MY GUSH-FILLED REVIEW OF THE MOVIE PROPER

Stop the counting, ladies and gentlemen. We have a winner.

"Rushmore", for me, is 'it'. Indescribable, indefinable. The be-all and end-all of movies. Potissimus membrana*. It has all my favourite themes: genius, obsession, and loneliness. And also love, friendship, loyalty, art, commerce, class, sin, redemption, and glory. All wrapped up in a charming little picaresque about one boy's love for his school.

That boy, Max Fischer, is piquant and palpable but non compos mentis, an intense man stuck in a child's body with a child's immaturity. He has the energy and determination of ten (nay, hundreds of) men, but lacks the focus to turn this virtue into a viable tool. The President or founder of several dozen clubs and organizations at Rushmore Academy, Max's horrific grades have him on the verge of expulsion. Jason Schwartzman, who plays Max with total abandonment of ego and multibrow, captures all of these qualities (features?) without ever breaking a sweat or showing the seams. He shows Max at his best, and also at his worst, while always making him a character the audience can cheer for. From an amateur actor, it is by far the best performance I have ever seen.

As Max's mentor and friend, Bill Murray pulls off an unconventional Bill Murray performance. His steel magnate, Herman Blume, is beaten down by life (read: his shrewish wife and his twin Neanderthal sons), but becomes energized when he meets Max. Murray plays all his cards close to his chest, exposing the reality within Herman: his loneliness, his sadness, his shyness (Bill Murray playing shy! Who'd have thought?), but also his concealed vitality. The relationship between Murray, the seasoned veteran, and Schwartzman, the promising rookie, is volatile and affectionate, without ever being showy.

Olivia Williams, as the object of these two men's affections, is worthy of such. She plays first grade teacher Rosemary Cross, confused by the adoration she receives, but desperately in need of some.

None of these three are perfect people, and that is why they are perfect for each other.

The supporting cast, notably Seymour Cassell as Max's amiable father, Brian Cox as stern headmaster Dr. Nelson Guggenheim, Mason Gamble as protective chapel partner Dirk Calloway, and Sara Tanaka as prospective love interest Margaret Yang, are all note perfect. Perfectly cast, perfectly conceived, perfectly executed. They make Rushmore a real world, and thus "Rushmore" becomes real life.

Director Wes Anderson is a persnicketor. He has chronic meticulosis. His fastidiophilia is beyond cure. And for that, I love his work. If God is in the details, He can surely be found in Anderson's films. Max's typewriter is emblazoned with the inscription: "Bravo, Max! Love, Mom." (Key information to add to the melancholy: Mom, who was once terribly supportive, is now dead and gone). His plays recreate classic movies down to the finest integral elements. And my favourite: the after party of "Heaven and Hell", the Vietnam-era play that closes the film, is dressed up just like an army unit's quarters, complete with bunk beds and nudie pinups. Anderson frames his shots with the intent of best portraying his characters' humanistic beauty, while composing tableaus to die for made up of colours to warm your toes by.

I wonder if some of the credit for this should go to co-screenwriter Owen Wilson. The two men have crafted a wonderful story that zips along at a frenetic pace (the first half-hour is so jam-packed with landmark and milestone events that when the title curtain falls for a second time, you realize that we're only in the second month of the school year). It may look and feel like a typical boy meets girl / boy loses girl / boy tries to get girl back kind of story. But it's also a Max Fischer kind of story, and that boy certainly doesn't follow formulas. What a wonderful character Anderson and Wilson have created. Just his introduction scene alone ("The Hardest Geometry Problem in the World!") is enough to make you stand up and cheer for this kid, and keep cheering throughout the movie.

Anderson, an acknowledged musicphile, picks just the right pieces for his soundtrack. John Lennon's song "Oh Yoko" scores a scene where Max and Herman try to get their act together for a re-emergence upon the story; it's an odd song choice (unless Max and Herman's unconditional love is meant to be as strong as John and Yoko's was; quite likely) but a right one. The Who's "A Quick One While He's Away" makes a revenge montage sequence all the more frightful, and then poignant when the final refrain comes in ("You are forgiven"). Obscure Cat Stevens, Rolling Stones, and The Faces ("I wish that I knew what I know now when I was younger") all litter the soundscape in ideal places. Add to that Mark Mothersbaugh's prodigious and beautiful Renaissance guitar noodling, and this is a film as enticing to listen to, as it is to watch.

I understand that "Rushmore", for some, is a taste difficult to acquire. If you find yourself in that demographic, my sincerest condolences. If you don't, if you're the type who'll get a lump in your throat at the sight of Max's father, teary-eyed in the audience after Max has paid tribute to his late mother from the lip of the stage, then please make the effort and climb Mount "Rushmore". You'll love the view from the top, I promise.

[*Pardon my horrible Latin. Nihilo sanctum estne? I suppose not. Please heed what I write, not how I write it. Facta non verba.]


IF YOU HAVEN'T GOTTEN SICK YET OF MY EFFUSIVENESS, HERE'S MY REVIEW OF THE CRITERION COLLECTION DVD

Wes Anderson, a self-described film buff and devotee of the Criterion Collection, must have jumped out of his boots when he found out the company planned a deluxe DVD edition of his second feature film, "Rushmore". But he probably didn't jump as high as I did the first time I found this DVD in my hot little hands. The features included here follow standard DVD format -- audio commentary, photo galleries, video featurettes, behind the scenes footage, etc. -- but done at an excessively high level. They do the film, one of my all-time favourites, deserved justice.

From the main menu, which features the innocent sketches of Eric Chase Anderson, Wes' brother, and snippets from Mark Mothersbaugh's renaissance-style soundtrack, you can select from amongst the Rushmore AV Club, the Audio Commentary, the Max Fischer Players Presents, and Archiva Graphica.

The Rushmore AV Club features various behind the scenes and promotional video clips. The first, "The Making of Rushmore", is ostensibly an Electronic Press Kit, filmed by Eric, intended to be longer (it runs nearly 17 minutes) and more in-depth than most EPK's. Eric shows that he's come by his Anderson genes naturally, as he proves himself to be an observant, low key, and amusing documentarian. The film is basically an annotated introduction to the crew and cast, with an oddball explanation of each person's job. Favourite moment: on his last day, Bill Murray does his interview while getting his head shaved. He convinces Eric to do the same.

The Storyboard sections, which include an option to watch the film's opening scene while Anderson's storyboards play below, are instructive and illuminating. Anderson's simple pencil sketches look like they were drawn by a 6-year old, but planned out by Alfred Hitchcock. They are at once juvenile and precise.

Next we get a complete episode of "The Charlie Rose Show". I'm a big fan of Rose, whose interview style, while often times erratic, never fails to get something interesting from his subject. And when your subjects are Bill Murray (who takes the first half hour) and Wes Anderson (who does a neat 20 minute segment to close the show), how can you go wrong? Murray is charming and thoughtful and insightful (and, duh, funny). Anderson, visible tickled that he's talking to Charlie Rose, is matter of fact about his talents and his film, while engaging Rose in a wonderful little conversation (Side note: Rose must have been impressed, for Anderson recently took a turn guest hosting the show; his conversation with infamous producer Robert Evans was professional and captivating, one of the best things I've seen on television in a long time).

Finally, this section includes the film's theatrical trailer.

Next from the main menu is the option to turn on the film's audio commentary track. Shared, although unfortunately not recorded at the same time, by Wes Anderson, co-writer Owen Wilson, and star Jason Schwartzman, the track is a treat. Especially for fans of the three men.

You can tell they are all film fans. They deliver the track as if in conversation, sitting next to the listener in a darkened theatre while the film plays in front of them. They talk in stage whispers, so as not to disturb the viewing enjoyment of those around them. It's quite sophisticated that way.

Anderson knows what he wants, and knows how to get it. And he'll tell you how, if you're willing to listen. "Rushmore" seems like a serendipitous experience for him. He's grateful for all the luck he had, from the casting of Bill Murray and Jason Schwartzman, to figuring out that the locations, to having a vast repository of influences to draw upon at just the right moment. This is even carried through to a story about the genesis of his relationship with Owen Wilson. But Anderson is not just lucky; he's smart, and he works hard to make his own luck.

Wilson comes across as more of a spiritual guide to Anderson than anything. That's not to say that he had any less to do with the screenplay, for it's obvious that he more than pulled his weight. I mean that it's Owen's charismatic personality, his charm, and his wit that the less captivating Anderson can latch on to. And, though he tells some truly interesting anecdotes about how "Rushmore" came about, he really needn't say anything of substance. That slow, Texas drawl just gets me every time!

Schwartzman's contribution surprised me. In interviews he comes across as an unbound-Id, always ready to leap feet first into any situation and make the most of it. But here he candidly admits that, and this shouldn't have been a surprise seeing as he was a first time actor, he was scared witless about being in the film. But as he relaxed into the role, he brought a lot to it (putting the gum on the wall was his idea). And even though it was intimidating at first, he seems to have developed an honest and sincere relationship with Bill Murray, one that he treasures to this day (witness his contented incredulity during the scene where Max leads Blume back into shape; Schwartzman can't believe that he's charged with coming up with funny things to do with those lead pipes, and that Murray is supposed to copy him!).

The Max Fischer Players Presents section features four delightful video segments. First you get the on-camera auditions of the principle young actors: Schwartzman, Ronnie & Keith McCawley, Stephen McCole, Mason Gamble, and Sara Tanaka. McCole, especially, has a grand old time, sporting a smile on his face as he spits out his lines in a luscious Scottish brogue. The next two features show some of the artwork Max put together for his two plays-within-the-film: "Serpico" and "Heaven and Hell". Finally, The Max Fisher Players, a repertory company made up of high school students, re-enact for the 1999 MTV Video Music Awards "The Truman Show", "Armageddon" (with blond and blue-eyed young Gamble in the Bruce Willis role!), and "Out of Sight" (Schwartzman replaces Clooney, while Tanaka does J.Lo). They are at once satiric and respectful and innocent. A real joy.

Finally, in Archiva Graphics, you get a motherload of ephemera, including posters, promotional pics, and close-ups of all the in-film art. The detail that Anderson is so noted for is exhibited for close examination.

Even if the film weren't currently in rotation as one of my must-watch-over-and-over movies, the Criterion Collection DVD offers so much "Rushmore"-related material that it would probably still never leave my DVD player.

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD