Rushmore

Rating:
Summary: delicious
Review: Plain and simple, Rushmore just feels right. Wes Anderson, along with co-writer Owen Wilson, is the most exciting American writer-director around today, and if Rushmore is any indication, it's effortless.

That's the beauty of this film--while other masterpieces feel meticulous and calculated (which can be a good thing), Rushmore is a breezy little gem that just falls into place. Beautiful for its cinematography and charming for its use of color and light, this movie proves to have a heart without being overbearing, with just the right amounts of scathing cynicism and lovey-dovey idealism.

A review for this movie would be incomplete without mention of the soundtrack--there are countless whimsical delights from every era that make perfect commentary on the film without distracting from the engrossing subtlety in every other arena.

Rushmore is superb on every level, with a phenomenal cast, a witty script, gorgeous camerawork, and tender direction. Deservedly, this Criterion Collection DVD has all the right features, including interesting commentary, behind-the-scenes extras, and the bonus scenes from the Max Fischer Players--priceless.

Rating:
Summary: A critical success
Review: ...I did indeed go and see this film on release with a couple of friends. I made the decision on the basis of great reviews which suggested a cutting edge black comedy, a possible epic and nasty dual between a manic Bill Murray and a devious pupil. I can't tell you what it's like when you're sitting there and after the first ten minutes you know it's not gelling. The laughs aren't coming and you're sinking further into your seat at the embarrassingly twee events unfolding. This is not a guy flick. Unless it's a guy who plays with dolls. The hobbies compendium must have taken a long time to shoot and raises nary a titter. You are aware that one of your friends is a Maori and that they and the English have historically not seen eye to eye. You suggested the film. They paid good money. We rise from our seats at the end and a voice wearily announces with a cold, flat menace: "Well, that was one that could have waited for the video." I cringe. Dare I look? Please, not the Maori. I look, and there is no God. As it turns out, the guys were very magnaminous about this friday night debacle at the cinema. Because of my hernia they generously declined to beat me anywhere below the head, touching when considering the apocalyptic averageness of the film. Now the DVD is released you can watch it in the safety of your own home.

Rating:
Summary: COULD THIS MOVIE BE WORST?
Review: Oh my God!.Is this a comedy?
I think it will fix in horror.This is one of the worst movies I ever saw.
It's so bad that it couldn't be more horrible.
Bill Murray had been kicked in his ass doing this film.You have to have guts to do something like this.
I have to say congratulations to the director, he got guts.
I can't belive, that some people even rated this with 5 stars!!
Come on!It deserves zero stars!!
I I could destroy it from earth, oh belive me, i would.

Rating:
Summary: Rushmore est expletus*
Review: Stop the counting, ladies and gentlemen. We have a winner.

"Rushmore", for me, is 'it'. Indescribable, indefinable. The be-all and end-all of movies. Potissimus membrana*. It has all my favourite themes: genius, obsession, and loneliness. And also love, friendship, loyalty, art, commerce, class, sin, redemption, and glory. All wrapped up in a charming little picaresque about one boy's love for his school.

That boy, Max Fischer, is piquant and palpable but non compos mentis, an intense man stuck in a child's body with a child's immaturity. He has the energy and determination of ten (nay, hundreds of) men, but lacks the focus to turn this virtue into a viable tool. The President or founder of several dozen clubs and organizations at Rushmore Academy, Max's horrific grades have him on the verge of expulsion. Jason Schwartzman, who plays Max with total abandonment of ego and multibrow, captures all of these qualities (features?) without ever breaking a sweat or showing the seams. He shows Max at his best, and also at his worst, while always making him a character the audience can cheer for. From an amateur actor, it is by far the best performance I have ever seen.

As Max's mentor and friend, Bill Murray pulls off an unconventional Bill Murray performance. His steel magnate, Herman Blume, is beaten down by life (read: his shrewish wife and his twin Neanderthal sons), but becomes energized when he meets Max. Murray plays all his cards close to his chest, exposing the reality within Herman: his loneliness, his sadness, his shyness (Bill Murray playing shy! Who'd have thought?), but also his concealed vitality. The relationship between Murray, the seasoned veteran, and Schwartzman, the promising rookie, is volatile and affectionate, without ever being showy.

Olivia Williams, as the object of these two men's affections, is worthy of such. She plays first grade teacher Rosemary Cross, confused by the adoration she receives, but desperately in need of some.

None of these three are perfect people, and that is why they are perfect for each other.

The supporting cast, notably Seymour Cassell as Max's amiable father, Brian Cox as stern headmaster Dr. Nelson Guggenheim, Mason Gamble as protective chapel partner Dirk Calloway, and Sara Tanaka as prospective love interest Margaret Yang, are all note perfect. Perfectly cast, perfectly conceived, perfectly executed. They make Rushmore a real world, and thus "Rushmore" becomes real life.

Director Wes Anderson is a persnicketor. He has chronic meticulosis. His fastidiophilia is beyond cure. And for that, I love his work. If God is in the details, He can surely be found in Anderson's films. Max's typewriter is emblazoned with the inscription: "Bravo, Max! Love, Mom." (Key information to add to the melancholy: Mom, who was once terribly supportive, is now dead and gone). His plays recreate classic movies down to the finest integral elements. And my favourite: the after party of "Heaven and Hell", the Vietnam-era play that closes the film, is dressed up just like an army unit's quarters, complete with bunk beds and nudie pinups. Anderson frames his shots with the intent of best portraying his characters' humanistic beauty, while composing tableaus to die for made up of colours to warm your toes by.

I wonder if some of the credit for this should go to co-screenwriter Owen Wilson. The two men have crafted a wonderful story that zips along at a frenetic pace (the first half-hour is so jam-packed with landmark and milestone events that when the title curtain falls for a second time, you realize that we're only in the second month of the school year). It may look and feel like a typical boy meets girl / boy loses girl / boy tries to get girl back kind of story. But it's also a Max Fischer kind of story, and that boy certainly doesn't follow formulas. What a wonderful character Anderson and Wilson have created. Just his introduction scene alone ("The Hardest Geometry Problem in the World!") is enough to make you stand up and cheer for this kid, and keep cheering throughout the movie.

Anderson, an acknowledged musicphile, picks just the right pieces for his soundtrack. John Lennon's song "Oh Yoko" scores a scene where Max and Herman try to get their act together for a re-emergence upon the story; it's an odd song choice (unless Max and Herman's unconditional love is meant to be as strong as John and Yoko's was; quite likely) but a right one. The Who's "A Quick One While He's Away" makes a revenge montage sequence all the more frightful, and then poignant when the final refrain comes in ("You are forgiven"). Obscure Cat Stevens, Rolling Stones, and The Faces ("I wish that I knew what I know now when I was younger") all litter the soundscape in ideal places. Add to that Mark Mothersbaugh's prodigious and beautiful Renaissance guitar noodling, and this is a film as enticing to listen to, as it is to watch.

I understand that "Rushmore", for some, is a taste difficult to acquire. If you find yourself in that demographic, my sincerest condolences. If you don't, if you're the type who'll get a lump in your throat at the sight of Max's father, teary-eyed in the audience after Max has paid tribute to his late mother from the lip of the stage, then please make the effort and climb Mount "Rushmore". You'll love the view from the top, I promise.

[*Pardon my horrible Latin. Nihilo sanctum estne? I suppose not. Please heed what I write, not how I write it. Facta non verba.]

Rating:
Summary: Pefect
Review: This is really one of the greatest comedies of all time. It is smart touching and hilarious. Jason Schwartzman is hilarious, and I have to ask you all what the Freak he was thinking with that Slackers movie? Anyway, Bill Murray gives a great performance, as do all the actors. The story is essentially a love story, and it's one of those movies you'll talk about for a while afterwards. Everyone should give themself the pleasure of seeing tis movie.

Rating:
Summary: "I'm a little bit lonely these days."
Review: Simply one of the best movies in recent memory, Wes Anderson's Rushmore is the sweet, sad story of Max Fischer, prep-school enthusiast and terrible student. Equal parts character study, deadpan humor, and coming-of-age drama, Rushmore is that strangest of creatures - a sad comedy. All the performances in the film are brilliant, but Bill Murray's melancholy millionaire is the highlight of the bunch. The cinematography here is brilliant and steals effectively from films as diverse as Barry Lyndon and The Graduate; Anderson knows how to show off his actors rather than gloss over them, and the film is that much better because of his camerawork. This is probably the best DVD on the market in terms of extra features. It's a mystery how they managed to fit it all on one disc, but this set includes a documentary, taped auditions, storyboards, and a hilarious send-up of several of that year's films. Also included is an introduction to the film, and a great map of Rushmore. The transfer is also excellent (and apparently supervised by Anderson himself), and the sound is very good.

One mild warning: some people hate this movie. I mean HATE. If you don't buy the Max Fischer character, you will probably be one of those people. I think it's brilliant, I think it's one of the best movies I've ever seen, but in order to make this an even-handed review, I will simply say that several nice, interesting, intelligent people can't stand to sit through this movie. Rent it before you buy it, to make sure, but if you like it, the DVD is well worth the extra few bucks.

Rating:
Summary: Take dictation...
Review: This is one of my all-time favorite movies.

It's basically a movie about two teenagers (Murray, Schwartzman) who fall in love with the same woman (Williams) and the chaos that results as they compete.

But there's so much more. Schwartzman loses the other love of his life, Rushmore, and sinks into a deep funk. At the deepest point in his depression, something happens (I don't want to give away plot) to snap him out of it and put him on the road to even greater achievement.

It's a wonderful story of paradises lost and sometimes regained, and other paradises discovered. I just love this movie.

Rating:
Summary: Not as boring as Mount Rushmore
Review: Rushmore - I thought of Mount Rushmore in South Dakota, but it is nowhere near as boring as that monument. This movie is great. It is quirky, unpredictable and true to real life but with a huge humors twist. Max Fisher the main character is a very active high school student, member of many clubs and bad graded student. He Reminds me of many people I knew in high school, which made it even more funny. In my opinion this was Bill Murry's best performance since Groundhog's Day. There is a funny, twisted and bizarre love triangle takes place although it's not as sickening as Pearl Harbor's.

Rating:
Summary: A Smart Film about Coming of Age Life.
Review: A Precocious 15 year old named Max Fischer (Jason Schwartzman) is a Tenth Grader, who is a Actually Smart Teen but lousy Studient at the Preppy Private School of Rushmore. When he become friend with a middle aged lonely man (Bill Murray), which start unlikely friendship between them but when both of them, fall for the same attractive first grader theacher (Olivia Williams) and a war starts between them.

Directed by Wes Anderson, also Co-Written the Screenplay with actor:Owen Wilson. The Writers has made a Unique Dramatic Comedy, which has become a Critically Successful with Critics and being a Small Hit in Theaters. This has become a Cult Classic. Terrific Performances by Schwartzman and Murray highlight this one of a kind film. Panavision. Grade:B+.

Rating:
Summary: A Great Movie
Review: This is one of my favorite movies of all time, and I love the Criterion Collection DVD. The movie is both interesting and hilarious, with incredible and memorable characters. All the actors do an excellent job here.

I recommend this DVD for fans of the film. Besides an excellent commentary, there are several bonus features such as a making of documentary, interviews from the Charlie Rose show with Bill Murray and director Wes Anderson, audition recordings, commercials done for the MTV movie awards, trailers, you name it. Highly recommended.