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Poster (c) Touchstone Pictures
Max Fischer (Jason Schwartzman) is a fifteen year old overachiever at preppy Rushmore High. He's started most clubs at school, does loads of extracurricular activities, yet fails in his classes. He's put on probation and falls for a first grade teacher as his school (Olivia Williams). He befriends steel magnate Herman Blume (Bill Murray) somehow, whose kids go to Rushmore. Herman also falls for the teacher, Ms. Cross. As this crazy love triangle unfolds, we realize that we can't care about any of these characters.
This Max Fischer, he's an eccentric guy. With his gelled jet-black hair, his insistence on wearing his school uniform proudly, and an odd vocabulary, you'll either love him or hate him. Guess what I though of him. I found no redeeming qualities about him, and oftentimes I wanted to yell at the screen because he was acting like a dolt and such a pampered brat I could not feel anything but contempt for him. And since this character was in most of the scenes of the movie, I wasn't really happy with seeing this character that often. Murray's Blume is more deadpan, but doesn't really have many qualities. It's just a boring character. Anderson (and co-writer Owen Wilson) seem to think that Fischer and Blume would even each other out, but one's too annoying and one's too nondescript to really balance each other out. Plus, there's the random characters who pop in, like Fischer's sidekick, the Scottish bully, Margaret Yang, et cetera. Those characters make Blume seem almost interesting.
Rushmore starts off strong-not really funny, but with a good quirky atmosphere and the typical 60s British rock songs Anderson likes to put in his movies. Then, about halfway through, the movies goes into this slapstick territory. It's still not funny. Potentially dangerous thing occur to these two characters with no moral retribution or consideration for the law. But since these people are rich, we're supposed to forgive them for their actions. That's probably the worst lesson any movie can give us. As the movie goes to its conclusion (the whole movie is an excruciatingly long 93 minutes), it gets into this sap that's completely unwelcome. I guess the whole reason I didn't like Rushmore is because of Fischer. He's trying to court this first grade teacher, she's not giving in, neither is he, but it's COMPLETELY obvious she's not giving in AT ALL. Yet Fischer's idealism is so over-the-top (like all of the movie) that it's impossible to care.
All of this could be overlooked if the movie was funny. It wasn't. Even The Royal Tenenbaums was funnier, and I didn't think it was that funny, just a great movie. I don't really know how people can find Rushmore funny at all. Or, in that case, how they could like it. It starts off on a good note, but then descends into quirky-movie hell.
Rated R for language and brief nudity.
Review Date: October 18, 2004