A prep school student falls for a teacher and befriends an
industrialist, then plans his revenge when the two start dating. COMEDY
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Rushmore (1998)Directed by Wes Anderson
Written by Wes Anderson and Owen Wilson Starring Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray, Olivia Williams, Seymour Cassel, Brian Cox, Mason Gamble, Sara Tanaka |
Rushmore is Wes Anderson's follow-up to Bottle Rocket, and already we can see a massive shift in style in just two years. We're not quite at the symmetrical genius he would become, but we've got a mature story told with a sense of irreverence that would become Anderson's go-to storytelling technique. He's amazing at mocking something he clearly respects. In this case, he sends up prep school culture and academia, while also giving us a fairly detestable young sociopath in Max Fischer (Schwarztman). But he does get a redemption arc, so everything works out.
Max loves everything about Rushmore Academy. He's there on scholarship thanks to his skills at writing plays, he's in nearly every extracurricular they have, and he considers himself a head above everyone, including teachers. But he's also failing everything because he doesn't care about his education in the slightest. When he meets a new teacher named Miss Cross (Williams), he falls in love with her and is very open about his feelings, despite the fact that he's only fifteen. He befriends rich industrialist Herman Blume (Murray), and becomes enraged and vengeful when Herman and Miss Cross start seeing each other. His actions cause Herman's life to spiral, and gets Max thrown out of Rushmore. But Max has a change of heart and learns from his mistakes, even going so far as to reforge his friendship with Herman. Wes Anderson, as well as his friend and frequent cowriter Owen Wilson, brings a personal touch of sorts to all his films. It's like every movie he does is his magnum opus. I wish more directors chose their projects like that. Rushmore is an engaging, entertaining, hilarious, and thoughtful film about finding your place in this crazy, unpredictable world that wants nothing to do with you. As Max shows us, if you want to belong, you have to fight for it. Also, maybe don't try to seduce your teachers. |
Rushmore is Wes Anderson’s second feature length film and one that clearly comes straight from the heart, as it is the only film besides Bottle Rocket to take place in Texas where he was born. Rushmore is also the first film that Anderson and Bill Murray worked on together and they haven’t stopped since. Bottle Rocket had very mixed reviews in 1996, while Rushmore is what really gave Anderson the launch he needed to go on and make films like The Royal Tenenbaums, The Life Aquatic, and The Grand Budapest Hotel. Not only that, but Rushmore still holds up and remains somewhere in my Top 5 favorite Wes Anderson films.
Max Fischer (Schwartzman) is a teenager who attends Rushmore Preparatory School. Well, he doesn’t just attend the school, but he sort of wants to run the school. The film isn’t just about his schooling experience, but more about a love triangle between him, a first grade teacher named Rosemary Cross (Williams), and a rich industrialist named Herman Blume (Murray). Max is obsessed with school and winning Rosemary’s heart over, but he has trouble at Rushmore, which causes trouble elsewhere. He is a determined fellow just like Herman Blume, which causes a friendship to start, fold, and rebuild over Rosemary. Rushmore is as Wes Anderson and Owen Wilson as it gets. Owen got expelled from a prep school in Dallas, Texas, so he and Wes wrote a very personable film that still holds up over 20 years later. The film is honestly lights out hilarious at times, like when Bill Murray blocks a random-ass basketball shot or jumps into a pool with a cigarette and drink in hand. I’m a total sucker for Anderson’s style of storytelling. I’ll continue to rewatch his filmography forever, but Rushmore holds a special place in my heart as I see the importance of it connecting with audiences back in 1998. |