Made to benefit serious musicians, Mr. Holland's Opus does this, but at the expense of including any artistic music in the film

Rating: Null/10 (25 July 2000)

Artistic composer Glenn Holland says: `I don't wanna be a studio musician.' Though it was 5 years ago, I still remember that I was the only person in the theater who laughed at this line. Why is it funny? Imagine a trained Shakespearian actor auditioning for Scooby Doo voice-overs. This is the sentiment behind Holland's subtly sardonic line.
Though Opus tries to be serious concerning the struggles of America's artistic musicians, its lack of musical authenticity (the lack of truly artistic music within it) directs its voice towards non-musicians. This may well have been deliberate since much of the funding for musical art must come from such lay people. The underlying issue, however, reveals the fact that most Americans clearly are not in the least bit interested in serious music nor traditional (classical) music education. Most Americans prefer non-serious music.
Nevertheless, Opus was made by producers who apparently wish to use the film's melodramatic chutzpah to interest the nation in music education & its funding needs. There is irony in the fact that many of today's popular music artists are much less musically devoted than they are well versed in the business of music. Here is where music entertainment, not music art, is revealed as America's predominant music culture. Aside from the line above, the film doesn't address this issue. What it does address is the related issue of public school music education. It is related because many of America's artistic musicians make their livings as music educators.
There are reviewers below who disliked Opus while others are perplexed since they liked the film. The latter are correct; there is nothing wrong with a melodramatic film that is more melodramatic than it is faithful to musical ideology. But the fact that this melodramatic film with little insight into serious educational music was made into a political statement in defense of our nation's music education causes some of the musically faithful to call "foul." Those offended are apparently unaware of the misrepresentation sometimes necessary in political attempts to influence people who need to be pushed into helping the needy & high minded.
Everything about Opus is like a liberal campaign with the best of intentions & the ability to connive its way into the hearts of taxpaying citizens. The film was made not by devoted artistic/educational musicians but by experienced film businessmen. These entertainment industry men hired The Seattle Symphony Orchestra & The Young Musicians Foundation Orchestra so as obviously to make themselves appear affiliated with artistic and educational music culture. The film was ostensibly about a frustrated, unemployed music composer, but all of the actual music in the film was composed by a successful music businessman whose achievements include the "Die Hard" film soundtracks. A few die-hard purist musicians get upset (reviews below) over these inconsistencies. Yet the more upset they get, the more they may be biting the hands that are attempting to feed them.
As I watched Dreyfuss making his speech on music education at the Oscars, I thought: That's an actor. What does he know about music? I had the same thoughts as I watched this film. This is the problem with being a musician who likes films. It's like being an astrophysicist trying to appreciate Star Wars.
Clearly, Opus is not a film easily digested by us serious musicians, despite the fact that its political aspirations are an attempt to aid us. The ironies abound in this situation. Such musicians are apt to disagree with its tagline: `It's not about the direction you take. It's about the direction you give.' It's the individualism found amongst serious classical music composers that is at odds with this very American morale. Couple this dispute with our current "we" generation, its distaste for egocentricity, and we find such serious composers veritable outsiders, indeed degenerates, in the opinions of mainstream Americans. It is not a pretty place to live, and the first few scenes of Opus illustrate this hardship. Holland also said: "I don't wanna be a music teacher," but he became one and in the end the community said "no thanks, we don't want a music teacher." Pretty tough stuff.
For the political campaign to aid artistic & educational music, by all means see this film & afterwards contribute what you can to the cause. However, for real artistic & educational music, I recommend "Leonard Bernstein's Young People's Concerts" & other such videos containing real artistic & educational music, many of which may be found listed here at IMDb.