The psychological and spiritual antithesis of the cool, hip Ferris Bueller, Max Fischer in Wes Anderson’s Rushmore is a one man army of plucky ambition, unending intestinal fortitude, and never-say-die persistence. And the film that sports him as its main character has much of the same undying spirit: it’s quirky, droll, and utterly delightful. That the character is a lovable oddball, the kind of guy who feels bad if you injure your knuckles while punching him out, keeps him forever in the viewer’s good graces, enough so that when one thinks he might tire of his never ending pursuit of what he wants, his charming goofiness always wins the day.
Rushmore (Blu-ray)
Directed by Wes Anderson
Studio: Criterion
Year: 1998
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 1080p AVC codec
Running Time: 93 minutes
Rating: R
Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 English
Subtitles: SDH
Region: A
MSRP: $39.95
Release Date: November 22, 2011
Review Date: November 16, 2011
The Film
4/5
Max Fischer (Jason Schwartzman) is a dreadful student at Rushmore Academy. Not that he hasn’t got brains, but he’s much too busy with all of his extracurricular activities to even think about finishing an English paper or learning geometry theorems. He falls head over heels for primary teacher Rosemary Cross (Olivia Williams) and even chooses to be the school mentor to her son Dirk (Mason Gamble) in order to have reasons to be around her. In fashioning some of his greater ambitions for the school (including getting funding to build an aquarium for Rushmore), he makes the acquaintance of millionaire businessman Herman Blume (Bill Murray) whose own malevolent twin sons (Ronny and Keith McCawley) attend Rushmore. Herman admires the plucky determination of Max and takes him under his wing as a surrogate son, but when he, too, flips for Ms. Cross, Max and Herman are obviously destined to butt heads about their mutual infatuations with her.
The script by Wes Anderson and Owen Wilson has the same dry, quaint comic sense that infused their earlier Bottle Rocket but this time with more appealing characters. Max is a lovable loser but one who never gives up hope, can never take “no” for an answer, and doesn’t know what defeat tastes like since he considers his failures merely temporary road blocks toward gaining his ultimate happiness. He organizes multiple clubs even though he’s not really expert in any of the activities they are based on, writes play after play using favored pop culture references as his jumping off points (Serpico, Apocalypse Now), and pursues Ms. Cross with a child’s idea of sophisticated ardor, all of which makes him a priceless movie invention. Anderson stages Max’s over-the-top stage productions as wild extravaganzas (with a couple of Walter Mitty-type dream sequences also in the film, one wonders if these outrageously overproduced plays aren’t also partly figments of his imagination), but it’s his one-on-one encounters with both friends (Ms. Cross, Herman) and foes (bullying Scots exchange student Magnus Buchan played by Stephen McCole) that give the film its special preciousness. Anderson won the Independent Spirit Best Director Award for his work here, and it’s obvious why: the film glides on a spirit of innocence and good will with Anderson keeping the tone light even in its darkest moments and moving things along briskly, the film’s slight failings being due more to a lack of decisive story points (Max’s seeming to drop out of high school which wouldn’t be allowed for a fifteen year old, the too neat resolution).
After an extensive worldwide search for an actor to play the precocious Max, Jason Schwartzman was found in Hollywood (the son of actress Talia Shire), and he’s perfect as the quietly proud and unfailingly ambitious student. Bill Murray won a shelf full of awards as Blume whose infatuation with Ms. Cross and knowing betrayal of surrogate son Max offer him a terrific opportunity to mix comedy and drama into a performance filled with pathos. Olivia Williams gives a lovely, tender performance as the teacher pursued by two very different people. It’s great to see Seymour Cassel as Max’s loving and open-minded father who trusts his son to do him proud, and Brian Cox as Rushmore’s headmaster overcome with the perpetual machinations of the determined Max is also very entertaining. Luke Wilson has some funny moments in two brief cameo scenes as Ms. Cross’ surgeon boy friend. Sara Tanaka as Margaret Yang, the student whose crush on Max seems to go unnoticed by him, is a terrific young find.
Video Quality
4.5/5
The film’s theatrical Panavision aspect ratio of 2.35:1 is presented in 1080p using the AVC codec. The transfer is a strong one with superlative sharpness and excellent color consistency throughout. Contrast is especially well balanced lending the overall picture quality a great warmth. Flesh tones are very natural. Black levels are very good, but there is a bit of aliasing to be glimpsed briefly in tight line structures of a few scenes. The film has been divided into 24 chapters.
Audio Quality
4/5
The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 sound mix gives a fine spread to the numerous pop tunes that dot the soundtrack, but much of the movie remains more front centered and doesn’t exploit its surround channels to their utmost. Dialogue has been very nicely recorded and sounds completely natural coming from the center channel. The multiple explosions used in Max’s climactic stage play Heaven and Hell do give the subwoofer something to do late in the movie and are very nicely carried off.
Special Features
4/5
The audio commentary is patched together from separate interviews with director/co-writer Wes Anderson, co-writer Owen Wilson, and star Jason Schwartzman. Each has many comments to make about the filming experience and offers interesting anecdotes on the origins of the story and characters, the filming in Texas, and other thoughts that make this a must-listen for fans of the movie.
All of the bonus material is presented in 1080i.
Five audition scenes can be played separately or together in one 8 ¾-minute piece. Actors participating are Jason Schwartzman, Stephen McCole, Ronny and Keith McCawley, Sara Tanaka, and Mason Gamble.
Three newly produced stage pieces as performed by the Max Fischer Players are presented as they appeared on the 1999 MTV Movie Awards. The playlets are based on The Truman Show, Armageddon, and Out of Sight. They can be played separately or together with an introduction in a 4 ¼-minute bunch.
“The Making of Rushmore” is a 16 ¾-minute EPK featurette shot by Wes Anderson’s brother Eric. We’re introduced to the major members of the crew and cast, and glimpse behind-the-scenes as several sequences are staged and shot.
There is a 2-minute storyboard-to-screen comparison reel using split screen to show the original drawings and their finished products.
Five sequences are shown in storyboard form that the viewer can flip through.
Two excerpts from The Charlie Rose Show feature Bill Murray and Wes Anderson being interviewed in separate appearances. Together the reel runs 54 ¼ minutes.
The theatrical trailer runs for 2 ½ minutes.
An art gallery featuring poster art from the film can be paged through by the viewer.
The enclosed folded pamphlet contains cast and crew lists and a celebratory essay on the movie by critic Dave Kehr. Also enclosed is a separate map of Rushmore showing locations of all of Max’s special projects and people.
The Criterion Blu-rays include a maneuvering tool called “Timeline” which can be pulled up from the menu or by pushing the red button on the remote. It shows you your progress on the disc, the title of the chapter you’re now in, and index markers for the commentary that goes along with the film, all of which can be switched on the fly. Additionally, two other buttons on the remote can place or remove bookmarks if you decide to stop viewing before reaching the end of the film or want to mark specific places for later reference.
In Conclusion
4/5 (not an average)
A winning comedy of adolescent imagination and fixation run wild, Rushmore is a treasurable film. The Criterion Blu-ray looks splendid and comes with a host of well prepared and interesting supplements that enhance the movie’s innate appeal. Recommended!
Matt Hough
Charlotte, NC
