Rushmore (1998)

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Director:

Wes Anderson

Writers (WGA):

Wes Anderson (written by) &
Owen Wilson (written by)

Release Date:

5 February 1999 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

"She was my Rushmore"

Plot:

The king of Rushmore prep school is put on academic probation.

Plot Keywords:

Teacher | Prep School | Private School | Student | Friendship

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 13 wins & 11 nominations

Cast

Jason Schwartzman	...	Max Fischer
Bill Murray	...	Herman Blume
Olivia Williams	...	Rosemary Cross
Seymour Cassel	...	Bert Fischer
Brian Cox	...	Dr. Nelson Guggenheim
Mason Gamble	...	Dirk Calloway
Sara Tanaka	...	Margaret Yang
Stephen McCole	...	Magnus Buchan
Connie Nielsen	...	Mrs. Calloway
Luke Wilson	...	Dr. Peter Flynn
Dipak Pallana	...	Mr. Adams (as Deepak Pallana)
Andrew Wilson	...	Coach Beck
Marietta Marich	...	Mrs. Guggenheim
Ronnie McCawley	...	Ronny Blume
Keith McCawley	...	Donny Blume

Also Known As:

Çilgin liseliler (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Academia Rushmore (Spain) [es]
Gostam Todos da Mesma (Portugal) [pt]
Rushmore (France) [fr]
Rushmore - Tres es multitud (Argentina) (festival title) [es]
Rushmore - akatemian älypää (Finland) [fi]
The World of Max the Genius (Japan) [ja]
Tres son multitud (Argentina) (video title) [es]

MPAA:

Rated R for language and brief nudity.

Runtime:

93 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Latin

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Canada:14A (Ontario) | Iceland:L | South Korea:12 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Chile:14 | Finland:K-12 | France:U | Germany:6 | Ireland:15 | Netherlands:12 | New Zealand:M | Norway:11 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Baytown, Texas, USA

Company:

American Empirical Pictures

Trivia:

The quote on Max's mother's headstone, "The paths of glory lead but to the grave" is from the Thomas Gray poem "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard" (line 36) This same quote was the second clue to the treasure in the Disney film Candleshoe (1977) starring Jodie Foster and Helen Hayes. Touchstone is a division of the Disney Co.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Mr. Blume is on the diving board there is a shot looking down on him and you can see that his cigarette is very close to burned up; but in the next shot he has almost half a cigarette left.

Quotes:

Herman Blume: [to Max] She's in love with a dead guy anyway.

Movie Connections:

References Heat (1995)

Soundtrack:

Jersey Thursday

One of the finest films ever made.

One of the greatest films ever? I don't think that's an understatement, and I'm not just saying it cause I'm a Bill Murray fan and he happens to be in it. Granted, he brings to the movie his usual subtle quirkiness, but that humor isn't out of line with the general mood of the film. The whole thing is seriously funny and somehow seriously real, but at the same time doesn't always take itself seriously. Seriously. The idea of the movie doesn't come off sounding like a very captivating plot: high school geek and middle-aged millionaire fall in love with the same first grade teacher. Not exactly material for a high-grossing box office hit. But I don't think plot necessarily matters when it comes to making a quality film. It has a fantastic script, believable character development, and top-notch acting, and that's what counts in making a memorable film. Why do we love Rushmore? Max and Mr. Blume are the same person, Mr. Blume is just older and wealthier. They are both creative, romantic characters whose motives are ultimately selfish. My guess is if you appreciate this film, it's probably because you're the same way. This movie is about us. We are the boys who do everything we want to and nothing we're supposed to. The ones who go to college and get by on as little effort as possible, but somehow still pull through. At one point or another we all believed we could make our fantasies a reality, and watching this film makes us optimistic about those things again.

Also, I don't think a soundtrack makes a film, but it can certainly help set the mood. Yes, I have to agree with the other commenters for Rushmore: great soundtrack. But you already know that and it's been said a hundred times, so I think I'll just leave it at that and not beat it into the ground any more than it already has.

Right. Good movie, watch it if you haven't yet.