Review of Rushmore (1998) by Antonius B — 19 Sep 2018

Quirky, offbeat, and clever; everything we like about director Wes Anderson. We really don't know what's going to happen as the story plays out, in part because of how unique the characters are, and in part because the film plays as fantasy. Max Fischer (Jason Schwartzman), a teenage boy at Rushmore Academy, acts as though he's a worldly middle-aged man, pursuing an improbably large number of extracurricular activities, writing plays, and not caring all that much about his studies. Herman Blume (Bill Murray), a wealthy businessman dissatisfied with his wife's adultery and his two boorish sons, is drawn to Max, and befriends him. However, when the two of them begin vying for the same woman (Olivia Williams), a rivalry develops.

What's fascinating about the film is the interplay of these two characters. Blume begins acting in all sorts of juvenile ways, which is an interesting mirror to how precocious Max is. The disillusionment Blume is going through, hammered home with a scene at his dingy, suburban pool where he does a cannonball after downing his whiskey and then stays underwater as it to escape from it all, is similar to the angst we might associate with an adolescent. The breadth of Max's interests, his higher-level thinking about the important things in life, his audacious schemes, and the confidence he exudes pursuing a romance with a teacher or breezing down the hallway in his blazer, is like a powerful movie mogul (or adolescent dream). Anderson gives us a humanizing bridge here between people at the age of 15 and 50.

Mixed in to all of this are lots of little moments that are funny or touching. I loved the message that's delivered in a subtle way amidst the fun of the film. Dream big, it seems to tell us; be brave, and don't be afraid to be different. Following the conventional path may lead to outward success, but unhappiness. It's telling to me that Max's father, a humble barber, is the most content character of all. I think the love triangle went on a little longer than it should have, and it would have been nice to see more of Margaret Yang (Sara Tanaka), but it was nice that the film never fell into predictability. Very entertaining.