Filed under: Film Reviews, Retrospect | Tags: adrien brody, bill murray, darjeeling limited, herman blume, jason schwartzman, max fischer, olivia williams, owen wilson, rosemary cross, rushmore, the life aquatic, the royal tenenbaums, wes anderson
For the past handful of years I’ve touted Wes Anderson’s high school odyssey, “Rushmore,” as my favorite of his quirky masterpieces. Its picturesque visuals, angsty boyhood plot, and overall tender presentation always resonated pretty deeply with me; the ending pull-back scene with everyone dancing in slow motion set to Faces’ “Ooh La” still rests in my top 5 favorite cinematic moments. After viewing it on blu-ray (Criterion Collection, of course), I figured I’d do a quick send up, revisiting “Rushmore” and asking myself, “Is it still king of the Anderson throne?”
Most fans will tell you “Darjeeling Limited” is their favorite. Rightfully so: Jason Schwartzman, Adrien Brody, and Owen Wilson make a terrific trio leading Anderson’s (obviously) most accessible film to date. “The Royal Tenenbaums” is slowly losing favor and surprisingly I think “The Life Aquatic” is moving up in ranks (the typical routine of, “I didn’t get it at first, but now I do; and I love it!”). Nevertheless, as Anderson’s first wide release, “Rushmore” will always be special in my heart. You’d think too that as Anderson gets proficiently better with his visuals, directing, and storylines I might bow down to a fresher entry. But there’s a spark to “Rushmore” I can’t deny; an honesty and charm that doesn’t quite exist for me in his other films.
I’ll be the first to admit I hated the protagonist, Max Fischer, quite immensely upon my first viewing. As I watched the film unfold I kept thinking, “This movie is pretty good… but Schwartzman is ruining it for me.” He’s such an inflated character who thinks only the highest of himself and wants to curry favor with all the higher-ups; other kids are just riff-raff. And the delusions he carries around are all fed into by his grand narcissism– if you haven’t viewed the film, you can certainly paint a picture of what this kid is like. Touting dorky glasses, braces, and a lame physique, Max is quite pathetic. But as the movie progresses, he loses everything: the love of his life, his favorite school, all his friends (including best friend Herman Blume played by Bill Murray); Max is left with nowhere to go except up again– if he can overcome his faults. And surely, Max does just that. Triumphantly he reconciles with those he hurt, acquires a clear conscience, and begins anew in grand fashion, manifested by his latest theater opus, “Heaven and Hell.” It’s these events that transpire which make “Rushmore” a timeless classic that will always remind me about the starkness and beauty of growing up.
Although the movie feels particularly long for being only an hour and a half, the guilt-free 90 minutes it takes to watch this movie packs in a huge story that twists and winds through the relationships and psyches of nearly all the main characters. You really get to know Max and Herman; and you get to know their relationship, and you get to know Rosemary, Max and Herman’s great love, etc. The characters are all complex and layered, and upon reaching the final credits, you really feel you’ve watched something substantial, something worthwhile. Not many movies can say this. Just look at this year’s critically acclaimed “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.” 2 hrs and 10 minutes still left me feeling lukewarm about the intense cast of characters and the overarching story. Anderson is an auteur in this regard and “Rushmore” is a shining example.
Another thing I love is the soundtrack; each song is nearly perfect, if not so. Especially with Cat Stevens’ version of, “Here Comes My Baby” being the quintessential accompaniment to a montage half way through. The only thing missing is “Queen Bitch” by the David Bowie which was used in “The Life Aquatic.” The blend of classic rock music that Anderson uses to detail his narrative creates an authentic milieu that comes together seamlessly with the quaint cinematography to create a world that feels distantly familiar to the one we enjoy every day. This unique stamp of creativity really gives “Rushmore” a voice of its own, something that cannot be replicated.
As I continue to ruminate on “Rushmore,” all I can do is think about the ending. That ending, man… It’s so wonderful. It takes the previous 80 minutes and wraps it all together beautifully, reaching a resolution that makes sense and has an earnestness that is delightfully perceptible. It’s not a happy ending because that’s what sells movie tickets; it’s a happy ending because that’s what this movie deserved: a tale of loss and redemption. And I’ll be damned if I don’t get sentimental every time I finish it. It’s like that final curtain close reminds me of all my boyhood experiences in a single moment and I can’t help but feel I’ve been in Max’s shoes to some varying degree.
“Rushmore” really is a gem of a film and is still my favorite Wes Anderson movie to date. It might not be as philosophical as some of his other movies, but it resonates with me the most and that’s enough to make it my favorite. If you still haven’t seen it, do yourself a favor and snag it as soon as you can. It’ll charm your pants off. And if you have seen this great movie, please weigh in and share your thoughts!
Like this:
1 Comment so far
Leave a comment
I agree! The only problem is that I loaned my copy to someone and (despite repeated hints that I want it back) am still waiting for them to return it. Complicating matters is the fact that the people I loaned it to are about to have a baby, so I sound like a jerk every time I suggest that maybe they should dig through their DVD collection to find my copy of Rushmore and bring it back to me… I don’t know, maybe they can drop it off on the way to the maternity ward… Is that asking too much?
Also, the shot of Max stepping off the elevator is a classic.
As for endings, I also like the scene at the end of the Royal Tenenbaums in which Ben Stiller’s character finally admits to his father that he’s been having a rough year. That one gets me every time!
Comment by Marc Schuster February 4, 2012 @ 6:51 pm