# Rushmore (1998)

### reviewed by
Michael Dequina

    _Rushmore_ (R) **** (out of ****)

Of all the surprises to be had in the 93 wild minutes of _Rushmore_, the biggest comes right at the beginning: the appearance of the Touchstone Pictures logo. It's amazing that a Disney subsidiary would produce a film so decidedly off-center. It's also amazing that a major Hollywood studio could produce something so refreshingly original that it almost defies description.

The quirkiness of _Rushmore_ should come as no shock to anyone who has seen director/co-writer (with Owen Wilson) Wes Anderson's first film, 1996's quirky and enjoyable trifle _Bottle_Rocket_ (which he also co-scripted with Wilson). Like that film, _Rushmore_ has a loose narrative structure that feels like it finds its way as it goes along. The film traces five months in the life of one Max Fischer (Jason Schwartzman), an eccentric 15-year-old attending posh Rushmore Academy courtesy an academic scholarship. However, ever since coming to Rushmore, academics have taken a backseat to extracurricular activities, and one hilarious montage gives the rundown of his numerous club affiliations, from the presidency of the fencing club to beekeeping club. Closest to his heart, though, is "the Max Fischer Players"--a theatrical troupe that regularly performs his own original plays. (In another memorable scene, the players put on a production of _Serpico_.)

If there is a central plot thread to _Rushmore_, it is Max's hopeless love for Rushmore first grade teacher Rosemary Cross (Olivia Williams), which leads him to pull off elaborate schemes to win her favor, but instead he ends up getting expelled from his beloved school. While this story, which is complicated by Max's friend/romantic rival Herman Blume (Bill Murray), is involving and achieves unexpected moments of poignancy, it is almost moot--individual moments like the ones touched upon earlier are what matter here: Max giving a speech to his couldn't-care-less classmates at the public school; Max and Miss Cross talking for the first time on the bleachers; Mr. Blume drunkenly taking a dip in his pool during his twin sons' birthday party.

Of course, the key to the film's memorable moments are the engaging characters. Mr. Blume could have been either a stock villain or a pathetic loser, but Anderson and Wilson give him a nicely human balance, which is brought to multidimensional life by Murray, who delivers a performance at turns funny, sad, and strangely likable. Williams, freed from the junkpile that was _The_Postman_ displays immense charm and, crucially, strength as Miss Cross, who still has a torch burning for her dead husband; it's easy to see why Mr. Blume and Max would fight over her. But the film's most fascinating character is Max, flawlessly played by newcomer Schwartzman. Max may be a loser, but Schwartzman exudes the right mix of intelligence, youthful naivete, self-deprecating humor, and everyguy likability that prevents the character from ever coming off as pathetic. He's the perfectly unconventional lead for such an unconventional film.

As good as Schwartzman is, the clear star of _Rushmore_ is Anderson, a young filmmaker with a uniquely warped vision--one that, not so surprisingly, plays well with film festival audiences, which embraced this film. I doubt general audiences will be so receptive to something so far off the mainstream radar, and it's more than likely that this film's one-week Oscar-qualifying run will not result in any nods from the staunchly conservative Academy. But _Rushmore_ is certain to find its just rewards in passionate, if somewhat limited, fan base that can appreciate its singular brand of bizarre brilliance.

Michael Dequina mrbrown@iname.com | michael_jordan@geocities.com Mr. Brown's Movie Site: http://welcome.to/mrbrown CompuServe Hollywood Hotline: http://www.HollywoodHotline.com

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