This review originally appeared on the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation’s “Roll Film” movie review site (http://www.biketraffic.org/content.php?id=219_0_6_0). Each film was also reviewed by my CBF colleague, Greg Borzo, who focused more on the bike content.
RUSHMORE
2 1/2 Wheels
Rushmore would seem to be exactly the sort of film that would appeal to me. It's a stylized and ironic comedy that intelligently addresses multilayered themes. Director Wes Anderson shows the visual and narrative flair of an original artist, not content to spew out typical Hollywood product. It also marks the moment when the great comic actor, Bill Murray, finally proved himself to be a great actor. The film seemed so good on paper, but the end product never comes alive.
Perhaps my problem is in the casting of its lead. Jason Schwartzman plays Max Fischer, a high school student at the prestigious Rushmore Academy who has taken on leadership roles in so many extracurricular activities that he barely has time to go to class. Max is a character utterly convinced of his own genius. His ego is such that he is shocked when his affections toward a grade school teacher are not returned. He's also socially awkward and has many attributes of the typical movie nerd.
Max is a complex character whom the filmmakers clearly relate to, but Schwartzman is not a good enough actor to show this depth. His performance isn't bad, but it is alienating. He somehow needed to project both arrogance and vulnerability, while still allowing the audience to relate to him. Instead Max often comes across as simply obnoxious.
Bill Murray gives a much more nuanced performance as Herman Blume, a millionaire alumnus of Rushmore whose wealth has not bought happiness. Blume and Max become unlikely friends, mostly because each sees a mirror image of himself in the other. Rushmore marks the first film in which Murray embraced middle age and began a phase in his career that culminated with his acclaimed performance in Lost in Translation.
The friendship is short-lived as Max and Blume find they've both fallen for the same lovely teacher. Neither takes this competition well, but it does lead to the most wickedly funny sequence in the film. As The Who's mini-opera "A Quick One While He's Away" takes over the soundtrack, Max attacks Blume with—a hive of bees! Blume retaliates by running over Max's beloved bicycle with his car. While hard on the bike, this actually makes for one memorable bicycle moment.
To be fair, Rushmore does have a cult following and I understand why. Wes Anderson has such a strong directorial signature that individual scenes seem to work even when the film as a whole does not. While Rushmore introduces intriguing themes, it does so in the context of dull plotting.
One area Anderson excels in, however, is his impeccable use of rock music, which matches his deadpan visuals so well.
Anderson's debut, Bottle Rocket, and his recent, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, both suffer from the same inconsistencies as Rushmore. Only 2001's The Royal Tenenbaums shows him reaching full potential as all his gifts and a wonderful cast finally come together for one of the sharpest and funniest films of the last decade. If you want to see what a great film Rushmore might have been, rent The Royal Tenenbaums.
RUSHMORE
2 1/2 Wheels
Rushmore would seem to be exactly the sort of film that would appeal to me. It's a stylized and ironic comedy that intelligently addresses multilayered themes. Director Wes Anderson shows the visual and narrative flair of an original artist, not content to spew out typical Hollywood product. It also marks the moment when the great comic actor, Bill Murray, finally proved himself to be a great actor. The film seemed so good on paper, but the end product never comes alive.
Perhaps my problem is in the casting of its lead. Jason Schwartzman plays Max Fischer, a high school student at the prestigious Rushmore Academy who has taken on leadership roles in so many extracurricular activities that he barely has time to go to class. Max is a character utterly convinced of his own genius. His ego is such that he is shocked when his affections toward a grade school teacher are not returned. He's also socially awkward and has many attributes of the typical movie nerd.
Max is a complex character whom the filmmakers clearly relate to, but Schwartzman is not a good enough actor to show this depth. His performance isn't bad, but it is alienating. He somehow needed to project both arrogance and vulnerability, while still allowing the audience to relate to him. Instead Max often comes across as simply obnoxious.
Bill Murray gives a much more nuanced performance as Herman Blume, a millionaire alumnus of Rushmore whose wealth has not bought happiness. Blume and Max become unlikely friends, mostly because each sees a mirror image of himself in the other. Rushmore marks the first film in which Murray embraced middle age and began a phase in his career that culminated with his acclaimed performance in Lost in Translation.
The friendship is short-lived as Max and Blume find they've both fallen for the same lovely teacher. Neither takes this competition well, but it does lead to the most wickedly funny sequence in the film. As The Who's mini-opera "A Quick One While He's Away" takes over the soundtrack, Max attacks Blume with—a hive of bees! Blume retaliates by running over Max's beloved bicycle with his car. While hard on the bike, this actually makes for one memorable bicycle moment.
To be fair, Rushmore does have a cult following and I understand why. Wes Anderson has such a strong directorial signature that individual scenes seem to work even when the film as a whole does not. While Rushmore introduces intriguing themes, it does so in the context of dull plotting.
One area Anderson excels in, however, is his impeccable use of rock music, which matches his deadpan visuals so well.
Anderson's debut, Bottle Rocket, and his recent, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, both suffer from the same inconsistencies as Rushmore. Only 2001's The Royal Tenenbaums shows him reaching full potential as all his gifts and a wonderful cast finally come together for one of the sharpest and funniest films of the last decade. If you want to see what a great film Rushmore might have been, rent The Royal Tenenbaums.
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