Matt Greene
I like dry humor, but this thing is as dry as a mouthful of saltines. Not that it's completely unfunny by any means; Max Fischer is such a unique and shockingly un-self-aware jerk, yet his inconsequential incompetence makes him undeniably fascinating. It's a fine little indie, but it's not the comedy classic it's made out to be, or anywhere near Anderson's best (Fantastic Mr. Fox, Royal Tenenbaums).
potatonicole
Such a heartwarming little show. It had just the right amount of comedy, absurdity, romance and friendship. Some moments really touched me too :') I think this would be great to watch during the holidays, it just has that kind of vibe. Plus the aesthetics were on point, as usual, and the soundtrack was lovely. I loved it - Wes Anderson does it again!
oOoBarracuda
Bill Murray wants an Oscar so bad, doesn't he? Nothing made Bill Murray's turn toward more Academy Award-worthy roles so clear as his role in the 1998 film, Rushmore. Written and directed by Wes Anderson, Rushmore also stars Jason Schwartzman and Olivia Williams. Rushmore is the coming-of-age tale of a college prep student who does not excel in academics who decides to be involved in every extracurricular activity the school offers. His whole life revolves around his school until he learns he is on academic probation. I understand that many people love Wes Anderson, and consider this film to be his darling, I didn't care for it, nor did I find it meaningful in its desperate half effort to be meaningful. Max Fischer (Jason Schwartzman) the self-proclaimed king of extracurricular activities at Rushmore, a private college-preparatory academy. Max's problem, however, is that despite the number of activities he is involved in, he has no people skills and hasn't mastered the art of friendship or even decency. He uses everyone around him to his benefit and therefore alienates himself at every turn. When he learns that his academic probation means that if he were to fail one more class, Max sees his life flash before his eyes. When a personal quest to discover who defaced one of Rushmore's library books, Max meets and instantly falls in love with Mrs. Calloway (Connie Nielsen) who begins an affair with Max's friend and parent of twin Rushmore students Herman Blume (Bill Murray). Broken hearted and betrayed, Max begins a quest to ruin the lives of those who hurt him, ruining his own in the process when he is expelled from Rushmore. Bill Murray has the depth of a sheet of paper in every role that I have seen of his, and it doesn't work for me. I'd much rather see him in the stands at Wrigley than in a film. Rushmore is a film that is trying to be important and artsy yet falls flat. Every unlikable character the audience meets is given only half of a backstory preventing any real connection to any of them. I'm just not at all a fan of anything Rushmore or its director Wes Anderson is trying to do in this film.
magnuslhad
You either appreciate Wes Anderson or you don't. He is a filmmaker I always feel I *should* like, but having suffered through Moonrise Kingdom, Life Aquatic, and The Royal Tenebaums, I had come to the conclusion that he is just not my taste. Then, like a lot of other people, I greatly enjoyed Grand Budapest Hotel. So having heard Rushmore was his masterpiece, I sought this film out. It is not as good as GBH, but also not as twee or tedious as the other films I mention here. It all seems very forced and wooden, which is probably the point, or an aspect of a point I am missing. I smiled, I admired the witticisms and general sense of life as ephemeral it conjures, but most of the time I wanted to be elsewhere. If you are a Wes Anderson virgin, Rushmore seems a good place to start. Love this and you have hours of viewing pleasure ahead of you. But if, like me, you find it all a bit pointless and self-indulgent, you'll know to avoid the rest of his filmography.
AD
