RUSHMORE

SYNOPSIS: Max Fischer (Jason Schwartzman) is a tenth-grade student at Rushmore Academy. This sublime operator, this con man in a blue blazer, is also on sudden-death probation because of his abysmal academic record. Max is just too busy to study. He's in the business of starting clubs and staging plays. He is also in love with the new first-grade teacher, Miss Cross (Olivia Williams). Always looking for a new crowning glory, 15-year-old Max decides to build an aquarium at the school in honour of Miss Cross. For financing, he goes to Mr. Blume (Bill Murray), the shy major benefactor of the school, who agrees to provide seed money for the project and then promptly falls in love with Miss Cross himself.

"Whoever said American mainstream cinema has long suffocated in a quagmire of dismal unoriginality, hasn't seen Rushmore. It's rare to find a film of such sublime perfection, a work of utterly brazen audacity, wit and intelligence. This is a film of character that comes alive with a thud and never lets go. Director and co-writer Wes Anderson, who made the superb (but rarely seen) Bottle Rocket, has proven himself a filmmaker of extraordinary vision. Apart from creating a collage of intricate, original characters, his sense of direction is remarkable, including an eye for detail and an ear for sharp dialogue. Rushmore is a film about us, our determination to succeed, our willingness to be accepted. It's a film about class and social mores, the bursting forth of the creative spirit and our quest for individuality. Here is a film that is quirky, but unpretentiously so, a film that is darkly comic, that is moving and honest, yet has moments of cartoonish absurdity. It's beautifully crafted and flawlessly written, and has astonishing performances. As the film's juvenile antihero, Jason Schwartzman is a true revelation, a young actor who delivers an exquisite performance that conveys a breathtaking range of emotional depth. Bill Murray has found an intricate, sometimes tragicomic character that he can sink his teeth into, and sink them he does. This is Murray at his best, a subtle, funny and even heartbreaking characterisation; Olivia Williams, so under-utilised in The Postman, is radiant in the role of the poor teacher caught in the middle of an unusual friendship. Even the smallest performances shine through. With a resonant musical score and the beautiful cinematography, Rushmore is an extraordinary work of art, an original and unforgettable film to be savoured."
Paul Fischer