Rushmore (1998)

The extracurricular king of Rushmore preparatory school is put on academic probation.

Director:

Wes Anderson

Writers:

Wes Anderson, Owen Wilson

Stars:

Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray, Olivia Williams

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 16 wins & 15 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jason Schwartzman	...	Max Fischer
Bill Murray	...	Herman Blume
Olivia Williams	...	Rosemary Cross
Seymour Cassel	...	Bert Fischer
Brian Cox	...	Dr. Nelson Guggenheim
Mason Gamble	...	Dirk Calloway
Sara Tanaka	...	Margaret Yang
Stephen McCole	...	Magnus Buchan
Connie Nielsen	...	Mrs. Calloway
Luke Wilson	...	Dr. Peter Flynn
Dipak Pallana	...	Mr. Adams (as Deepak Pallana)
Andrew Wilson	...	Coach Beck
Marietta Marich	...	Mrs. Guggenheim
Ronnie McCawley	...	Ronny Blume
Keith McCawley	...	Donny Blume

Storyline

Max Fischer is a precocious 15-year-old whose reason for living is his attendance at Rushmore, a private school where he's not doing well in any of his classes, but where he's the king of extracurricular activities - from being in the beekeeping society to writing and producing plays, there's very little after school he doesn't do. His life begins to change, however, when he finds out he's on academic probation, and when he stumbles into love with Miss Cross, a pretty teacher of the elementary school at Rushmore. Added to the mix is his friendship with Herman Blume, wealthy industrialist and father to boys who attend the school, and who also finds himself attracted to Miss Cross. Max's fate becomes inextricably tied to this odd love triangle, and how he sets about resolving it is the story in the film.

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Plot Keywords:

vietnam war veteran | national film registry | love triangle | unhappy marriage | unwanted kiss | 

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Taglines:

"She was my Rushmore"

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and brief nudity

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish Latin French

Release Date:

19 February 1999 (USA)

Also Known As:

Tres son multitud

Filming Locations:

Forest Club, 9950 Memorial Drive, Houston, Texas, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$9,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$43,666, 13 December 1998, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$17,105,219

Company Credits

Production Co:

American Empirical Pictures, Touchstone Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The book Max is reading at the beginning of the movie is "Diving for Sunken Treasure" by Jacques-Yves Cousteau who was the main inspiration for Wes Anderson's later film, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004)

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Goofs

The Swiss Army Knife Dirk gives Max says "Rushmore Yankee 1985-1997". Since Max is 15, this would mean he has gone to Rushmore since age three. But his first talk with Dr. Guggenheim reveals that he has only gone to Rushmore since second grade.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Student: If, and only if, both sides of the numerator is divisible by the inverse of he square root of the two unassigned variable.
School Professor: Good. Except when the value of the "X" coordinate is equal to or less than the value of one. Yes Isaac?
Student: What about *that* problem?
School Professor: Oh, that? Don't worry about that.
Student: Wait. Why?
School Professor: I just put that up as a joke. That's probably the hardest geometry equation in the world.
Student: Well, how much extra credit is it worth?
School Professor: Well, considering I've never seen anyone get it right, ...

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Connections

Referenced in The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon: Jada Pinkett Smith/Nick Kroll/Bobby $hmurda (2014)

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Soundtracks

Rue St. Vincent
Written by Aristide Bruant
Published by EMI Virgin Music, Inc. (ASCAP)
Performed by Yves Montand
Courtesy of Columbia Records and Sony Music Entertainment (France) S.A.
By Arrangement with Sony Music Licensing

User Reviews

tragic, hilarious, subtle, and powerful..... all at once

If you are looking for convention, don't see this movie. This movie isn't a happy story. Although you could say this movie has a happy ending, if you have a smile at the end of the film, you're missing something.

The characters are all disturbed on some level; Max, although giving the appearance of a mature young boy, really knows very little about life. Herman has the money and the house - but his kids are brats and his life is going nowhere. Rosemary is in love with the perfect man... but he is dead. Yes, this movie is funny, but I mean it when I say throughout the film I was on the verge of either bursting into laughter or tears.

The movie is funny because it's true. The movie is sad because it's true. What you expect to happen and what you hope happen never really happen, because really this movie is about life. If you're the type of person who can see the humor and sadness in everyday life, you'll love this movie. It may not be uplifting, but it is reassuring. These characters - with what little they have - learn to be happier people. They learn to move on.

Wes Anderson made a story that can encompass all these emotions in a relatively simply plot. Don't be fooled; a lot is going on here. Issues of love, social class, morality, and convention are all brought up. It will make you think about what kind of world you live in, and what kind of a person you are.

10/10