talented musician and composer from Portland, Oregon. He switches gears, taking a position as a music teacher at John F. Kennedy High School so that he can spend more time with his young wife Iris and work on his symphony. The film covers his 30-year teaching career, set amongst the changes in American society.

Holland at first struggles in his new job, but learns how to connect with his students by using rock and roll and other popular music to convince them that music is a fun and worthwhile pursuit. He becomes a popular teacher at the school and rises to the task of creating a school marching band with help from the football coach, Bill Meister, with whom he becomes lifelong friends. Holland persuades principal Helen Jacobs to maintain funding for the school s arts programs, despite a shrinking budget and the objections of vice principal Gene Wolters.

The time Holland devotes to his classes, the marching band, orchestra, productions and mentoring both struggling and talented students leaves him little time to work on his symphony, or to spend with his family. When his son, Cole, is found to be deaf, he is severely disappointed that he will never be able to share his love of music. He fails to learn American Sign Language properly, leaving him unable to communicate with his son and creating a rift between him and Iris, who has to raise Cole mostly by herself. As the years progress, Holland grows closer to his students at Kennedy High and more distant from his own son. An argument with his teenage son finally makes Holland realize the error of his ways and he learns to communicate with his son and help him visualize the music he can t hear, and repairs his relationship with his wife.

In 1995, Principal Wolters shuts down the school s arts programs, citing further cuts from the Education Board and the need to prioritize reading, writing and math, and Holland is laid off as a result. Holland makes an impassioned plea to the Board to no avail and becomes despondent, believing that his teaching career has amounted to nothing. On his last day, Holland s wife and son, now a teacher himself, help him clear out his office and take him to the auditorium. It is packed full of current and former students who greet him with a standing ovation. Gertrude Lang, a struggling clarinetist from Holland s first year teaching, who is now Governor of Oregon, gives a speech praising Mr. Holland, that his legacy is more than just the symphony; it is all the people he has helped and influenced over 30 years. She joins past members of the school s orchestra, who have been practicing the symphony, on stage. Mr. Holland conducts them in its premiere performance.

Cast

• Richard Dreyfuss as Glenn Holland, a composer who becomes a music teacher at John F. Kennedy High School.
• Glenne Headly as Iris Holland, Glenn s wife.
• Jay Thomas as Bill Meister, the gym teacher and coach of John F. Kennedy High School s football team who befriends Glenn.
• Olympia Dukakis as Principal Helen Jacobs, the principal of John F. Kennedy High School, who retires in 1972.
• William H. Macy as Vice Principal Gene Wolters, the vice-principal of John F. Kennedy High School who later becomes principal in 1972.
• Jean Louisa Kelly as Rowena Morgan, a talented singer who seeks to embark on a showbiz career.
• Joanna Gleason as Gertrude Lang, an aspiring clarinet player who eventually becomes the governor of Oregon. Alicia Witt as younger Gertrude Lang
• Alicia Witt as younger Gertrude Lang
• Damon Whitaker as Bobby Tidd, one of Glenn s students. Forest Whitaker as adult Bobby Tidd (uncredited)
• Forest Whitaker as adult Bobby Tidd (uncredited)
• Terrence Howard as Louis Russ, a football player and wrestler who becomes a bass drum player in the marching band.
• Alexandra Boyd as Sarah Olmstead, a drama teacher.
• Anthony Natale as Coltrane Cole Holland (age 28), Glenn and Iris son, who is 90% deaf. Joseph Anderson as Coltrane Cole Holland (age 15) Nicholas John Renner as Coltrane Cole Holland (age 6)
• Joseph Anderson as Coltrane Cole Holland (age 15)
• Nicholas John Renner as Coltrane Cole Holland (age 6)
• Beth Maitland as Deaf School Principal, the principal of a deaf school that Cole is enrolled in.

Production

The movie was written by Patrick Sheane Duncan, directed by Stephen Herek, and was filmed in and around Portland, Oregon, with many exterior and interior scenes taking place at Ulysses S. Grant High School. Other scenes were filmed in Portland s St. Johns neighborhood and Hollywood District.

Archival footage

Archival footage seen in the film includes:

• Martin Luther King Jr. s speech
• Robert and John F. Kennedy
• Woodstock
• Vietnam War
• Richard Nixon s resignation speech
• The Rocky Horror Picture Show
• Saturday Night Fever
• Stop Making Sense
• Murder of John Lennon
• Disco Demolition Night at Comiskey Park

Music

The film features an orchestral score by Michael Kamen and many pieces of classical music. Kamen also wrote An American Symphony ( Mr. Holland s Opus ), the work on which Mr. Holland is shown working throughout the movie. Kamen s arrangement won the 1997 Grammy for Best Instrumental Arrangement.

Soundtrack releases

Two soundtrack albums were released for this film in January 1996. One is the original motion picture score, and includes all of the original music written for the film by Michael Kamen. The second album is a collection of popular music featured in the film:

Reception

Box office

In the United States, gross domestic takings totaled US$82,569,971. International takings are estimated at US$23,700,000, for a gross worldwide takings of $106,269,971. Rental totals reached $36,550,000 in the US. Although the film is included among 1995 box-office releases (it ranks as the 14th-most successful film of that year), it was only released in a few theatres in New York and Los Angeles on December 29, 1995, because Disney felt, accurately, that Richard Dreyfuss performance had a good chance of getting an Oscar nomination if it beat that year s in-theatre deadline.

Critical

The film holds a 75% Fresh rating from 28 reviews at Rotten Tomatoes. The site s consensus states: A feel-good story brought to life by a terrific ensemble cast, Mr. Holland s Opus plucks the heartstrings without shame — and with undeniable skill. CinemaScore reported that audiences gave the film a rare A+ grade. The New York Times film review cited Dreyfuss for a warm and really touching performance ; Variety also called his performance quite effective and surprisingly restrained . Variety further noted the nostalgic aura that permeates the film, which encourages viewers to think fondly of — and pay tribute to — the one teacher in their lives who made a difference . Roger Ebert gave the film 3 1/2 out of 4 stars, commending its starring and supporting casts and agreeing with the film s message of the ability of high school teachers to inspire their students, as well as the importance of cultural offerings on the curriculum.

Writer Patrick Sheane Duncan was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay at the 53rd Golden Globe Awards. Dreyfuss was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor and the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama.

Accolades

The film is recognized by American Film Institute in this list:

• 2006: AFI s 100 Years…100 Cheers – Nominated

The Mr. Holland s Opus Foundation

Inspired by the motion picture, its composer, Michael Kamen, founded The Mr. Holland s Opus Foundation in 1996 as his commitment to the future of music education.

Musical Version

A world premiere musical version adapted from Duncan s screenplay will be staged from August 12 to September 17, 2022 at the Ogunquit Playhouse in Ogunquit, Maine. Book, lyrics and direction are by Tony Award winner BD Wong with music by Wayne Barker.

Year	1995
ReleaseDate	1996-01-19
RuntimeMins	143
RuntimeStr	2h 23min
Plot	A frustrated composer finds fulfillment as a high school music teacher.
Awards	Nominated for 1 Oscar, 5 wins & 5 nominations total
Directors	Stephen Herek
Writers	Patrick Sheane Duncan
Stars	Richard Dreyfuss, Glenne Headly, Jay Thomas
Produced by	Robert W. Cort,Patrick Sheane Duncan,Ted Field,Judith James,Scott Kroopf,Michael Nolin,William Teitler
Music by	Michael Kamen
Cinematography by	Oliver Wood
Film Editing by	Trudy Ship
Casting By	Sharon Bialy
Production Design by	David Nichols
Art Direction by	Dina Lipton
Set Decoration by	Jan K. Bergstrom
Costume Design by	Aggie Guerard Rodgers
Makeup Department	Ken Chase,Martin Vinnie Hagood,Susan V. Kalinowski,Mary L. Pyanowski,Gerald Quist,Werner Sherer,JoJo Myers Proud,Lizbeth Williamson
Production Management	Jeffrey Downer,Geno Escarrega,Ira Halberstadt,William Teitler
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director	Steve Boyum,Michael Greenwood,Jeff Okabayashi,Jeffrey Wetzel,Leslie Bloom
Art Department	Michael Atwell,Larry Boyd,John Ceniceros,Kobe Enright,Shari Griffin,Shane Hawkins,Michael Kolb,Alan Locke,Alan Manzer,Brian Markey,Robert D. McClung,Greg McMickle,Jeff Seats,Nicholas Starin,Bob Warner,Jennifer Croyle,Ken Erck,Michael McCombe,Marc Rosenblatt,Kai Shelton,Sean Skelding,Bradley Thordarson,Taylor Yingling
Sound Department	Carmen Baker,Tim Chau,Kay Colvin,Kirk Francis,Richard C. Franklin,Albert Gasser,Phil Gitomer,David Hewitt,Hilda Hodges,Chris Jargo,Nils C. Jensen,Doc Kane,David Kern,Stephanie D. Krivacek,Mary Jo Lang,Donald J. Malouf,Sean McClintock,Mel Metcalfe,Donald Ortiz,Terry Porter,Dave Roberts,John Roesch,Earl Sampson,Philip J. Slattery,Thomas Whiting,Dean A. Zupancic,Allen Hurd,Steve Mann
Special Effects by	Bob Riggs,Ray Brown,Charles A. Carlsen
Stunts	Steve Boyum,Tyler C. Daum,Michael Steve Jones,John Killeen,J.R. Knotts,Mark Knotts,Matt McBride,Gary McLarty,J.N. Roberts,Jimmy N. Roberts,Jonah Tennant
Camera and Electrical Department	William D. Barber,Alex Bellen,James B. Crawford,Michael Gall,Taj Gombart,Glenn R. Hale,Steve Itano,Gene Kearney,David R. Kohn,Gemma La Mana,Michael Laws,David Luckenbach,Rob Morey,Bob Munoz,Nick Papanickolas,Damon B. Sarafian,Michael T. Travers,Kelly Way,Gary Yahn,Michael Baird,Steve Bellen,Leonard Romie,Vicki Siamas,Dana Swartout
Casting Department	Susan Booker,Yvonne Couture,Leonard Finger,Kelly M. Gabbert,Mickie McGowan,Don Campeau,Patti Carns Kalles,Jason James,Laurie Levine,Danny Stoltz
Costume and Wardrobe Department	Linda Henrikson,Taneia Lednicky,Marychris Mass,Deedee Montesanto,Mark Peterson,Craig Bilodeau,Leslie Gilbertson,Marienne O Brien
Editorial Department	Trevor Cable,Susan Chernus,Carrie Elizabeth Foresman,Robert Grahamjones,David Orr,Tatiana S. Riegel,Erin Scully,Tara Timpone,Bryan H. Carroll,Sandra Kaufman,Jim Suhy
Location Management	Don Baldwin,Trevor Cable,Joanna Guzzetta
Music Department	Chris M. Allport,Kristen Autry,Richard Bissill,Sharon Boyle,Christopher Brooks,Andy Brown,John Carrington,Erin,David Flower,Vic Fraser,Barklie K. Griggs,David Heckendorn,John Houlihan,James R. Iafrati,Patricia Isacson,Michael Kamen,Michael Lang,The London Metropolitan Orchestra,Jeff Mann,Guy Massey,Stephen McLaughlin,David Sabee,Dawn Solér,Albert Swanson,Seattle Symphony Orchestra,Rick Waritz,Andy Warwick,Mark Berrow,Michael Kamen,Jim Keltner,Robert Puff,Michael T. Ryan,Jonathan Sacks
Script and Continuity Department	Adrienne Hamalian-Mangine,Stephen Metcalfe
Transportation Department	Sonny Aprile,Tyler C. Daum,Mark A. James,Matt Rask
Additional Crew	Audrey Bamber,Linda Bloom-Hedine,Samuel Bokebza,Sue Bokobza,Richard J. Brewer,John Carson,Kelly M. Casey,Jill R. Cohen,Ken Cosci,Jorge Esqueda,April Fitzsimmons,Ann Flannery,Michael A. Helfant,Steve Jones,Carl J. Kirchner,Andrew Lipschultz,Amy London,Charles Lyons,Patty MacDonald,Bruce McDonald,Valerie Mickaelian Kucera,Linda Sasser,Nina Saxon,Rick Scheil,Stacey Siegel,Laura Tateishi,Terrylene,Craig Walker,David H. Wino Weinstein,Suzanne Welch,Marianne Wells,Melissa Wiechmann,Barbara Zipperman,Jesse Blanco,Lisa Butala,Sonia Y. Dawson,Jesse V. Johnson,Anne Lockhart,Christopher Mead,Tonya Richardson
Thanks	Michael Kuhn,Alain Lévy,Seattle Symphony Orchestra,Darryl Tucker
Genres	Drama, Music
Companies	Hollywood Pictures, Interscope Communications, Polygram Filmed Entertainment
Countries	USA
Languages	English, American Sign Language
ContentRating	PG
ImDbRating	7.3
ImDbRatingVotes	39539
MetacriticRating	59
Keywords	teaching,high school,1990s,deafness,high school teacher