rushmore
There are the Wes Anderson lovers, and there are the Wes Anderson haters, and then there are those of us in the middle--the moderate majority--who can enjoy a Wes Anderson film if we just get ourselves into a very Wes Anderson place beforehand.
I think that was my mistake last year when I went to see The Darjeeling Limited... not enough W.A. prep. But I was ready last night... and so Rushmore knocked my socks off.
Rushmore is the story of Max Fischer, an eccentric fifteen-year-old who, though adventurous and charismatic to the point of absurdity, happens to suck at academics. Enter the sweet first-grade teacher with the British accent, and of course Max falls hard for her. But then so does an equally eccentric Bill Murray... and hilarity ensues.
I hate to say that I may be a product of a Lifetime Movie world, but I kept expecting a little Mary Kay Letourneau action to go down. Thankfully, it didn't, everything worked out, and the film left me with a smile on my face.
One thing struck me as exceptional, however. This is one of those movies in which there is a play within the film; Max happens to be a talented playwright, and we are treated to portions of many of his productions. Recently I've seen quite a few films that fall into this drama-within-the-drama category--Waiting for Guffman, Hamlet 2, and Forgetting Sarah Marshall immediately spring to mind--but the plays in Rushmore are actually really, really great. That seems to be an exception to the rule, as crappy-ass productions provide better comedy fodder.
Oh... you're right. The Dracula puppet musical was sublime, too, wasn't it? All right, never mind.
I think that was my mistake last year when I went to see The Darjeeling Limited... not enough W.A. prep. But I was ready last night... and so Rushmore knocked my socks off.
Rushmore is the story of Max Fischer, an eccentric fifteen-year-old who, though adventurous and charismatic to the point of absurdity, happens to suck at academics. Enter the sweet first-grade teacher with the British accent, and of course Max falls hard for her. But then so does an equally eccentric Bill Murray... and hilarity ensues.
I hate to say that I may be a product of a Lifetime Movie world, but I kept expecting a little Mary Kay Letourneau action to go down. Thankfully, it didn't, everything worked out, and the film left me with a smile on my face.
One thing struck me as exceptional, however. This is one of those movies in which there is a play within the film; Max happens to be a talented playwright, and we are treated to portions of many of his productions. Recently I've seen quite a few films that fall into this drama-within-the-drama category--Waiting for Guffman, Hamlet 2, and Forgetting Sarah Marshall immediately spring to mind--but the plays in Rushmore are actually really, really great. That seems to be an exception to the rule, as crappy-ass productions provide better comedy fodder.
Oh... you're right. The Dracula puppet musical was sublime, too, wasn't it? All right, never mind.
October 21, 2008 at 11:26 AM
YAY!
Rushmore is totally the best WA film ever made, in my opinion, and one of my favourite past times is rewatching the film like, all the time.
October 21, 2008 at 6:41 PM
Glad you liked it Nayana.
I totally agree with Nick, this is by far and away WA's best film and I didn't much like Darjeeling either.
Good to see that Rushmore still packs a punch.
October 22, 2008 at 2:38 AM
An excellent review. Thanks for that. Can't wait to give it a screening.
October 22, 2008 at 10:43 AM
It's a great one, it has so much comedic timing, even though at times it seems a bit too subtle for most.
October 22, 2008 at 1:02 PM
Rushmore is great and I agree that The Darjeeling Limited is awful. The Life Aquatic got a bad rap, but I think is Anderson's best work. It has movies that the characters made instead of plays. The play Hamlet has play within it too I think. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead is the best play in the movie film I beleive.