"I Saved Latin. What Did You Ever do?"

September 8, 2007 5:08 AM

ushmore is one of my all-time favorite movies. I hadn't seen it for a while, though, but we remedied that tonight. And I have to say that it just gets better every time I watch it.

I don't really know why I like the movie so much. The humor can be pretty subtle--like when Mr. Blume lights up a second cigarette even though his last one is still in his mouth--but that's part of what makes the movie so good. You notice something new each time you watch it. And let's not forget the famous "Oh, are they?" line. But, although the movie has parts that I can't help but laugh out loud at, I wouldn't call it a comedy. Some parts are really very touching. I love all of the scenes with Max's dad--he's such a genuinely nice guy, and he just sort of lets his son do whatever he needs to do to figure things out for himself. I really love the scene at the end when Max dedicates his play to his mother, and you see his dad, and you can tell that he's really touched. I love that.

The characters and their interaction are also pretty much perfect. Between Max, Mr. Blume, and Miss Cross, you've got just about the strangest friendship-love triangle ever. The fact that Max's two best friends are over twice his age says a lot about who he is, as does the fact that he actually thinks he's got a shot with his teacher. He's simultaneously way too mature and way too naive. It doesn't help that, although he's fifteen, he's got the emotional maturity of a four-year-old. Mr. Blume is a man that, despite his financial success, pretty much hates everything about his life. His wife's cheating on him and his kids are pretty much evil. There's nothing left of him but an empty shell. Until he meets Max and, of course, Miss Cross. Miss Cross is probably the most normal of the three, but that's not saying a lot. She's still hung up on her dead husband, going so far as to sleep in his childhood bedroom. But that doesn't stop her from having an affair with Mr. Blume. Perhaps the clearest evidence of the completely fucked-up nature of the characters and their relationships is that, at the end, they all seem to have forgiven each other for the completely ridiculous things they've done to each other. I don't know that I'd forgive someone who cut my brake lines that quickly.

What's perhaps most unique about Wes Anderson's movies is that, while the characters develop and change, they don't go from deeply flawed to well-adjusted--they go from deeply flawed to slightly less deeply flawed. That's what contributes to the feeling of melancholy that permeates Rushmore. Although Max has turned the tide of his steady decline by the end, he's still got a long way to go. And, although Mr. Blume and Miss Cross are speaking again, we don't know that they're back together. It's all left hanging.

The movie might be far too crazy for some people. It's certainly unconventional in some respects. I, however, found it to be a perfect fit. If you haven't watched it, watch it right now! And if you have watched it, watch it again--I guarantee you'll like it more after you do.

5 Comments

Lauren said:

Rushmore was on last night here too. I only caught the last half, but its been added to our house's "Movies we need" list.

And yes, we have a "Movies we need" list, and yes, we know its dorky.

September 8, 2007 9:36 AM

Anonymous said:

favorite rushmore quote: "I don't give a shit about the barracudas. fuck it! I'm building it anyway"..

also, a friend of mine's friend's uncle is wes anderson. that's my big brush with fame. (yeah, uh, no, I've never met him)

September 8, 2007 11:55 AM

Ismael Tapia II said:

Lauren,
What else is on the list?

Anonymous,
That's a really good line, but I don't think it's better than "Were you in the shit?" "Yeah, I was in the shit."

Also, I've got a similar "connection" to Billy Corgan: my high school geometry teacher's girlfriend went to high school with him.

September 8, 2007 8:05 PM

Aundre said:

I really nedeed to find this info, thank God!

November 23, 2011 6:01 AM

Egypt said:

This wbeiste makes things hella easy.

November 25, 2011 9:16 PM

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