| Overall Grade: |
B |
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| Story: |
B |
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| Acting: |
B |
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| Direction: |
B |
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| Visuals: |
B+ |
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All's fair when love is war.
by Leo - The Lion (movies profile)
Nov 27, 2007
5
of
7 people found this review helpful
Love. Expulsion. Revolution. The beauty of Rushmore is how everything comes full-circle. However zany the schemes and witty the one-liners, Rushmore stands out in my mind (and as one of my favorite movies) with its true-to-life qualities concerning love and friendship. Over the course of the film, private school sophomore Max Fisher (Jason Schwartzman) and steel-baron millionaire Herman Bloom (Bill Murray) become friends, then enemies, then friends again, however uncertain their futures are, and the same for Max and his relationship with grade-school teacher Miss Cross (Olivia Williams) and his chapel partner Dirk.
That is little to say about director Wes Anderson's now-trademark scripts (co-written with Owen Wilson) and style. Rushmore was one of the best, most original films of 1998, and prepared the public for his equally-excellent The Royal Tenenbaums. Over the course of his small filmography (also including 1996's Bottle Rocket), he has set the standard for his unparalleled mastery of the montage, most notably used in Rushmore to transition between the months of Max's sophomore year.
As for the idea that Max Fisher is one of the most unlikeable characters ever conceived, I must note that I was fifteen when I first saw Rushmore, and I was reminded of myself in Max - sans the whole self-destruction and teacher-loving. So perhaps I can't understand the argument.
I will openly admit that I didn't immediately praise Rushmore after my first viewing, and I urge nay-sayers to give it a second try. It is easily one of the finer American films made in the last five years, and it at least deserves some credit for its originality - something Hollywood always seems to be lacking.
If you like this movie, I also recommend: The Deer Hunter, The Truman Show, Shakespeare in Love, The Royal Tenenbaums and Boiler Room. |
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