Rushmore

I'm not sure why the title is in Spanish on the thumbnail above as this was the English language version of Wes Anderson's masterwork - Rushmore. I'm sure a lot of cinephiles would disagree that this is Anderson's best film, but they're wrong. Rushmore falls in this sweet spot of Wes Anderson's rise to the uber-precise director he's become. Now his films are known for immaculate art direction, incredibly precise camera moves, twee dialogue, hilariously underplayed comedic performances, and just - well - being absolutely perfect in every aspect of their execution. Despite this, Rushmore, in my opinion, remains the best film of one of the most important film makers of our generation. Before The Royal Tenenbaums, The Life Aquatic, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Isle of Dogs, and on and on and on - Rushmore embodied the beating heart of Anderson in a way that all the artifice that would come after it never could. In it you see the beginnings of his tell-tale performance quirks and amazing sense of composition, but before they were quite so perfect. The film feels attainable in a way the others don't. Jason Schwartzman is the perfect cast for Max Fisher, the protagonist and because Wes Anderson wasn't THE Wes Anderson yet, the film isn't as controlled visually, the comedy isn't so Edward Gorey-eque. All good things, but somehow the lack of them in Rushmore makes it so much more enjoyable for it. There is a "grit" to it, though it's not a gritty film. I just mean there is this sense that it didn't have to be perfect to be funny or meaningful.This film is an absolute masterpiece in terms of it's pacing, visual sensibilities, and performances. The jokes feel more like a very clever friend making you laugh than the high end "you'd better laugh or admit you're not at my artistic level" feeling of his subsequent films. All of Anderson's color blocking, attention to small details and camera play are present, but in a way that feels more human and less super-human if that makes sense. If you've ever enjoyed a Wes Anderson film in the past and have NOT seen this. Stop doing whatever it is you're doing and watch this film. If Anderson's more recent films are like eating at a Michelin Star restaurant where every dish is crafted to be the height of refinement and execution (and they are both), Rushmore is going home to eat that food your mother cooked when you were young, imperfect and unrefined, but so incredibly satisfying that it makes you remember why you ever wanted to go to the Michelin Star restaurant in the first place.

I was 15 when I first saw this film. I was coming to the end of an odd emotional whirlwind, and my first year of crazy, irrational high school was almost over. A teacher I met in the first semester, an English teacher for whom I'd had a slight innocent crush on was now working at the local video store(I think she was the manager, but I cant be certain), anyway, she was only a student teacher, so she left after the first semester was up, and I missed her a lot, then I found that she worked at the video store, every Sunday I'd grab my movies, turn them in and rent three more, all because I could see her and talk to her about movies, video games, comics, books, anything. I'd heard of Rushmore many time through the internet, magazines, and other things, I'd seen Bottle Rocket(Wes Anderson's first and equally great film)and The Darjeeling Limited already, but it was Rushmore. I found it on the shelf, and rented it. I brought it home and probably watched it that night or the next. From the first scene on, I was entranced.Max Fischer(played to perfection by Jason Schwartzman)reminded me so much of myself, not only in his odd tastes, his somewhat mean-mannered behavior, his flaws, his everything, really. Max first meets Miss Cross after reading a passage she wrote into a book about the sea, a quote from Jacques Cousteau, he falls in love with her almost immediately. And through his naive encounters and constant strains to try and convince her she is the one for him, and he the one for her, he only manages to push her away, and lose what he wanted most. And through this, we see Max grow up, and become more mature. To me, the film was almost a mirror of what I was feeling at the time, depressed, angry, "in love", etc. it showed me something new, hope. And for the first time in a film it didn't seem cheap or trite, or whatever, it felt real, to me at least, and my own twisted up world view, but that doesn't matter. I never ever went to the extremes Max did, in fact, I never acted on my attractions what so ever, but I felt a kind of... I dunno soulful connection between Max and myself, for better or worse, he almost is exactly like me. Yes, I know this wasn't the "average" review, but I wanted to say WHY this film is so important to me, and why, after seeing it about ten times since, and about a year and half since I FIRST saw it, it still packs an emotional punch at the end when the curtains are drawn. This film isn't for everyone, so everyone shouldn't necessarily go see it. It's classic Wes Anderson dry, dead-pan humor, if you dont get it, you probably never will. The film is a lot like Harold and Maude and even the Graduate, but still functions solely in and of itself. This film isn't guaranteed to effect most people in the same way it did me, because most people dont have that first hand experience with what the film more or less deals with, and also in an innocent way, not like in a dark foreign art house film that'd make the thing into a very dark and disturbing endeavor, here, to me and my experiences, Rushmore couldn't BE anymore realistic. This is most definitely in my top ten favorite films, but probably only because of my experiences, check it out if you think you'll like it, it will certainly be worth it.I have grown to love Wes Anderson and his films, all somewhat surrealistic, and more than obviously inspired by both New Hollywood films of the sixties and also the artistic and cinematography of French New Wave films like Breathless, Pierot Le Fou and Jules et Jim(referenced slightly in the Life Aquatic, "Not This One."). I decided to keep this review personal, and completely non-objective, because, well, I cant be objective with this film, its too near and dear to me to do that, so yes, I am biased, but please, be biased with me? :)