Mr. Holland’s Opus

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.

Summary
A man is putting in much effort into his job as a public high school music teacher while at the same time trying to his best to understand sign language for his deaf son.

Why It Rocks

 * 1) The acting is amazing and well-performed, especially from Richard Dreyfus as Mr. Glenn Holland and Glenn’s Headley as his wife, Iris.
 * 2) The idea of a music teacher teaching his students about the magic of music while at the same time learning sign language to get closer to his deaf son is very original.
 * 3) Many amazing, well-executed and powerful scenes, like the scene where Richard Dreyfus sings John Lennon’s “Beautiful Boy” in dedication of his son, Cole, the parade scene or when Mr. Holland say’s goodbye to one of his students, Rowena.
 * 4) Well-done cinematography.
 * 5) Interesting relatable characters, especially Mr. Holland, his students, his wife, Iris, and their deaf son, Cole.
 * 6) The ending is incredibly heartwarming as the whole school say’s good bye to Mr. Holland and he is reunited with several of his past students as he finally gets one last moment to perform his “opus”.
 * 7) Spectacular writing for a coming-of-age like story.
 * 8) Awesome character and story-development.
 * 9) It tackles on some serious, real-life issues (like parenting and learning to how to adjust in life while deaf) and takes it on very well.
 * 10) The pacing is brilliant.
 * 11) Cole was played by an actual deaf actor when portraying his 28-year old self (Anthony Natale) as well as his 15-year old self (Joseph Anderson) and they all give amazing performances.
 * 12) It was shot entirely in the film's setting of Portland, Oregon.

Reception
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.