Review of Rushmore (1998) by Campbell P — 02 Nov 2015

The best part about Wes Anderson's filmmaking is that none of his films feel the same but have the same quality to them. In Rushmore he has his quirky characters and colors for sure, but the story isn't like anything I've seen before.

It follows the story of really bright schoolboy, Max Fischer, who uses all his potential towards extracurricular activities. The headmaster of Rushmore tells him that if he doesn't get his grades up they will throw him out of the school.

This is the film that really glorifies Anderson's unique style of writing. You'll never see a movie quite like this anytime soon, it's goofy, it's romantic, it's sometimes hard to bear, and it's very VERY intelligent.

His dialogue he writes for the characters always sounds really interesting and I'm always on board with the story due to their convincing speech and tones. This is also giving credit to the great performances by the leading cast.

Jason Schwartzman gives a great performance in his first ever role and it's sure as heck a memorable one. Bill Murray didn't feel like he phoned it in this time and really paid off because his character was very charismatic and fun to watch as he was pit against the pretentious Max.

The supporting cast is just as fun as the main cast because since they don't play as big of a role they can be as kooky as they need to be and still make the story seem relevant and on point. The two sons of Herman, Dirk, and even Margaret were really fun characters despite their limited screen time.

Anderson really shines when it comes to overall character buildup and their change throughout the film. The characters all learn something and it never felt forced. However some parts of the film were slower than others and I partly feel that was just because there were so many details that had to be addressed that it just took a few scenes to explain what really would go down.

This movie was really entertaining when it wasn't slow and it was quick with the punches and it felt exciting for a majority of the film. The soundtrack was phenomenal given the independent film setting and the quirky scene transitions.

It just felt fitting. Rushmore overall is a solid effort by awes Anderson. It has plenty of laughs, a great cast, a very original story, and lots of great visuals. B+.