Movie Review: Rushmore

Rushmore

Wes Anderson - Writer/Director
Owen Wilson - Director
Jason Schwartzman - Max Fischer

Bill Murray - Herman Blume
Olivia Williams - Rosemary Cross
Seymour Cassel - Bert Fischer
Brian Cox - Dr. Nelson Guggenheim
Mason Gamble - Dirk Calloway
Luke Wilson - Dr. Peter Flynn

Jason Schwartzman and Bill Murray in Rushmore .

Rushmore is a complex film. If you like your heroes and villains simple and clear cut, look elsewhere. The main character is, at times, a downright wicked little bastard. But he certainly is charasmatic, though when all was said and done I ended up disliking him more than anything, which is ok. I enjoy it when a film steps outside the norm and gives a a protagonist I don't necessarily care for. This is an unusual, if flawed, movie.

Max Fischer is a 15 year old student at the prestigious Rushmore Academy. He writes and directs school plays that are huge, extravagent, must-see events. He is in charge of, among others, The Fencing Team, The French Club, The Debate Team, and The Calligraphy Club - the list goes on and on. He is also one of the worst students at the school and is failing most of his classes. His ambitions are huge, and he seems capable of succeeding at anything he goes for until he falls in love with second grade teacher Mrs Cross. This is where Max's frailties begin to show through.

Max is a boy who does not know himself. The major contributors to his problems are the facts that his mother died when he was 7 and his father is a barber, and thus he is in a different economic class from his classmates. He is used to getting the things he puts his mind to, and when Mrs Cross refuses a relationship with him, he continously struggles after something he obviously cannot have. That's the first part of Max's problem. The second is that his friend, millionare Herman Blume has fallen for Max's crush. This leads to a childish competition to win her affections which often turns downright cruel and nasty. Are we supposed to laugh when Max informs Herman's wife that he is cheating on her? Or when he cuts the brake line in Herman's car, LOL. Max takes turns doing and saying terrible things to the people closest to him. That these people all stick with him through the end of the film is a miracle in and of itself.

That said, the acting performances in this film are superb. Murray won several awards for his portrayal of Herman Blume who is rich, unhappily married and thoroughly depressed. Schwartzman is fine in his big screen debut as the brilliant, charismatic, selfish Fischer. Olivia Williams reveals the beauty and naivete of Mrs Cross, a woman who is forgiving - perhaps to a fault. Wes Anderson films seem to have a distinct tone and feel, such as The Royal Tenenbaums had. Rushmore is no exception. It is beautiful, quirky and has a terrific soundtrack which helps set the mood very well.

I freely admit that I did not 'get' this film. I enjoyed it on some level. Wes Anderson and Owen Wilson have a talent for making movies. The fims took a couple of turns that I was unprepared for, and I was left at the end scratching my head and feeling a bit unfulfilled. Perhaps my brain was simply on the wrong frequency to recieve this film. I wanted to like this film. Anyone reading this can feel free to give me their take on it, I'd appreciate another point of view...

2.5 wombats out of 4