Rushmore (1998)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Tim S

  
  One can hardly find anything to complain about while watching the work of Wes Anderson, but most people do for some reason. I don't know what it is that they're expecting. The man is practically a new-age Stanley Kubrick mixed with a bit of Howard Hawks and Frank Capra. Even… More
  One can hardly find anything to complain about while watching the work of Wes Anderson, but most people do for some reason. I don't know what it is that they're expecting. The man is practically a new-age Stanley Kubrick mixed with a bit of Howard Hawks and Frank Capra. Even though Rushmore wasn't his first film, it did bring him to prominence. It's not my favorite film of his (I scarcely say I have a favorite at this point because I enjoy everything he does), but I can't deny how entertaining and interesting it is. It also brought newcomer Jason Schwartzman into view, as well as giving Bill Murray the chance to stretch as an actor. It's funny, touching and often times subtly bombastic (a difficult thing to explain), but it's solid and entertaining. I can't ask for anything more from Wes Anderson, and he delivers to me every single time.

• Tyler C

  
  Funny in an offbeat,quirky way, but also an extremely mature coming-of-age story. Jason Schwartzman and Bill Murray enjoy some of their finest hours in Wes Anderson's humorous Graduate-inspired tale.

• Drake T

  
  Being a big fan, I can't believe it took me this long to come around and see Anderson's Rushmore. Dreaming big and aiming high is a dangerous business but when things go awry it's important to land on one's feet. Coming of age films with teen protagonists seem to… More
  Being a big fan, I can't believe it took me this long to come around and see Anderson's Rushmore. Dreaming big and aiming high is a dangerous business but when things go awry it's important to land on one's feet. Coming of age films with teen protagonists seem to be a dime a dozen but obviously not when put in Wes's hands. Nothing in this film works off of cliches or stereotypes, in fact, you would probably say it's over-the-top-zany. What makes it a truly great film though, is that it's all relentlessly grounded by authentic emotion. Great cast/characters, romance, off-beat humor and resolutions; to me, probably one of Anderson's more rounded accessible works.

• paul o

  
  Bill Murray is such a hipster. This film brought out the best of the actor's dry humor in this delightful story of friendship and school supremacy. The acting is great and the story is hilarious. Wes Anderson brings out one of his best with the introduction of the prestigious… More
  Bill Murray is such a hipster. This film brought out the best of the actor's dry humor in this delightful story of friendship and school supremacy. The acting is great and the story is hilarious. Wes Anderson brings out one of his best with the introduction of the prestigious Rushmore Academy!

• Jeff "

  
  Rushmore for me was a good film, but it's not as phenomenal as every critic has claimed it to be. The film has a good story with a good cast headed by Jesse Scwartzman, Bill Murray and Olivia Williams. This film is quite zany, and director Wes Anderson who has a tendency to… More
  Rushmore for me was a good film, but it's not as phenomenal as every critic has claimed it to be. The film has a good story with a good cast headed by Jesse Scwartzman, Bill Murray and Olivia Williams. This film is quite zany, and director Wes Anderson who has a tendency to direct comedies in this style, does a good job here. Rushmore is a good, comedy/drama film. The cast deliver here, and Anderson's plot is well developed and engaging. If you're going into this film expecting a laugh riot, you'll be disappointed. The film is funny, but it is offbeat humor, and it is not for everyone. The film is charming and has some good offbeat comedic moments. Wes Anderson has made a fun little film with Rushmore and if you enjoy a quirky, zany comedy with colorful characters, this is your film. I enjoyed the film, and thought the cast was great, and that the plot was very well developed and constantly engaging. There is enough to enjoy about this film that you can forgive its imperfections. Overall this is good entertainment, and it has something that everyone can enjoy. Rushmore is refreshing and is very different than most comedies that we are used to. The film has a good plot, and a good cast that deliver likeable performances, flawed at times, but Rushmore is hard to hate and dismiss. Worth watching if you want a different type of comedy.

• Chris W

  
  Man, Wes Anderson and all involved sure knocked it out of the park with this one. They story here bears more than a passing resemblance to The Graduate, but it's not a complete ripoff, as it manages to exist in it's own little quirky and whimsical world. The performances are… More
  Man, Wes Anderson and all involved sure knocked it out of the park with this one. They story here bears more than a passing resemblance to The Graduate, but it's not a complete ripoff, as it manages to exist in it's own little quirky and whimsical world. The performances are fucking brilliant, and for me, it was nice seeing Mason Gamble, since this is his most well known role aside from Dennis the Menace. If I'm not mistaken, this film marked the debut of Bill Murray in "these kinds of roles giving these types of performances". That's not a bad thing at all, especially since he does it so well. This movie, while funny, is also full of pain, sadness, and a lot of discomfort-perfectly capturing the pain of growing up, impossible love, peaking at a young age, and the difficulty of dealing with things one isn't prepared to. Because of this, the tone is all over the place, and the film comes dangerously close to being overly creepy and a turn off at times, and yet, somehow it still all manages to work, as does everything else here from the music to the set design and art direction. Definitely a film that merits watching.

• AJ V

  
  I should really rewatch this movie, but from what I remember it reminded me of a story like Catcher in the Rye, with a strange teenage boy as the main character, and the the things that happen in his life. I thought it was a brilliant movie when I saw it, but it was so long ago, I… More
  I should really rewatch this movie, but from what I remember it reminded me of a story like Catcher in the Rye, with a strange teenage boy as the main character, and the the things that happen in his life. I thought it was a brilliant movie when I saw it, but it was so long ago, I don't recall why.

• Graham J

  
  Anderson's second film really allowed to spread his wing's and pull out all his tricks. Filled with great performances, visuals, music, and set design.

• Fernando Rafael Q

  
  Not quite up there with Wes Anderson's best (The Darjeeling Limited, Fantastic Mr. Fox) but still a pleasantly offbeat comedy. Rushmore, like all of Anderson's films, is not laugh-out-loud funny but subtly comedic. Jason Schwartzman takes an incredibly pretentious 15… More
  Not quite up there with Wes Anderson's best (The Darjeeling Limited, Fantastic Mr. Fox) but still a pleasantly offbeat comedy. Rushmore, like all of Anderson's films, is not laugh-out-loud funny but subtly comedic. Jason Schwartzman takes an incredibly pretentious 15 year-old who's way in over his head at everything he attempts, and renders him absolutely likeable. His extremely elaborate school plays are amazing, too. Anderson's breakthrough wasn't as satisfying as I hoped, though. It sort of never truly takes off.

• Spencer S

  
  Unlike many of Wes Anderson's films in terms of content. He still uses methods of close captioning, odd dialouge and characters, and cooky storylines, but instead of dealing with a tangled web of ensemble, it dealt with the singular case of Max and his obsession with finding a… More
  Unlike many of Wes Anderson's films in terms of content. He still uses methods of close captioning, odd dialouge and characters, and cooky storylines, but instead of dealing with a tangled web of ensemble, it dealt with the singular case of Max and his obsession with finding a purpose larger than himself. A common theme in Anderson's work includes becoming a social pariah, or generally being rude. This film, made before some of Anderson's more well known work, seems more like a preemptive strike, delving deeper into a character study than ever before. Great performances by Murray, Schwartzman, Williams, and Cox. Max's relationship with Blume (Murray) is reminescent of Harold and Maude, and that great ending embodies this assertion.

• Jennifer D

  
  I think this was my least favorite Wes Anderson film, however I really liked Bill Murray in it. And that's a plus and a rarity. (Sorry, Bill Murray fans). But I really found it funny, especially Mason Gamble. Hilarious kid. I think Anderson strays from his usual themes in this… More
  I think this was my least favorite Wes Anderson film, however I really liked Bill Murray in it. And that's a plus and a rarity. (Sorry, Bill Murray fans). But I really found it funny, especially Mason Gamble. Hilarious kid. I think Anderson strays from his usual themes in this film and that's what I didn't like about it. But, like I said, the humor was there.

• Lewis C

  
  "I think you just have gotta find something you love to do, and then do it for the rest of your life. For me, it's going to Rushmore." Rushmore feels slightly different from Wes Anderson's other movies. It still has his trademark style, dialogue, and memorable… More
  "I think you just have gotta find something you love to do, and then do it for the rest of your life. For me, it's going to Rushmore." Rushmore feels slightly different from Wes Anderson's other movies. It still has his trademark style, dialogue, and memorable characters, certainly. But there isn't as much of his normal focus on visually interesting sets, and the characters feel more lovable.  Their flaws aren't as self-destructive as the characters in The Royal Tenenbaums or The Darjeeling Limited. Young Max (Jason Schwartzman, cleverly handling a character who somehow manages to be both an underachiever AND an overachiever), his chosen infatuation, Miss Cross (Olivia Williams), and his disaffected older friend Mr. Blume (Bill Murray) aren't perfect, but Anderson chooses to make them less quirky than is his usual habit.  It's an interesting decision which changes the tone of the movie somewhat, but if you like most of Anderson's other work, this will probably be right up your alley, too. It's an endearing little movie about life and finding what makes it all worth it for you, and I enjoyed it. 

• Randy T

  
  Quirky off-beat take on teen angst that seems to get better with time. I like this one a lot more now than when I first saw it ten years ago (that may say more about me than it does about <i>Rushmore</i>).

• Conner R

  
  Not my favorite Wes Anderson movie, but it's certainly not a bad movie. I think it just tries a little too hard to be funny and the characters are more pathetic and uninteresting than they should be. However, Bill Murray's character is great and the main reason it's a… More
  Not my favorite Wes Anderson movie, but it's certainly not a bad movie. I think it just tries a little too hard to be funny and the characters are more pathetic and uninteresting than they should be. However, Bill Murray's character is great and the main reason it's a worthwhile film. Jason Schwartzman just didn't do it for me, but maybe it was just the terrible character.

• Elvira B

  
  Rushmore is Wes Anderson's sympathetic reflection about being an exceptional person at a young age, about impossible love, about male and female sensitivity, about being caught up between maturity and childhood, about music, about taking on impossible projects. All of his later… More
  Rushmore is Wes Anderson's sympathetic reflection about being an exceptional person at a young age, about impossible love, about male and female sensitivity, about being caught up between maturity and childhood, about music, about taking on impossible projects. All of his later films are, in one way or another, about these issues. But no other has the charisma of Jason Schwartzman, or quite the charm of this script:it thinks itself at times too wise for its own good, but it's instantly redeemed by its unshakable innocence and subtly contained wit. And, of course, it has a great soundtrack.

• Anthony L

  
  This is Anderson at his best. It was easily the best 'indie comedy' of the late 90's and it really established both Anderson and Schwartzman and it also gave Bill Murray's carrier a kick up the arse too. It surprises me how many people seem to have missed this gem… More
  This is Anderson at his best. It was easily the best 'indie comedy' of the late 90's and it really established both Anderson and Schwartzman and it also gave Bill Murray's carrier a kick up the arse too. It surprises me how many people seem to have missed this gem of a film. Brilliant.

• Lorenzo v

  
  <i>"She was my Rushmore"</i> The king of Rushmore prep school is put on academic probation. <center><font size=+2 face="Century Schoolbook"><b><u>REVIEW</u></b></font></center> Hilarious comedy a la… More
  <i>"She was my Rushmore"</i> The king of Rushmore prep school is put on academic probation. <center><font size=+2 face="Century Schoolbook"><b><u>REVIEW</u></b></font></center> Hilarious comedy a la `Ferris Bueller's Day Off' as written by John Cheever: enterprising young Schwartzman (in a memorable acting debut; son of Talia Shire) as Max Fischer, a prep school student at the titular institution ? whose ambitions are only mired by his lack of decent marks, with even higher set goals in wooing a second grade teacher played by the sexy Williams. But it is Murray who (rightfully) steals the film as a rich philanthropist who befriends Schwartzman only to betray him by also falling for his love-to-be, with a truly funny turn pulling out all the stops including slapstick falls and a great scene of depression in action at a family poolside party (one for the archives). Written by Owen Wilson and Wes Anderson (who also directed and both teamed up for their freshman gem, `Bottle Rocket') the film is smartly executed and makes even a sometimes unlikable character an empathetic symbol of adolescent anomie. Brilliant filmmaking of the high order and Murray was robbed of a justifiable Oscar nomination for supporting actor !

• Arash X

  
  Only worthwhile film by Anderson so far

• danny d

  
  this is the sort of film that i grow fonder of over time. its the little nuances that do it for me, things you dont notice the first time around but are quirky and hilarious the more you think about them. overall great comedy.

• E.J. B

  
  There is no film like Rushmore, Wes Anderson's unique portrayal of a year in the life of Max Fischer, a misfit teen who happens to be involved in every extracurricular activity imaginable. Bill Murray should have won an Oscar for his role as Max's best friend, who happens to… More
  There is no film like Rushmore, Wes Anderson's unique portrayal of a year in the life of Max Fischer, a misfit teen who happens to be involved in every extracurricular activity imaginable. Bill Murray should have won an Oscar for his role as Max's best friend, who happens to fall in love with the same teacher Max has fallen for. It's hard to classify this comedy. But the vast number of dull, lifeless imitations that have come out since its release - ie, Napolean Dynamite, The Nanny Diaries - have failed to duplicate this film's charm.

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