Crammed with great movie moments, Wes Anderson’s Rushmore is a darkly inspiring comedy. Released in early 1999, the movie still manages to be funny, wistful, smart, dark, poignant, and irreverent without ever being cynical.
The main plot of the movie is about an eccentric teenager named Max Fischer and his friendship with rich industrialist Herman Blume and their love in common for elementary school teacher Rosemary Cross.
The movie introduced to the world Wes Anderson’s unique brand of whimsical comedy. However, it isn’t his feature directorial debut. Earlier in 1996, he released Bottle Rocket, which was his first major Hollywood movie. With Rushmore, Wes Anderson kicked off his collaborations with talented actors like Bill Murray and Jason Schwartzman.
Critic and Wes Anderson specialist Matt Zoller-Seitz, says: “There are few perfect movies. This is one of them.”
How this movie was able to set a strong emotional bond with its audience?!
Firstly, it is because of the cast. Bill Murray’s take on the self-made millionaire industrialist Herman Bloom is memorable in every sense. He is mean, selfish and bullying. But at the same time, he is also kind, warm and generous with his time and money. His comic timing and slapstick performance are as brilliant as it can get. That’s enough right there to know that this is a great film. Let’s not forget Jason Schwartzman. He is perfect as the young boy, Max who we simultaneously adore and pity.
However, Rushmore is more than just brilliant casting. The movie is about the relationship between Max and Bloom that drives the drama forward. They go from love to hate, and back again. Anyone who watches the movie will easily get hooked with the 15-year-old boy and the 50-year-old man competing for the affection of Ms. Cross.
Rushmore is a film of these small, beautifully observed touches. It is slight and silly, and occasionally a little mannered.
