Review of Rushmore (1998) by Bradysmith — 27 Sep 2014
This is perhaps the most conventional of Anderson's films, but that might also make it his best. I can enjoy his overly stylized movies a great deal, but Rushmore never feels artificial or pretentious like those ones do.
It's a little quirky but it's nowhere near the extreme end of the spectrum. It might also be Anderson's funniest movie. Why? It has the type of humor that pretty much anyone can get. You don't need to be a jaded cinephile to get a few laughs out of it.
Murray & Schwartzman also make nearly perfect frienemies. I always feel like Murray's usually wasted by Anderson, but here he's let out of his cage. It's not perfect. It could have had a few more funny scenes, and occasionally its tones don't meld entirely successfully.
But this is a real comedy, and I can't think of another Anderson movie that feels so much like it takes place in real life rather than some twee fantasy land. Max Fisher might also be his funniest character.
In his own mind he's a total bad a#s. In reality he's a dweeb, but you can't deny that he's a dweeb with guts and one vicious attitude.
This review of Rushmore (1998) was written by Bradysmith on 27 Sep 2014.
Rushmore has generally received very positive reviews.
Was this review helpful?
