By Julz Levesque | Arts & Culture Editor
Rushmore (1998).
It’s been a little over a year since I started doing these MovieTalks, and a year ago, I did not expect to become the sole writer for the column. Now that I’ve gotten more comfortable and feel I have more freedom in what I write, I’ve decided to review not just recent films but older ones as well. The film industry is constantly chugging out new pictures that get attention but what about the older movies that no one talks about anymore? I find I enjoy older films just as much as newer ones and if I’m being honest I find it hard to make it to the theater these days. With work, classes, ticket prices, and transportation I instead find myself trying to plow through my Letterboxd watchlist which currently has approximately 1,009 films listed in it… I’ve gotten through 117 this year; Sunset Boulevard (1950), Thelma & Louise (1991), The Conversation (1974), Midnight Cowboy (1969), Dune (1984), The Hateful Eight (2015), and Memories of Murder (2003) have been just some of the great feats I’ve watched this year and as you can tell… They’re vastly different in genre and year.
For this MovieTalk I decided to go with a Wes Anderson film. The very first Wes Anderson I watched was in middle school. After watching Moonrise Kingdom (2012) I grew an affinity to the rest of his work. Anderson’s films are often characterized by symmetrical compositions, and quirky characters, have a comedic flair, and use a variety of unconventional camera shots. I’ve seen all but two of his films which I can assure you would bring my watchlist down to a 1,007 film total.
So, one day as I was procrastinating doing homework, naturally as one does, I found myself gravitating towards the television and oops suddenly I paid to rent Rushmore (1998) on Amazon Prime. Do I regret it? Absolutely… not. And I’ll tell you why since that’s what I yap about here.
Rushmore is Anderson’s second film after his debut, Bottle Rocket (1996) It features some familiar faces found in many of his works such as Jason Schwartzman and Bill Murray who play the leads. At just eighteen, Schwartzman debuted his acting career in Rushmore. He drove the film with his impeccable comedic timing and portrayal of a rambunctious lovelorn fifteen-year-old boy out for blood… no I’m not kidding, like the kid was insane.
Rushmore tells the story of Max Fischer (Jason Schwartzman), a young teenage boy attending a prep school where he’s overachieving and underachieving all at the same time. With no concept of academic balance, poor Max is left with terrible grades in all of his classes but somehow being president of every single club that exists. I guess points for a well-rounded resume. His life at Rushmore Academy is threatened when his underperforming grades are used as a means for expulsion. However, he quickly falls in love with a first-grade teacher (Olivia Williams) and he now has eyes on two prizes… Staying enrolled at Rushmore and kissing an older woman who detests the very idea. Max reaches out to his schoolmate’s father (Bill Murray) for help in such romantic matters and a bond is formed until very quickly betrayal ensues and Murray’s character Herman also falls in love with her. A war brews between them and Max is out for revenge.
Rushmore was a riot, I found its offbeat comedy extremely entertaining, and of course I enjoyed many other conventions frequently seen in an Anderson film. Although it was funny, some of the jokes made in the film were outdated and can be widely offensive to many, as I feel many films of the 90’s could be. I recommend not going into the film too seriously but if you enjoy Anderson’s work you’ll definitely enjoy this earlier film of his. I actually prefer it over some of his newer stuff. If you have watched Rushmore I would recommend Ghostworld (2001), Election (1999), Jawbreaker (1999), The Holdovers (2023), The Graduate (1967), and But I’m a Cheerleader (1999).