1998 Wes Anderson movieRating: 17/20 (Jen: 17/20)
Plot: Hopelessly ambitious and underachieving Max Fischer befriends the father of some obnoxious classmates and falls for a young widow with a cute accent who begins teaching at the titular school. It leads to a love triangle and an attempt by Max to impress Ms. Cross that winds up earning him an expulsion from the school he loves.
Am I the only person who didn't know the following tidbits about Jason Schwartzman? 1) Talia Shire is his mother which, I believe, also makes him the son of Rocky. 2) He's Nicolas Cage's cousin.
I have my doubts that Jason Schwartzman, an actor who kind of annoys me in large doses, will ever top what he does here. His performance as Max, one of those characters you either love to hate or hate to love, is a great film debut. Bill Murray turns in a performance with some real edges and complexities, one where he perfectly balances a neurotic fervor and a calm resignation. It's really the first of these great Murray performances where he's found a niche after a career of hits and misses and wastes of his time. I know somebody will probably argue with me about that, so I'll go ahead and clarify: Yes, I liked him in Kingpin. But here, his way of not driving the action of the story but reacting to it is pretty brilliant. I think it's something you notice more the second or third time you see the movie, but the way you can see how he feels in this without the need of any superfluous dialogue is part of what moves me about these characters and their relationships.This is the movie where Wes Anderson, for better or worse, starts to become Wes Anderson. You've got the killer soundtrack (I wonder if I've ever used the word "killer" as an adjective on this blog before), the attention to detail, the quirky humor. One specific soundtrack note: hearing "Oh Yoko" makes me laugh anyway, but hearing it in a movie is about more than I can handle. Rushmore just works so perfectly and originally as a coming-of-age story, a tale of redemption for more than one character, and as a comedy. It's as refreshing as a bottle of Sprite or putting on your first pair of Zubaz.
My favorite scene, maybe in any movie ever, is the one where Rosemary shares a carrot with Herman Blume. Other little things that I love about this movie: Colin Platt is credited as "Boy Portraying Frank Serpico," Kumar Pallana is in this one ("Best play ever, man."), Bill Murray's shot-blocking abilities on display, etc.
6 comments:
Another movie I haven't seen since it came out, but that I remember liking quite a bit. The characters are interesting, the story is angsty and offbeat, and the soundtrack was excellent, as you pointed out. This seemed much more real, edgy, and personal than most later Anderson offerings. A 16.
I am confused by the Murray comment. He had loads of hits, so why did he need a niche? I'm bouncing over to his filmography, and his post-"Caddyshack" career is extremely consistent for a comedian.
Waste of everybody's time/Bad Movies:
'The Man Who Knew Too Little'
'Mad Dog and Glory'
'Ghostbusters II'
'Scrooged' (I know how you feel about this. 64% on Rotten Tomatoes though, and I have only bad memories of it.)
'The Razor's Edge'
Good movies/roles:
'Ed Wood'
'Kingpin'
'Groundhog Day'
'Ghostbusters'
'Caddyshack' (although you know my feelings about this overrated "classic")
Others:
'What About Bob?' (don't remember--memories are not fond)
'Quick Change' (haven't seen this)
'Little Shop of Horrors' (his roles is very small)
'Nothing Lasts Forever' (don't know this one)
'Tootsie' (it's been so long that I didn't even remember he was in this)
'Stripes' (I don't remember liking this...actually, I just don't remember it)
'Loose Shoes' (don't know this one)
'Where the Buffalo Roam' (not a good movie though Murray is pretty good)
Compare that list of hits and misses to his post-'Rushmore' work...there still seem to be a lot of misses, but Zissou (I know, I know), Broken Flowers, Lost in Translation, Tenenbaums, Garfield...a lot of more mature and still-funny roles that I think define him a little more. His work in 'Ghostbusters' and 'Groundhog Day' will probably be what he's most remembered for, but I think he's doing more solid, consistent work in this later half of his career. I guess he's never been consistent though.
And the new movie where he plays Roosevelt looks really good.
Did I miss any here?
He might be taking a more serious angle as he ages, but I think that's natural, and not something to credit Anderson for. His batting average is about the same (being generous), but the move from lead to supporting because of age and style mean his best, or most famous stuff is behind him. I don't know that tying himself to Anderson is a good thing, similar to Depp tying himself to Burton.
I think you are wrong about "Scrooged", and you can add the following to good Murray roles/films:
Tootsie- 20
Quick Change- 17
Get Low- 16 (you should check this out)
Stripes- 16
Osmosis Jones- 15
What About Bob?- 15
'Osmosis Jones'? I remember that being awful.
I will check out 'Get Low'...I've seen that on the shelf a few times. Are you aware that 'Quick Change' has a Quaid in it?
I don't believe I gave credit to Wes Anderson for what Bill Murray's done. If I did, I didn't mean to. I would probably say that Murray has helped Anderson more than the other way around.
This movie is what woke me up to Wes Anderson. Not only did Anderson find the audience for his aesthetic with this one, but he also found how he was going to approach his narratives. He writes about love and how we want what we can't have time and time again. His settings, soundtracks, and scenery almost behave as characters themselves.
As far as Murray, I think this role was a brilliant turn for him. And, yes, he did find a niche in my opinion. Why else would he have stuck with Anderson for this long?
I personally liked him in "Mad Dog & Glory." I thought he carried his own against Bobby DeNiro and showed a different side to his acting (especially at that point in his career). He actually not only starred in "Quick Change," but he also directed it. I understand why it wasn't a hit, but I thought it was gracefully done (and it's story was nice and tight...not too many plot holes for a comedy). Speaking of comedies, I actually liked "The Man Who Knew Too Little." I know he's goofy in it, but the premise is something Steve Martin pulled of with The Jerk. I love the movie's puns and one-liners.
Uh oh! Bill Murray Fest coming right up! May starts with M. Murray starts with M. Boom.
I haven't seen Mad Dog and Glory in a really long time.
I think it's neat seeing the difference between 'Bottle Rocket' which is a good movie but not a movie that shouts Wes Anderson and Rushmore/Royal T. It's almost like he made the first movie, said "That's not what I wanted to do," and then started doing his Wes Anderson thing. Some people don't like Wes Anderson movies, but I really have trouble liking those people. Yes, I know how that makes me sound.
But I can be forgiven because I'm doing a Bill Murray Fest!
Post a Comment