Rushmore
Movie, 1998, The '90s, Set in Rushmore Academy
Rushmore is #2 of 13 in release order and #2 of 13 in chronological order in the Wes Anderson.
The story
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 recap
Rushmore (1998) follows Max Fischer, a 15-year-old scholarship boy who runs half the clubs at an elite Houston prep school while failing nearly every class. Max (Jason Schwartzman) befriends Herman Blume (Bill Murray), a gloomy steel magnate with two sons at the school, and falls for Rosemary Cross (Olivia Williams), a widowed first-grade teacher. To win her, he starts building an aquarium on the baseball field without permission and is expelled to a public high school. Blume, meanwhile, begins seeing Rosemary himself. When Max finds out, the two wage a petty war: Max tells Blume's wife about the affair and releases bees into his hotel room, and Blume flattens Max's bicycle with his car. Wes Anderson directs, again co-writing with Owen Wilson. It follows Bottle Rocket as Anderson's second feature and begins his long run of films with Murray and Schwartzman.
Rushmore ending explained
Rushmore ends with Max staging his Vietnam War play at Grover Cleveland High and bringing Blume and Rosemary back together. After he is arrested for cutting Blume's brake lines, Max sinks into working at his father's barbershop, then makes peace with Blume at the hospital bed of the headmaster. He returns to school, improves his grades and gives up on Rosemary. The play moves Blume, a Vietnam veteran, and he and Rosemary appear to reconcile. At the party Max introduces his classmate Margaret Yang as his girlfriend and shares a dance with Rosemary.
Post-credits scenes
No. Rushmore has no mid- or post-credits scene.
Where to watch Rushmore
Rushmore is streaming on Hoopla in the US. You can rent or buy it on Amazon, Apple TV, and Google Play.
Ratings
IMDb 7.6/10, Rotten Tomatoes 90%
Where it fits
- Release order: after Bottle Rocket, before The Royal Tenenbaums.
- Chronological order: after Bottle Rocket, before The Royal Tenenbaums.
Cast
- Jason Schwartzman as Max Fischer
- Bill Murray as Herman Blume
- Olivia Williams as Rosemary Cross
- Seymour Cassel as Bert Fischer
- Brian Cox as Dr. Nelson Guggenheim
- Mason Gamble as Dirk Calloway
- Sara Tanaka as Margaret Yang
- Stephen McCole as Magnus Buchan
- Luke Wilson as Dr. Peter Flynn
- Dipak Pallana as Mr. Adams
- Andrew Wilson as Coach Beck
- Marietta Marich as Mrs. Guggenheim
Directed by Wes Anderson.