Mr Holland’s Opus is a wonderful, ‘feel-good’ story about a young man who wants to compose music… but takes a job teaching music in a school to provide a reliable income. It’s only ever going to be temporary, or so he thinks at first. But the years roll by, and he finds himself more and more drawn into the life of the school, making an incredible difference to many of the students.

There’s a whole other storyline involving Mr Holland’s wife and son, which is incredibly moving, and brings tears to the eyes at times even seeing it for the second or third time.

If you like films with fast car chases, great excitement, sex and violence, then don’t bother with this. But for those who like a slower pace of life, who are interested in schools, or music, or great characterisation, I would highly recommend this. Mr Holland is played brilliantly by Richard Dreyfuss, as realistic at sixty as he is at the start of the film.