I watched Rushmore today, mostly because I felt like a bag of douch for some reason. Anyways, I realized how amazing this film really is. I promptly went to Amazon and bought the movie Bottle Rocket, and am now really pumped to see it. Wes Anderson, say what you will about him, is a genius, and though The Royal Tenenbaums is widely considered his best work to date, I'm almost positive he will create much better films in the future.
Jason Schwartzman is, all in all, a huge jerk in this movie. But he plays it too such a degree that it is a wonder to watch. He makes one bad move after another, one wrong decision after the next, and you still can't help but feel bad for this pompous little nerd. Bill Murray, as always, is outstanding, and the Olivia Williams gives a great performance as the teacher stuck between the savage duelings of Murray and Schwartzman. The fact that she never seems to be wondering why they're so smitten by her is extremely interesting, and almost makes you want to see more of her character.
Wes Anderson shamelessy uses indy and low-key classic rock tunes to heighten his story, and while it seems extremely cliche in The Life Aquatic (though I still love that movie), it works perfectly in Rushmore. The music melds with the story, and the strange little insights thrown in by background characters (and even a tree in one scene) give depth and symbolism to what could have been a farce comedy. Wes Anderson gracefully tip-toes the line between a dumb comedy and a smart, touching one.
I could analyze the small faults of the movie for days, but I'm not going to, because I really just can't bring myself to do so. The movie itself is just so likeable, and the style so fascinating, that it's hard to critique negatively. The one thing I will say about it, however, is that even though Schwartzman's character is so strangely relatable, he does get way too whiny and way too cocky in some scenes. But even when he does, it only adds to the film as a whole, and only makes the ending all the more satisfying.
This is the film that Anderson really started to come into his own. The "quirky" camera angles, the bizarre love interests, the deadpan deliveries; all are demonstrated in Rushmore. While The Royal Tenenbaums took all of Anderson's ideas and melded them together to one huge ensemble comedy, Rushmore presses the same ideas, but into a smaller package (excuse the dumb metaphor). Rushmore could almost be said as a better film than The Royal Tenenbaums, and I definitely do like it better, but the performances and storylines in the latter do push it ahead a little bit.
Rushmore is by far my favorite high-school film of all time, if it can even be considered that. It is so much farther ahead than other films of that genre, and so much more mature and developed. This is a movie that should undeniably be remembered, especially in the near future, when Anderson crafts his best film to date (though unfortuneately, it'll have to wait until after he flops with The Fanstastic Mr. Fox or whatever--but who knows, right?).