Well I guess it's time to kick off Wes Anderseasons, in which each of that guy's film's are slotted into a corresponding season. Start of autumn and the school year of course means Rushmore. Max Fischer's (Jason Schwartzman) true love in life is the eponymous boys' school. Not especially adept at his studies (he got in on a scholarship for a play he wrote), he devotes most of his energies to a multitude of clubs and activities, from Model UN to the Beekeeper's Society. He meets first grade teacher and widow Rosemary Cross (Olivia Williams) when tracking down who formerly checked out his library book, and falls for her instantly.
She is all too aware of his intentions, but he can't take the hint to back off, dedicating himself to building an aquarium at Rushmore for her sake. When Max introduces Rosemary to Herman Blume (Bill Murray), a wealthy alumnus and father of 2 Rushmore students, he finds he has a new obstacle to her affections. As Max is thrown out of Rushmore for illegally trying to break ground on the aquarium, Herman and Rosemary start secretly dating. Max does his best to acclimate to his new public high school, but when he discovers their relationship he goes a little crazy and starts an all-out war to bring Herman Blume down.
Wes Anderson has not yet made a film that I don't really enjoy. That being said, Rushmore is probably my least favorite of his current oeuvre. I think Max Fischer is just a little too unrelatable or too icky. He's funny and watchable, sure, but he makes me uncomfortable for most of the movie. I also don't think it's quite as funny as Anderson's other movies.
But of course, this movie is still awesome! It has all those Andersony things I love: a stellar soundtrack and whimsical Mothersbaugh score, quirky characters, loving attention to set and costume details, a perfect cast, and funny jokes. It's an affecting combination of funny and sad, and always interesting to watch. I especially enjoy Bill Murray's performance- the comment "Wes Anderson really recognized Bill Murray's innate sadness before everyone else did" was made while we watched, and I couldn't agree more. He really owns this scruffy, self-loathing character and imbues it with subtle marks of hilarity.
Rushmore is an amusing and engaging entry into the delightful Wes Anderson universe, just not as truly amazing as, say, next season's film: The Royal Tenenbaums.
4/5
"Here Comes My Baby"- Cat Stevens
"Margaret Yang's Theme"- Mark Mothersbaugh
"Concrete & Clay"- Unit 4 + 2
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Rushmore (1998)
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What??? No "Ooh La La" track upload???
ReplyDeleteThat tears it, I'm not reading this blog anymore.
(Jokes dude - thanks for brightening the end of a crappy workday by reminding me of a kickass movie I haven't watched in far too long)
5 stars, come on, alex! also, i'd like to point out that this gets the same rating as benjamin button. question mark.
ReplyDelete[don't hate me for bringing up that very sensitive issue. sorry, alex].
You thought this was as good as Benjamin Button?! Ouch!
ReplyDeleteThere was definitely a wonderful discovery of "Broken Flowers" Bill Murray in this film, and a bit less of a find in Schwartzman, who needed some more time on the vine.
I thought Rushmore did a much better job of exposing Anderson's style than Bottle Rocket, although I'm sure there are legions who would disagree.
I have to agree with Nicole and Steve. Least favorite Anderson flick?!? Blasphemy! I can understand those that prefer Tenenbaums over Rushmore, as those two are really neck and neck in Andersonville, but those two are also head and shoulders above the rest.
ReplyDeleteThat said, the more I watch Life Aquatic, the more I dig it. I wonder if the same can/will be said for (christ, I can't even remember the name of the brothers one. I suck.).