story of our lives

Rating: 7/10 (24 October 2005)

Yeah yeah, I know that it is overtly sentimental and the kind of film that you feel embarrassed to admit that you liked but what the heck? I think sometimes it's good to drop your guards, just be yourself and enjoy whatever it is even if it means wetting a couple of tissues. But having said this, I think the sentiments shown in the movie are quite genuine and at least I didn't feel that I was watching a mush.
I have always felt that true teachers, the ones that really inspire you, could be counted on your fingers of your left hand. Richard Dreyfuss plays one such music teacher who would not hesitate to play rock n roll in a class of classical music, if it helps his students to understand and appreciate music better. Richard Dreyfuss is absolutely convincing in this role of Mr. Holland that spans 30 years of his career.
Actually Mr. Holland is a composer who has taken up teaching just to pay his bills. He wants to be rich and famous and has been working on a symphony that would help him achieve that but that's not how it turns out to be. He is not rich and not famous, certainly not outside his small community. Is he a failure? The story of our lives (at least most of us).