Bongo bounces in with a review of RUSHMORE. FATHER GEEK caught this film at a local festival several months ago and it is a hell of a funny flick, try not to miss this one.
Caught a sneak preview of "Rushmore" the other night. Only now have I set out to write a review cuz I've been a bit busy and it actually took me some time to formulate how I really felt about this movie. Often this is a good sign, just as often as it can be bad. In the case of "Rushmore," it is wholly positive. The best way I can summarize this film is to use a critic's pullquote from another film "Hurlyburly" (I believe Shakespearean for artistic mess)from Janet Maslin of the NYT, who basically said that film was about men at war with women, but moreover with themselves.
Such is the case with Jason Schwartzman's Max Fischer and Bill Murray's Herman Blume. Both are about the same emotional age, as their mutual teenage crush, Rosemary (the beautiful Olivia Williams, who has atoned for her "The Postman" sins; when will redemption come for thee, Costner?) points out.
Max is a precocious fifteen-year old, one of those go-getters all of us have known or been in a previous/current life. He is president of every club on campus, many of which he is also the founder. He also has written many a play, including "a little one-act about Watergate." However, despite the aptitude he applies toward many of the extracurricular activities on campus, he lacks any such in the classroom, so much so that expulsion from his beloved Rushmore is a good possiblity. However, Max isn't like a lot of the teen prodigies we see in films much too often; there are ways in which he is brilliant and his intelligence supercedes others, but he also shows his age. Thankfully, the filmmakers don't rely on old cliches. Although Max may think he knows everything, and has convincingly fooled everyone to believe the same, he still has a lot to learn about life. He is very much in an Awkward Age.
Conversely, Murray's Blume is a world-weary (world-beaten may be the more apt) millionaire, who sees in Max the boy he always wanted to be or at least wanted to have (instead, he is stuck with twin sons who are rambunctious ignoramuses). It's not unlike the way the Nick Nolte character in "The Thin Red Line" feels about a like-minded lower officer, and the derision he feels toward his bait salesman natural son. Rosemary enters into the equation and the three are all good friends until the two men fall in love with Rosemary and see each other as an opponent for her affection. The Helen-like Rosemary soon has the boys going at it in a battle of Trojan War proportions.
Is Murray good enough for an Oscar nom? Damn straight. Is he good enough to take the Goldfinger prize home? I hope so. It'll be interesting to see how the Academy considers Murray's performance, considering it is extremely low-key (an oxymoron?). However, Murray proves he can deadpan better than all but a handful of actors in Hollywood can emote. He hits the perfect note. Let's hope it's a comeback in a big way. I'm tired of seeing talent like Bill Murray wasted on (albeit spectacular)cameos in films like "Kingpin" and "Wild Things."
To describe how all three of the main characters come together, split apart and come back together would spoil a lot of fun in the movie (the trailer gives away a substantial amount of the good scenes). However, the climax to the picture, which ties everything together, is perfect in the way it uses war (or a hilarious depiction of war) to bring all of these previously warring parties to a lasting and satisfying peace. "Rushmore" is definitely worth catching despite the enormous hype it has been (well-meaningly) burdened with by elite critics. This is a quirky, original take on the traditional Holden Caufield prototype adolescent, thus some people might be irritated by the quirks, while others might love them. Regardless, it is a welcome coming-of-age and coming-of-middle -age fable (the music selection - mostly consisting of old The Who songs- is brilliant. The Who are very much like Herman; they detested and weren't capable of growing old, but now march on in a weird, middle-aged adolescence). It accurately captures what it means to be adolescent at fifteen or fifty; the only real difference between a Max and a Herman is that Herman has only enough energy for one or two "Rushmores" ("Rushmore" coming to mean a fulfilling definition that we aspire to)left in him and Max has countless more. We should be glad that two clever guys like Wes Anderson and Owen Wilson, avoiding the requisite sophomore slump, find themselves closer to Max than Herman.
Overall: 8 out of 10
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