 |
 |
|
|
buying more than one thing? (uses Multi-Item Price Optimization™) ...or |
||
 |
 |
intereact!Director: Wes Anderson
Actors: Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray, Olivia Williams, Seymour Cassel, and Brian Cox
Rated: R (Restricted)
Retail Price (not our price): $39.99
Release Date: 2000-01-18
Theatrical Release Date: 1999-02-05
Studio: Walt Disney Video
Run Time: 93 minutes
Format: Array
Format: AC-3, Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, Special Edition, Widescreen, NTSC
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Discs: 1
Editorial Reviews (supplied by Amazon.com):
1) Amazon.com essential video
Wes Anderson's follow-up to the quirky Bottle Rocket is a wonderfully unorthodox coming-of-age story that ranks with Harold and Maude and The Graduate in the pantheon of timeless cult classics. Jason Schwartzman (son of Talia Shire and nephew of Francis Coppola) stars as Max Fischer, a 15-year-old attending the prestigious Rushmore Academy on scholarship, where he's failing all of his classes but is the superstar of the school's extracurricular activities (head of the drama club, the beekeeper club, the fencing club...). Possessing boundless confidence and chutzpah, as well as an aura of authority he seems to have been born with, Max finds two unlikely soulmates in his permutations at Rushmore: industrial magnate and Rushmore alumnus Herman Blume (Bill Murray) and first-grade teacher Rosemary Cross (Olivia Williams). His alliance with Blume and crush on Miss Cross, however, are thrown out of kilter by his expulsion from Rushmore, and a budding romance between the two adults that threatens Max's own designs on the lovely schoolteacher. Never stooping to sentimentality or schmaltz, Anderson and cowriter Owen Wilson have fashioned a wickedly intelligent and wildly funny tale of young adulthood that hits all the right notes in its mix of melancholy and optimism. As played by Schwartzman, Max is both immediately endearing and ferociously irritating: smarter than all the adults around him, with little sense of his shortcomings, he's an unstoppable dynamo who commands grudging respect despite his outlandish projects (including a school play about Vietnam). Murray, as the tycoon who determinedly wages war with Max for the affections of Miss Cross, is a revelation of middle-aged resignation. Disgusted with his family, his life, and himself, he's turned around by both Max's antagonism and Miss Cross's love. Williams is equally affecting as the teacher who still carries a torch for her dead husband, and the superb supporting cast also includes Seymour Cassel as Max's barber father, Brian Cox as the frustrated headmaster of Rushmore, and a hilarious Mason Gamble as Max's young charge. Put this one on your shelf of modern masterpieces. --Mark Englehart2) Description
Wes Anderson's dazzling sophomore effort is equal parts coming-of-age story, French New Wave homage, and screwball comedy. Tenth grader Max Fischer (Jason Schwartzman) is Rushmore Academy's most extracurricular student-and its least scholarly. He faces expulsion, and enters into unlikely friendships with both a lovely first-grade teacher (Olivia Williams) and a melancholy self-made millionaire (Bill Murray, in an award-winning performance). Set to a soundtrack of classic British Invasion tunes, Rushmore defies categorization even as it captures the pain and exuberance of adolescence with wit, emotional depth, and cinematic panache. Criterion is proud to present one of 1998's most acclaimed films in a Director Approved special edition.
Customer Reviews (supplied by Amazon.com):
Average Customer Rating: 4.5 out of 5
1) Rushmore [Rating: 3 out of 5]
When I began to watch "Rushmore," I had no idea where it was headed. There seemed to be no direction of the story and I was ready to be bored for an hour or two. I was close to even turning it off. In the end, I realized that would have been a huge mistake, because I would have missed out on a great, little film. Max Fischer (Jason Schwarzman) is in love with the school at which he attends: Rushmore Academy. He's the president of chess club, German club, and French club, as well as the founder of the dodgeball society, the Max Fischer players, and tons more. He's also the worst student at the school. As it begins to look gloomy for Max, things begin to brighten up when he falls for a first-grade teacher, Miss Cross (Olivia Williams). Unfortunately, Max isn't the only one who has his eye on the teacher. Mr. Blume (Bill Murray) falls for her as well. The two duke it out for Miss Cross' feelings as Max juggles with love, friendships, school, and a play about the Vietnam War. I always thought of director Wes Anderson as a filmmaker you either love or hate. Not to say that I despise him or his films, but I just never really "got" them. I fell asleep during "The Life Aquatic" and although I liked "The Royal Tenenbaums", I wasn't thrilled or engaged by it. "Rushmore" works the best for me, mainly because of how focused it is. It's the observation of one character unlike say "The Royal Tenenbaums." Since this is the case, I have a better time trying to understand what the certain character is doing and why, instead of having to switch back and forth between many characters. Jason Schwartzman is Max Fischer. Determined, caring, awkward, obsessed, and upset, Schwartzman does it all. Bill Murray is great as Max's enemy. The dialogue between the two is well done and never feels forced. Their dream girl is played beautifully by Olivia Williams, who does a remarkable job. The rest of the cast do fine as well. Wes Anderson moves the story along at a fairly slow pace, which actually benefits the story. I particulary enjoyed the off-kilter editing that he employs throughout the film. I found it to be a nice parallel with Max's mindset in every situation that he is in. Overall, "Rushmore" is a good film. As I said before, Wes Anderson is a director that you can either take or leave. If you enjoy his films, you'll certainly enjoy this. Even if you're not though, it's still worth checking out. It may move at a slow, deliberate pace, but it's got a great story to tell, filled to the brim with great characters and some solid direction.2) Anderson's best film.... [Rating: 5 out of 5]
My former sister in law kept raving about this film, telling me I would love it. It looked like a smarmy, Gen X "ironic" movie to me, so I avoided it for a bit, but then decided to go see it. It is a brilliant, funny, honest, heartfelt film, the best film I've seen from Wes Anderson. It has great performances by Jason Schwartzman as Max and Bill Murray, and also Seymour Cassel (a Cassavettes veteran) as Max's father, Olivia Willams as Max's "love interest", and Brian Cox as the dean of Rushmore. Never does the film feel condescending like a lot of "hip" films during this time had a tendency to do. It doesn't feel smarmy or sleazy. In the hands of a "hip" director, they could have needled Max's character, mocking him and making fun of him. Anderson didn't. Wes (and co-writer Owen Wilson, who should write more) made all their characters like real people. And the film has one of the greatest soundtracks EVER. It is filled with British invasion hits, and the use of The Who's A Quick One While He's Away is truly inspired. Anderson gets major points for using the live version from The Rock and Roll Circus instead of the studio version, which isn't as good. Most of Anderson's work in general leaves me cold, but not this film. This is his best film in my opinion, a film of depth and substance.3) Deceit, Lies, Heartbreak, Duplicity; A wonderful Feel-Good Film [Rating: 5 out of 5]
I finally saw this much-heralded film, and Wes Anderson should be very proud. The casting of Jason Schwartzman in the central role of Max was a very fine choice. I guess it brings up the argument that success doesn't mean you have academic skills. Most important element is that one small lie to the wrong person can balloon uncontrollably. Under Mr. Andersn's impeccable direction, the excellent cast makes this a most rewarding experience. Bill Murray won acclaim for his performance, and he's fine, but equally as good are Olivia Williams, Seymour Cassell, Brian Cox, and the delightful Sara Tanaka; not forgetting Schwartzman's totally believable, centered & focused performance. I loved this film, and I understand why it has become a "cult classic". I will watch it often.4) Another Wes Anderson Hit... [Rating: 5 out of 5]
Great performances, if you're a fan of Wes Anderson then this is a movie for you. Histerically funny, witty. A great Bill Murray movie, he's done great things with the director. A truly must see film.5) Bill Murray, Jason Schwartzman, and Wes Anderson, oh my! [Rating: 5 out of 5]
First matter of business: the price.It's steep. $32 for 1 disc?If you feel the value of a dollar justifies $20 for 40 Year Old Virgin then this is a frikkin' bargain. Then again, this movie applies to a much different audience than the 40 Year Old Virgin.If you haven't seen this movie, and you like Wes Anderson's other flicks (Royal Tennenbaums, the Life Aquatic, etc...) you need to go at least rent this one, check it out, give it a month or so to seep into your soul, and maybe then you'll see why $32 ain't so bad.Other matters of business: if you wanted other matters of business, learn to live with disappointment. I'm done. The end.