# Rushmore (1998)

### reviewed by
Greg King

RUSHMORE (M). (Touchstone/Beuna Vista International) Director: Wes Anderson Stars: Jason Schwartzman, Olivia Williams, Bill Murray, Brian Cox, Seymour Cassel, Mason Gamble, Sara Tanaka, Stephen McCole, Luke Wilson, Connie Nielsen, Ronnie McCawley, Keith McCawley Running time: 98 minutes.

Writer/director Wes Anderson is an audacious talent who possesses an unconventional and off beat sensibility. Rushmore is the second film from Anderson, whose low budget, slacker crime caper Bottle Rocket was widely acclaimed but performed poorly at the box office. In Rushmore he suffuses the typical elements of the dysfunctional teen genre, the coming of age tale, and adolescent school comedy with a subversive, wickedly anarchic spirit. The result is a refreshingly offbeat and inventive comedy that at times becomes a little too clever for its own good. Rushmore has an edgy, surreal quality that sets it apart from the puerile humour of most similarly themed comedies. The film's deliberately eccentric style will probably hold more appeal to adult audiences.

Fifteen year old Max Fischer (newcomer Jason Schwartzman) is a precocious student at Rushmore, a ritzy private school. Although quite brilliant - he can solve complex mathematical equations quicker than that other prodigy Will Hunting - Max is also something of an obsessive under-achiever. His grades have slipped because of his passion for pursuing extra curricular activities. Max is the president and founding member of a number of clubs at Rushmore - bee keeping, fencing, chess. He even formed the theatrical group that performs his offbeat plays, including a stage adaptation of Serpico and an ambitious Apocalypse Now-like scenario. He is put on "sudden death academic probation," which simply means that if he fails one more exam he's out.

Max is sort of like Ferris Bueller's evil brother - a devious, shrewd and manipulative schemer, but without the charm. He is a thoroughly despicable character, and is never in danger of eliciting sympathy from the audience. At times you want to strangle him, or shake him.

Max's downfall begins when he falls heavily for Miss Cross (Olivia Williams, from The Postman), the junior grade teacher. In an effort to impress her he attempts to build an aquarium on the edge of one of the school's sporting fields. He approaches wealthy businessman and former alumni Mr Blume (Bill Murray) to fund the project. The plan backfires, and Max is temporarily expelled from Rushmore. Blume begins an affair with Miss Cross. The jealous Max begin a vicious campaign of vengeance against Blume, which escalates out of control. It is the unlikely relationship between these two eccentric characters that provides the film with much of its energy and humour. The wealth of colourful incidents and wonderfully quirky characters suggests that Rushmore has been partially inspired by Anderson's own experiences at school. Rushmore has a sophisticated and decidedly off beat sense of humour, although the laughs are not always obvious.

The performers seem attuned to Anderson's off beat sense of humour. In an impressive debut, Schwartzman delivers a strong performance as the thoroughly dislikeable Max. Murray is at his smarmy, droll and laconic best, and delivers a wonderfully understated performance as the emotionally damaged Blume, who is little more than an overgrown child in a man's body.

Anderson has an idiosyncratic visual style, which ensures that Rushmore is quite unlike any other coming of age tale that you've seen. The quirkiness and originality of the scenario unfortunately doesn't last the distance however, as Anderson eventually settles for a rather conventional and somewhat unsatisfying resolution.

    ***
    Greg King
    http:/www.netau.com.au/gregking

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