PG | 2h 23min | Drama , Music | 29 December 1995
A frustrated composer finds fulfillment as a high school music teacher.
Director: Stephen Herek
Stars: Richard Dreyfuss, Glenne Headly, Jay Thomas, Olympia Dukakis, William H. Macy.
Watched online, good print.
27 songs in the Soundtracks.
Well-crafted & executed biography of a fictional teacher; covers his entire career (and home life) with representative highlights. Good tearjerker if you're so inclined.
The ending, taking place in '95, with the slashing of music/art/drama at his school, then the big assembly of past and current students performing his "American Symphony" (which ain't gonna set the world afire), is a big distraction from the budget slash. Especially strange: they made one of his former students the current governor of the state (who comes to MC the assembly and plays her clarinet in the symphony), and no indication that priorities will be realigned and the arts restored. So they sugar-coated a very harsh pill. I suppose they would have considered finding $$ for the arts would be a too Hollywood-cute happy ending. This would be more useful as a tale to warn people not to slash those budgets? Only if everyone had a Mr. Holland getting cut. Ugh.
Not really something I want to see again.
Rated 7.3 by ~33k IMDb voters.
distr. Buena Vista, dir. Herek; 8
