(Criterion Collection)
- Directed by Wes Anderson
- Written by Anderson and Owen Wilson
- Starring Jason Schwartzman as Max Fischer, Bill Murray as Herman Blume, Olivia Williams as Rosemary Cross and Mason Gamble as Dirk Calloway
Erich seems to think... Rushmore is an emblem of the contemporary art-house comedy. It has a melancholy tone, a great deal of attention to the look and texture of the film, deadpan delivery and a cinematic style that used to be reserved for action and drama. You can see similar elements in most of the Coen Brother's work, Wonder Boys and Election. Oh yeah, and The Graduate. So much for my theory.
What sets Rushmore apart? Anderson has some really nice stylistic flourishes, like the way he captions certain scenes. The cast is damn near perfect, from the big star, Bill Murray, to the non-pros who play his twin boys.
But that is "only" enough to elevate the film to the status of peer with some of the aforementioned films. It would be going overboard to call the film hallow or superficial, but it is true that the core of the film--emotions and junk--isn't quite up to par with the edifice. Although the film is sort of it's own world, the character's motivations and behavior are just a bit too far fetched.
DVD
This comes with a dump-truck full of features. The commentary from Anderson, Wilson and Schwartzman is pretty good. It's generic stuff about the making of the film and whatnot, but some of the stories are interesting, like that Wilson, now a movie star, began his career reluctantly because they couldn't get anyone better for their first film, Bottle Rocket. The variety of narrators keeps things interesting.
There is also a segment from "Charlie Rose" featuring Anderson and Murray. It's good and a good idea. So many people go on that show, it would be nice to see similar segments on other DVDs.
Wes' brother, Eric Chase Anderson, shot and narrates a documentary on the making of the film that is also included. It's a very straight forward but effective look behind the scenes. It runs about 20 minutes or so.
There is also a story board feature, and a story board to movie feature as well as the usual stuff.
Special Ruthless Ratings:
- Overall: 8
- Direction: 8
- Story: 7
- Acting: 9
- DVD Goodies: 9
