Teaching isn't easy

Rating: Null/10 (11 June 2016)

Taking a position as a high school music teacher in order to pay the bills, an aspiring composer finds the job unexpectedly challenging but also unexpectedly rewarding in this Oscar nominated drama starring Richard Dreyfuss. The film gets off to a solid start with Dreyfuss discovering his every preconception of teaching challenged; there is no "free time", "high school is not a democracy" and it is absolutely impossible to leave campus at the same time as his students do. The movie missteps though by not spending more time on this section of his journey; before long, Dreyfuss transforms into an obsessively motivated teacher who has simply come to accept the demands of the job. A deaf son is eventually thrown into the mix to give Dreyfuss a chance to realise how his obsession with his job is negatively impacting on home life, but there is nothing especially novel or exciting about this plot development. A maudlin music score does not help matters either. In fact, were it not for its towering lead performance, 'Mr. Holland's Opus' would be difficult to endure. Fortunately, Dreyfuss is in fine form, credibly ageing over 30 years during the course of the movie. The film also does a good job capturing his reactions to various historical events over the three decades portrayed on screen (his grief over John Lennon's death is highly memorable). Whether this alone is enough to render the film worth viewing may vary per viewer. Clocking in at nearly two and half hours long, the film is not an easy, breezy watch, but fans of its lead actor might well find it worthwhile.