Day 65: Rushmore (1998)

In society, there have always been the greats- Socrates, Edison, Einstein, Di Vinci, and now, Fischer. With “Rushmore,” director Wes Anderson delivers the tale of a boy whose goals and expectations rise far above both his age and his social status, but nevertheless, he is neither faltered nor phased by the naysayers and, for better or worse, bulldozers through situations as if he is the only adult, not just in the room, but on earth.

With a style reminiscent of both the French New Wave movement and post-war American literature (especially the work of J.D. Salinger), Anderon’s film takes a beautifully honest, dry, and comical approach to the aspirations of youth, the failures of adulthood, and the reliance of an artist.

Taking place on the lavish campus of “Rushmore Academy,” 15-year-old Max Fischer (Jason Schwartzman), who attendes the school by scholarship, has recently been put on probation for his suffering grades. For Max spends most of his time leading the majority of the school’s extracurricular activities, everything from the newspaper to the beekeeper’s society, and because of this, he has no time for his studies.

But Max doesn’t seemed very concerned with the facts as his interests have now fallen onto both Herman Blume (Bill Murray), a rich steel industrialist, who he looks up to, and Rosemary Cross (Olivia Williams), a widowed first grade teacher at Rushmore, who he has a crush on. Though Rosemary enjoys Max’s company, she obviously doesn’t see him as a proper suitor and Max takes this in stride, trying to impress her by breaking ground on a multi-million dollar aquarium for the school, though Rushmore’s board has never even heard of the idea much less approved it. But, before Max can put his plan into action, Rushmore finally kicks him out and, on top of that, he hears Rosemary has begun an affair with, of all people, Mr. Blume. To Max, this means war against the man he once admired and a journey he hopes will, one day, allow him back into the halls of Rushmore.

Like so many of Wes Anderson’s films, “Rushmore” holds an underlying message about the poor relationship a father can have with his son, but, unlike his other works, this particular movie gives us, not one, but two paternal figures, found in Murray’s Herman Blume and Seymour Cassel’s portrayal of Bert Fischer, Max’s father. Between these two men, we are given the whole scope of how a someone can father a child- for better or worse.

In Herman Blume, Max has found someone he can look up to. Ashamed of his own father’s occupation as a barber, Max sees Herman as a man who has reached the top of his field and become a rousing success- something he too would like to accomplish. But, what Max fails to see, is that Herman himself is miserable and finds little joy both in his work and his family. Estranged from his wife and having two meat-head jocks for sons, Herman fails to understand how to parent and finds himself, instead, drifting through his life with very little care towards his family, which is exemplified perfectly by his desire to have an affair with Max’s love interest Rosemary. It is only with Max that he seems to help anyone but, even then, he gains an aspect of self-worth from it, at first, being his mentor, and, later, his equal and friend.

With Max’s father Bert, we find the film’s only character that exudes contentment. He loves his profession as a barber but also encourages Max’s aspirations for more, understanding that his son’s talent for leadership can take him places. The problem with Bert as a parent isn’t that he doesn’t care, but that he cares so much he overlooks Max’s failing grades and destructive antics so he can come off as supportive. In one scene, Max brings home a failed paper, with a grade of 39%, and Bert pencils in a few lines over the three so the score reads 89%. “Looks, like you almost got the A,” he quips to Max. It’s possible that Bert’s niceness stems from his wife and Max’s mother’s, death. Maybe she was always the challenging sort and he was allowed to be the “good” parent. Maybe he doesn’t want to discipline Max too harshly for fear he has already went through enough parental upset. Either way, Berts lack of discipline towards his son can be just about as harmful as Herman’s lack of parenting all together.

With “Rushmore,” Wes Anderson has delivered a film that looks into the overarching theme of growing up in a way reminiscent of “The Graduate” and “Harold and Maude” before it, but with its own quirky twist. A cult favorite of my particular generation, “Rushmore” will continue to be an important (and, of course, funny) film for generations to come.

To learn more about “Rushmore,” check out Criterion’s page here.

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