Living with the sadness as well as the joy

Rating: 10/10 (10 December 2016)

I can't think of too many movies that transition so beautifully over a long period of time. 30 years in the case of "Mr Holland's Opus".
Much of this is down to Richard Dreyfuss as Mr Holland. He seems to age in an unselfconscious manner, covering not only the time span, but also the emotional range.
Mr Holland starts out a little self-focused, but grows in character as he overcomes the hurdles life throws up. He wanted to be a composer, but becomes a music teacher. From an ordinary teacher he becomes a good one and then an inspirational one. His dreams for his only child are shattered, but eventually their relationship becomes stronger through adversity. As he begins to take his wife for granted, he is drawn to a young student whose freshness contrasts with the difficult period he is experiencing. However, he realises where his heart lies, and his relationship with his wife is strengthened.
There are many lump in the throat moments in the film, because it's so easy to relate to.
No doubt liberties were taken with some of Mr Holland's teaching methods, but the film celebrates a love of music as was Mr Holland's intention with his students.
Along with the music of the era, Michael Kamen's score carries us seamlessly through the highs and the lows. I'm sure any film composer would have loved to have composed the music for the film as it is more integral to the story than most scoring assignments.
Richard Dreyfuss has obviously handled some demons in his life, but he has also made some profound observations on the art of acting and filmmaking that sum it up better than just about anyone I've ever heard.
His intuition and insightfulness helped him bring Mr Holland to life.
"Mr Holland's Opus" captures a truth that was summed up perfectly by Elia Kazan in discussing the work of playwright William Inge, "He had learned from his own life that you have to accept limited happiness, because all happiness is limited, and to expect perfection is the most neurotic thing of all; you must live with the sadness as well as the joy."