Quartile rating: 8/10 · 1 rating
When a beautiful first-grade teacher arrives at a prep school, she soon attracts the attention of an ambitious teenager named Max, who quickly falls in love with her. Max turns to the father of two of his schoolmates for advice on how to woo the teacher. However, the situation soon gets complicated when Max's new friend becomes involved with her, setting the two pals against one another in a war for her attention.
Rushmore is one of Wes Anderson's most distinctive early works, establishing his unmistakable deadpan aesthetic, symmetrical compositions, and eccentric ensemble tone. Max Fischer is a singular comic creation, and Jason Schwartzman's debut performance alongside Bill Murray's career-best understated work elevates the material considerably. The film's novelty is high — it crystallized an entirely new cinematic voice. The plot, while charming, is relatively thin and episodic, and the ending, though emotionally satisfying in a low-key way, resolves things tidily without much surprise. Cinematography is competent and stylish but not yet at the level Anderson would later achieve.