Mr. Holland's Opus

This is not a movie about scripts and plots. The plot is rote, predictable, almost trite. The script is as by-the-beat as the music Mr. Holland teaches. There are a million “under-respected teacher doesn’t see his/her impact until they retire/lose their job” movies. This is Dead Poets Society with more saccharine and less suicide. It’s not original in any way. But what it has are truly strong performances by everyone. From Jay Thomas as the buddy, to Alicia Witt as the first student he mentors, to Jean Louisa Kelly as the ingenue singer, to William H Macy as the uptight ass teacher-turned-principal. And of course, Richard Dreyfuss as Holland. They all manage to elevate basic material into a tear-jerking character study. It’s a well done, if wholly unoriginal movie, good for a night of uplifting, Hallmark-feel-good entertainment