Mr. Holland's Opus

Mr. Holland's Opus follows Glenn Holland, a musician who takes a job teaching music at a high school while he works toward composing a major piece of his own. What begins as a way to pay the bills turns into a decades-long commitment, as Holland discovers a talent for teaching and a growing bond with generations of students. His ambitions as a composer and his responsibilities as a teacher and family man pull him in different directions over the years.

Stephen Herek directed the film, the sixth of nineteen he has directed, coming between The Three Musketeers and 101 Dalmatians. Patrick Sheane Duncan wrote the screenplay, and Richard Dreyfuss leads the cast as Holland, alongside Glenne Headly, Jay Thomas, Olympia Dukakis, William H. Macy and Alicia Witt. The production involved 66 credited cast members and 58 credited crew.

Released in late 1995, the film runs 143 minutes and was made for a budget of 31 million dollars, going on to earn around 106 million dollars worldwide. On IMDb it holds a rating of 7 out of 10, while on TMDB it also sits at 7 out of 10 from roughly 470 votes. A critics' rating of 6.8 out of 10 from 28 reviews puts professional assessments close to the audience response.