I was starting to think that I shouldn't bother seeing any more films about inspirational teachers. They're usually enjoyable, but they threaten to run together after a while. MHO triggered a further alarm by having a pretty long runtime: 2:23. I did note that Glenn Holland was a music teacher, but would school band music soothe me enough to sustain my interest? Then I remembered how much fun it was to watch Richard Dreyfuss in The Goodbye Girl and made up my mind.
The film begins in the early '60s, when Holland joins the faculty of a high school newly renamed after JFK. He just wants to pay the bills while hoping for his big break as an orchestral composer, but teaching is not for the half-hearted. The students seem even less-hearted, if you will, until he figures out how to speak their musical language -- to the dismay of the principal (Olympia Dukakis) and especially the vice principal (William H. Macy), who fear backlash from rock 'n' roll-hating parents. After that, Holland nearly forgets his ambitions, continuing to teach for the next three decades.
As in Goodbye, Mr. Chips, there have to be multiple arcs to keep the fire going. A clarinetist with self-esteem issues who needs private lessons develops unhealthy feelings for Holland. His friend the gym coach calls on him for a favor in teaching an academically challenged athlete (a young Terrence Howard) to play in the band.
The most heartbreaking arc concerns Holland's only child, Coltrane, born deaf. Not since There Will Be Blood have I seen anyone have so much trouble loving a deaf son. His wife calls him on how little time he allots to do things with Cole or even learn sign language. Teaching does make one busy, but the words "Your best isn't good enough" are true enough to repeat.
What started as a run-of-the-mill teacher drama wound up touching me deeply. I choked up at the last scene or two, in a pleasant way. If I don't watch any more of this subgenre, at least I ended on a good note. No pun intended.
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