| Most Popular Items | |
Rushmore  Directed by Wes Anderson
Starring Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray, Olivia Williams, Seymour Cassel, Brian Cox
» View on IMDB Rated 4.5/5.0, based on 475 reviews. Buy from Amazon:
New price: $5.76
Used price: $6.26 |
Reviews Coming of Age, and All of its Pain and Glory
Rating: 5/5
Owen Wilson and Wes Anderson wrote and created a film that is profoundly rich in its portrayal of multifaceted characters, three lonely and wounded people. I have seen many coming of age films, from comedies to dramas, from "Welcome to the Dollhouse" to "Ferris Bueller's Day Off". "Rushmore" is one of my favorites, a total standout with its own unique flavor and style. It is at times dark, quirky, funny, joyful, heartbreaking, and triumphant.
I can't imagine this film without Jason Schwartzman and Bill Murray. They are both so good here. You can't help liking them, loathing them, pitying them, laughing at them, cheering for them, and hoping for them to find some thread of happiness. They start out friends, then enemies, then friends again but stronger. This film really is about friendships.
Max Fischer is easily one of the most fascinating and interesting characters I have encountered in the movies. He is a creative dynamo and yet he is flawed and vulnerable. Max is (pardon all the adjectives) witty, cruel, clever, resilient, funny, dangerous, foolish, brilliant, lonely, formidable, and damaged. This is not a character you've seen before in a film.
I was particularly impressed with one friendship in "Rushmore", which was that of Dirk and Max. I felt their history together; you just know they've been buddies for a long time, and have had many schemes and fun times... and when there was a big rift between them, I actually was hoping that their bond would not be broken permanently.
When it comes down to it, this is (for me) a love story about a young man and the time of his life. Rushmore is more than a school to Max, it is a time. I remember that time in my life, and I think that the fact that it has to end or change is rather sad and unfair (but inevitable). It's a heady time with so many things going on: changes, self image issues, first loves, learning, socializing, making mistakes, friendship, creating, failing, fighting, and slowly beginning to discover your place in life. "Rushmore" captures a genuine taste of this time.
I really wish "Rushmore" had become a TV series, an hourly 'dramedy'. It has a perfect setting and characters for that. The film left me wanting to see more stories involving Max and his world. Wes Anderson rocks
Rating: 5/5
This is such a smart, funny, thoughtful film. Jason Schwartzman's Max is character for the ages, the spirit of what can be, Bill Murray delivers, the story is well written, the soundtrack is great, if you like good films, check this out, as well as Royal Tennenbaums. An American original
Rating: 4/5
"Rushmore" is one of the most original American films I've ever seen. That does not necessarily make it among the best or most memorable I've ever seen (it isn't) but it is clearly one of the most original and mold-breaking excursions in comedy.
Jason Schwartzman -- Talia Shire's son -- played the lead in this 1998 dramedy as Max Fischer, a 15-year-old attending the prestigious Rushmore Academy in Houston. Max is everything -- head of the fencing team, the beekeepers, most other oddball clubs -- except a very good student. This becomes his downfall and, finally, his salvation.
There's not much point in describing what goes on in the movie, its script, or its other actors (including Bill Murray in one of those roles that defined him in middle age before his breakout in "Lost In Transition") other than to say this film merges elements of romance, teen hijinks, class warfare and derision into a stew that almost no one will be able to resist.
There is something you've never seen in a film before happening in almost every scene. While the ending is perfectly predicatable and acceptable, you'll enjoy yourself a great deal getting from the opening credits to there. It will be 90 minutes of enjoyment the likes of which you won't repeat too soon. Rent, borrow or buy "Rushmore" today and be prepared to exhibit an American original. The Paths of Glory Lead But to the Grave
Rating: 5/5
I am the author of
Striking It Rich: Golf in the Kingdom with Generals, Patients and Pros
Such is the epitaph on the tombstome of Max's deceased mother, Eloise. It serves as his mantra as well which he repeats in Latin ("sic transit gloria") both in life and in his final play about the Vietnam War.
Max lives for the moment because he has found where he wants to be for the rest of his life- at Rushmore- hopefully making lots of babies with Miss Cross. This is why he doesn't bother to study or do his homework (Derk: " What about the essay on the Berlin Airlift?" Max: "Oh right... I got an extension").
There is a problem with all of this scheming of course. Its called reality. Max lives in a dream world, solving geometry problems in his imagination that stumped the best mathmaticians in the world yet he can't pass a high school geometry class. Reality: its a b.tch isn't it? But Max manages to survive because he is a lover of life and a gifted manipulator with a heart for inclusion. It isn't until a chance follow-up reunionwith Margaret Yang (who is half reality-half fantasy) that he sees a workable balance (Max: "I heard on Action 13 that the Navy was going to buy your science project." Margaret: "Not any more. It was a fake. I thought it would work but it didn't so I faked the results. Anyway it was nice seeing you." ) Ah. music to Max's ear and the look in Jason Schwartzman's eye said "love". He had met his soul mate.
I know some reviewers didn't like this movie and I respect their opinions but I thought it was brilliant in almost every way. I loved the look of the film. Anderson matched the colors perfectly and used a film stock that made the blacks richer, the whites ashen and the reds velvety- a gorgeous film. The script was superb with some very funny lines. (Miss Cross:.."but my thesis was on Latin American economiuc policy."Max: "Did you hear they're going to cancel Latin?")And of course the O.R. scrubs line. I have only one problem with the script; the scene where Max snitched on Mr. Blume to his wife (about Blume's affair with Miss Cross).... This was out of character for Max (even though bringing refreshments was a nice character-defining touch) and I suspect Wes Anderson was uncomfortable with this. Could that be why he drowned out Max's words with the background noise? I bet he shot it straight and later decided to drown it out.
This film was very interesting for me to study as I prepare to shoot the movie version of my book: "Striking It Rich: Golf in the Kingdom with Generals Patients and Pros". Thank you Wes Anderson. A Most Perfect Comedy
Rating: 5/5
Director Wes Anderson crafts an excellent exploration in the gamut of emotions, with a cast that captures the essence of each moment, with an emphasis on stage presence.
Each of the featured characters is scarred by one or more of the following: loss, lies and love. The juxtaposition throughout of how it affects the individual and the situation with others involved is subtle, yet vital.
Jason Schwartzman is the rebellious teen, Max Fischer, whose life is structured around his extra-curricular responsibilities at Rushmore Academy. But he is teetering on expulsion due to poor grades, though he has a gift in playwriting and bringing people into his real-life drama.
Bill Murray (school booster, Mr. Blume) and Olivia Williams (first grade teacher, Miss Cross), respectively, capture the hard work of a man who has built great wealth - in the steel industry - but has not forgotten where he came from and the young, overqualified teacher who has special, altruistic reasons to enter the field.
With each scene building upon each other, there is not a wasted moment in the 93 minutes, with the climax being a rich and fitting means for the cast to take a bow.
A soundtrack which highlights the sounds from the British Invasion adds a timeless, pop culture quality to this most perfect comedy.
|
