Silly Mr. Holland’s Opus question
March 3, 2007 8 Comments
I recently lucked into another showing of Mr. Holland’s Opus on cable. That movie arguably changed my life and played a major role in my choice of career, but that’s a story for another day.
There’s one question that has always bothered me about that movie, though. I thought I’d ask it here, even though the only result of doing so is likely to be just the opportunity to vent my frustration. I’ve looked online for the answer and never found it.
** Spoiler alert **
At the end of the movie, when everyone comes back for the celebration in the auditorium, we see many of Mr. Holland’s former students. The most prominent one is, of course, Gertrude Lang who he taught to “play the sunset” and eventually became governor.
My question is, whatever happened to Rowena? There was foreshadowing about her all over the place. She got on the bus to New York to become a singer. Mr. Holland himself said that one day we’d all say we knew her when.
So what happened? Did she make it? Did she become successful? Was she unavailable at the end because she was in a show somewhere? Or did something dark and terrible happen to her?
I’ve always wanted to know. If anyone here knows, please tell me.
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I am watching MHO right now and was wondering the same thing, so I googled the question.
One of three things happened.
1. Something dark or shaded at least. I don’t want to think about that scenario.
2. She received the name of a friend of Mr. Holland. So, that lays the foundation for some type of communication. Some way for Mr. Holland to at least know if she “made it”. Maybe she did, but Mrs. Holland just didn’t want to invite her…
3. Rowena, grew up and came to the conclusion that though she did “love” Mr. Holland, she had acted foolishly. She grew to look back at that little moment of her life as very embarrassing and therefor chose to forget it and not “return” to that time.
Maybe she realized what a great man Mr. Holland truly was, because he did not take advantage of a wide eyed young lady.
Even after she heard about the reunion, she could not bring herself to return.
I’m hoping there’s one other possibility. She’s the lead actress in a Broadway show and had a performance that evening. Or maybe she’s on a TV series, or doing a movie, or touring Europe, or something like that. She simply couldn’t get there that night.
Maybe she went totally goth, spiked her nose, joined a screamo band that went double platinum, and she was on the way but arrived too late because they got lost.
What an entrance that would have made.
I just wish they’d tied up that loose end.
that old movie came back on.
i was wondering the same question.
obviously, the author or authors wanted to leave that as a suspenseful open ending.
like “which of the two doors did the one he walk through lead?”.
Ive always hated those endings.
I’m wondering of course what the authors had in mind?
thats my next search to hunt them down
I think it was just an writing or editing blunder. They simply failed to close the loop, even if merely with a vague hint, at what happened to Rowena. It could have been done very easily and quickly–a note of regret at not being able to attend for some reason, such as a play or TV or movie commitment, couldn’t get off the burger joint shift, had to make a defense before the Supreme Court, kids had a game that nite; a copy of a playbill from her Broadway play that evening inserted in Holland’s sheet music; mention by the Governor. It’s a major hole, and I think it was just a screw up.
The fact that it would have been so easy to fix means that either the producers forgot, the answer was something very dark, or she stayed away because his wife told her to. Of course, there didn’t appear to be a vocal part in the American Symphony #1 anyway. I just hope it wasn’t the shame of appearing on American Idol.
I like Tom’s 3rd suggestion, that she grew up and realized that returning would be, at best, an embarrassing and possibly painful distraction on Mr. Holland’s big day. I like to think she did make it big, but even if she did Mrs. Holland might not have known how to contact her. This question has always bothered me as well, but I think the fact that it was left unresolved is a plus–life is usually full of open endings….
She grew up, got married, then reminisced much like Glen Holland’s wife about once being in love with her music teacher. That was the clue in the beginning. I just closed the loop.
When she auditioned, Mr Holland didn’t know who she was. Then Rowena talked about how she enjoyed his class. What gives?