Rushmore (Criterion)
Wes Anderson's dazzling sophomore effort is equal parts coming-of-age story, French New Wave homage and screwball comedy. Tenth grader Max Fischer (Jason Schwartzman) is Rushmore Academy's most extracurricular student-and its least scholarly. He faces expulsion and enters into unlikely friendships with both a lovely first-grade teacher (Olivia Williams) and a melancholy self-made millionaire (Bill Murray). Set to a soundtrack of classic British Invasion tunes, Rushmore defies categorization even as it captures the pain and exuberance of adolescence with wit, emotional depth, and cinematic panache. Criterion is proud to present 1998's most acclaimed film in a Director Approved special edition.
Member Reviews
A true original. - Nikki
The filmmaking itself is fresh and original.
Quirky and hilarious, Schwartzman is the best underdog since Cusack in BETTER OFF DEAD. Bill Murray gives the finest, funniest, and most deadpan performance of his career. I highly recommend this one, you won't be sorry you rented it.Quirky, at times annoying - Shawn_in_Montreal
This movie and its main character Max are at times charming, quirky... and downright creepy.
I was charmed at the start of the film, but there's an unhinged, cold, maniacal quality to Max. I gather this is supposed to entertain -- it also serves to distance us from him.
No more so than at the end, an ostensibly feel-good Hollywood ending, when Max stages a particularly bizarre, violent and artless Vietnam War play. It's supposed to be a moment of crowning achievement, matched by all his other personal growth. But after seeing him buy a box of dynamite for the show, under an assumed name, I was fully expecting this wacko to blow the place up and kill everyone, a la Heathers. We find out that a kid lost part of his hand during the last attempt to stage this dramatic gem. Now, see, THAT's funny.
Why is the world so taken with Max? I've seen the film and I'm still not sure.glory fades - e2--
this is definitely a comedy but like all wes anderson's films to date, it's a carefully crafted nostalgic story. the humour almost seems unintentional, a result of the quirky but believable characters and the awkward situations they get themselves into. The characters are exaggerated and colourful yet somehow familiar, we've all known these people before somewhere in our past. i think it's clear that bill murray understands the director's understated sense of humour perfectly.
something anderson always does well is soundtracks, he even admits to building scenes around certain songs. rushmore is maybe the his best example of picking the right music and using it at the perfect time.
Member Reviews
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A true original. - Nikki
The filmmaking itself is fresh and original.
Quirky and hilarious, Schwartzman is the best underdog since Cusack in BETTER OFF DEAD. Bill Murray gives the finest, funniest, and most deadpan performance of his career. I highly recommend this one, you won't ...Quirky, at times annoying - Shawn_in_Montreal
This movie and its main character Max are at times charming, quirky... and downright creepy.
I was charmed at the start of the film, but there's an unhinged, cold, maniacal quality to Max. I gather this is supposed to entertain -- it also serves to ...glory fades - e2--
this is definitely a comedy but like all wes anderson's films to date, it's a carefully crafted nostalgic story. the humour almost seems unintentional, a result of the quirky but believable characters and the awkward situations they get themselves into. ...