| ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. | |
| PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. | |
| OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. | |
| NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Parents need to know that this movie contains very strong language and sexual references as well as extremely reckless and destructive behavior.
Max Fischer (Jason Schwartzman) is a 10th grader on scholarship at the tony private school Rushmore Academy. Max shows his devotion to the academy by participating in every possible extracurricular activity, but he's risking expulsion unless his grades improve. Max falls for one of the teachers, a beautiful young widow. And he connects with Blume (Bill Murray), a rich academy alumnus who is drawn to Max's passions, and even acts as a go-between for Max's absurd attempt at courtship, until he himself becomes attracted to the teacher. All three characters feel a sense of loss. Blume and the teacher seem stuck. Max, with his collision of adult and childish emotions, comes up with one hopeless scheme after another to get attention and respect, ignoring genuine opportunities for true friendship. Yet somehow, he manages to keep working toward his dreams, and even makes a few of them come true.
This story about the misery that comes from the grandiosity and humiliation during adolescence is probably of more interest to adults than to the teens who are already only too aware of those experiences.
Rushmore is not a movie in which people learn great lessons and are drawn closer together. It's a movie in which a lot of hurt people grope toward something that even they cannot quite visualize. Its appeal is in its quirky characters and in its moments of humor and perception.
Families can talk about Max and Herman's rivalry. Who do you want to win? Why?
| Studio: | Touchstone Pictures |
| Director: | Wes Anderson |
| Cast: | Bill Murray, Jason Schwartzman, Olivia Williams |
| Genre: | Comedy |
| Run time: | 93 minutes |
| Theatrical release date: | December 11, 1998 |
| DVD release date: | June 29, 1999 |
| MPAA rating: | R |
| MPAA explanation: | strong language and sexual references |