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Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray, Olivia Williams, Seymour Cassel, Brian Cox ... see more see more... , Mason Gamble , Sara Tanaka , Stephen McCole , Ronnie McCawley , Keith McCawley , Connie Nielsen , Kim Terry , Ed Geldart , Luke Wilson , Kumar Pallana

After the highly acclaimed independent film Bottle Rocket, director Wes Anderson followed up with a quirky Touchstone Studios film entitled Rushmore. Written by Anderson and friend Owen Wilson (an act... read more read more...or in Armageddon and Anaconda), they created the story of Max Fischer, a highly eccentric 15-year-old boy who attends the tenth grade at Rushmore Academy. Played by Jason Schwartzman (Talia Shire's son and Francis Ford Coppola's nephew), Max is a poor student with big dreams and a love of extracurricular activities. Max is editor of the school newspaper and yearbook, president of the chess, astronomy, French, and German clubs, captain of the fencing team, and director of the school play. Max is also a compulsive liar, telling everyone that his barber father (Seymour Cassel) is really a brain surgeon. Suddenly Max falls in love with Miss Cross (Olivia Williams), a first-grade teacher at the school. He also makes a new friend in business tycoon Mr. Blume (Bill Murray), an eccentric millionaire who also loves Miss Cross. The love triangle heats up as Max refuses to believe that his age has anything to do with Miss Cross refusing his romantic advances. Also Max's scheme to erect an aquarium on the school baseball diamond gets him booted out of Rushmore Academy. As his life crumbles around him, he is forced to grow up and accept the consequences of his actions and his lies. He throws himself more into his extracurricular activities, hoping to redeem himself by staging the most ambitious school play ever attempted. ~ Arthur Borman, Rovi

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91% liked it

163,084 ratings

Critics

87% liked it

85 critics

R, 1 hr. 33 min.

Directed by: Wes Anderson

Release Date: September 17, 1998

Keywords: funny, quirky

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DVD Release Date: June 29, 1999

Stats: 9,688 reviews

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Rusmore Parody Rushmore Rushmore Max Fischer outside his alma mater Dirk Calloway and Max Rushmore Max Fischer Herman Blume And Max Fischer Rushmore Miss.Cross And Max The aquarium Margret, Mr And Mrs.Yang, Dr. Peter Flynn, Max, Bert Fischer, Herman and Rosemary Max And His Father Rushmore Rushmore
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Flixster Reviews (9,688)

  • sanjurosamurai
    May 18, 2012
    sanjurosamurai
    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. many of my fellow wes anderson fans love this film, and while i like it i... read more dont place it as high as many of his others, but the film is inventive and max's "play" scenes really put the film in unique standing. overall great comedy.
  • fb1576983399
    April 19, 2012
    fb1576983399
    This is an off-kilter, but good movie. The unique screenplay's quirky/fast-paced humor, along with Murray and Schwartzman's performance, really carries this film. Other than those two aspects, however, there is not much else to this movie.
  • fb100001048934982
    March 13, 2012
    fb100001048934982
    Wes Anderson's 'Rushmore' is fresh and original, as well as freakishly addictive. The world Anderson creates within the film is engaging and poignant. Anderson and Wilson's script is impeccable once again, but the words can only make an impact when they are delivered with comic, ... read moreeccentric genius by Murray or Schwartzman. Not only does Anderson's cinematic formula never get tiresome, each shot is set to be more enticing than the one that came before it. At a brisk runtime, no time is wasted on meaningless dialogue, plot, or character development. Everything seems to fit in exactly the place that it is in. Anderson creates a film that does not only feel timeless, but brews with youthful exuberance and intellectual deliverance. 'Rushmore' is brilliantly hilarious in a blatant yet strangely modest sort of way. It's safe to say that it is a film that should not be easily forgotten.
  • flutieman07
    March 1, 2012
    flutieman07
    I had never seen a Wes Anderson movie....until now. Surprised by how much I enjoyed this.
  • FilmFanatik
    January 26, 2012
    FilmFanatik
    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 thou... read moregh 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.
  • fb100001592288964
    January 18, 2012
    fb100001592288964
    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.
  • fb535316333
    January 1, 2012
    fb535316333
    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 doz... read moreen 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.
  • paulkoh110
    December 29, 2011
    paulkoh110
    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 Rus... read morehmore Academy!
  • TheDudeLebowski65
    December 16, 2011
    TheDudeLebowski65
    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 direc... read moret 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.
  • cosmo313
    November 19, 2011
    cosmo313
    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 fuck... read moreing 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.

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Critic Reviews

Lisa Schwarzbaum
February 4, 2010
Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly

The director treats eccentricity with compassionate respect: no winking, no nudges to even like the boy. The filmmaking, meanwhile, is beautifully disciplined. Full Review

Richard Corliss
August 12, 2008
Richard Corliss, TIME Magazine

You also have to admire the creepy arrogance of Schwartzman's performance. Full Review

David Edelstein
July 18, 2007
David Edelstein, Slate

What I wanted was a larger perspective, something more insightful than the one-thing-after-another existential whimsy. Full Review

Todd McCarthy
July 18, 2007
Todd McCarthy, Variety

A wickedly funny high school comedy for most of its running time, Rushmore is a bracingly fresh and original outing. Full Review

July 21, 2005
Houston Chronicle

This film is so not-from-the-cookie-cutter, so unaccommodating of our expectations, that we can't anticipate where Anderson's going to take us. Every scene is a discovery or sly diversion. Full Review

Michael Wilmington
February 4, 2004
Michael Wilmington, Chicago Tribune

A true original: a film that stands apart from the crowd, goes its own way and all but dares you not to like it. Full Review

Liam Lacey
July 12, 2002
Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail

One of the most original, good-hearted comedies in a long time, Rushmore is the sort of movie where the strangest sequences of discords somehow keep managing to reach giddily improbable resolutions. Full Review

Peter Travers
May 11, 2001
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

To call Rushmore a romantic triangle about clinical depressives doesn't allow for the film's bracing humanism.

Kenneth Turan
February 14, 2001
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times

...Anderson has an idiosyncratic sensibility, the rare ability to create a world that is completely his own. Unique worlds, however, can be off-putting enough to discourage civilians from spending tim... Full Review

J. Hoberman
January 1, 2000
J. Hoberman, Village Voice

The sensibility is in no way derivative, although the friendly score and engagingly quirky performances suggest the warm, puppy-dog humanism of a young Jonathan Demme. Full Review

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    • Max Fischer: I saved Latin. What did YOU ever do?
    • Max Fischer: You were in Vietnam, right?
    • Herman Blume: Yeah.
    • Max Fischer: Were you in the shit?
    • Herman Blume: Yeah, I was in the shit.
    • Max Fischer: Maybe I'm spending too much of my time starting up clubs and putting on plays. I should probably be trying harder to score chicks.
    • Herman Blume: You guys have it real easy. I never had it like this where I grew up. But I send my kids here because the fact is you go to one of the best schools in the country: Rushmore. Now, for some of you it doesn't matter. You were born rich and you're going to stay rich. But here's my advice to the rest of you: Take dead aim on the rich boys. Get them in the crosshairs and take them down. Just remember, they can buy anything but they can't buy backbone. Don't let them forget it. Thank you.
    • Rosemary Cross: Has it ever crossed your mind that you're far too young for me?
    • Max Fischer: It crossed my mind that you might consider that a possibility, yeah.
    • Max Fischer: I don't give a shit about the barracuda.
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Rushmore Trivia

  • What is Max Fishers "reason for living "in Rushmore ?  Answer »
  • Who portrays Max Fisher in Rushmore ?   Answer »
  • Who portrays Herman Blume In Rushmore ?  Answer »
  • True or False: Wes Anderson wrote Bottle Rocket, Rushmore and The Royal Tenenbaums with good friend and fello Texas Alum, Owen Wilson  Answer »
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