Rushmore is a 1989 ironic comedy-drama with unsurpassed original humor and a lighthearted atmosphere directed by Wes Anderson. The film tells the story of dexterous student Max Fischer, who is involved in everything except his studies. The movie was shot in various locations in Houston. Learn more at houston-trend.
STORYLINE
The eccentric 15-year-old teenager Max Fischer attends the elite private Rushmore Academy in Houston. He actively participates in extracurricular activities, writes plays, edits the newspaper and manages the German and French language clubs, as well as astronomy, chess and fencing clubs. However, he has difficulties with his studies. Unlike most rich and privileged students, the teenager comes from a middle-class family, which only fuels his desire to become successful.
At a school assembly, Max meets millionaire industrialist Herman Blume. The man is a disenchanted father who despises his twin sons, Ronny and Donny. Herman establishes a good relationship with Max and patronizes him.
One day, Max finds an intriguing note left in a library book by Rosemary Cross. She is a widowed teacher of the first grade of the academy. The boy becomes obsessed with the woman. The teacher rejects his courtship because of the big age difference. Max does not give up and creates an aquarium on the school’s baseball field, taking into account Rosemary’s interest in marine life.
Being expelled from the academy due to poor performance, Max transfers to the local public Grover Cleveland High School. Here, the young man is vigorously involved in extracurricular activities, while Rosemary and Blume support him. Blume encourages the boy to forget about Rosemary, but he ends up falling for her himself. They begin seeing each other behind Max’s back. After the boy learns the truth, his friendship with Herman comes to an end. To get revenge, Max tells Herman’s wife about his affair.
A war begins between two rivals. Max fills Blume’s room with bees and, in revenge, Herman runs him over with his car. Later, Max cuts the brake pipes in Herman’s car and gets arrested as a result. Their rivalry comes to an end when they both meet at Max’s mother’s grave, who died of cancer when he was 7 years old. Max decides that revenge no longer matters, as even if he wins, Rosemary will still love Blume.
Max becomes secluded and starts skipping school to work at his father’s barbershop. After a while, Rosemary breaks up with Blume, as she still loves her late husband. Max returns to school and again starts hitting on Rosemary. Once, he pretends to be injured in a car accident, but the teacher sees through the boy’s trick and rebuffs him. Max decides that Rosemary should mend her relationship with Blume.
FILM LOCATIONS
The film crew of Rushmore spent about 50 days in Houston, shooting the movie in different locales around the city. St. John’s School located west of the city center, served as a setting for the academy, while Grover Cleveland High School is actually Lamar High School.
Max’s house is located at 108 Emerald Court. The cemetery where Max visits his mother’s grave is Hollywood Cemetery at 3506 East Main Street.
Bert Fisher’s (Max’s father) hair salon was filmed at Doug and Don’s Barber Shop. Saw Pipes USA in Baytown, located east of Houston, featured as the huge factory of Herman Blume, Blume International Saw Pipes. After Blume’s wife asks for a divorce, he moves to a hotel, which, in reality, is the boutique Hotel ZaZa Houston at 5701 Main Street. Max flies a kite in the parking lot of Delmar Stadium, located northwest of Houston.
LEADING ACTORS
Jason Schwartzman played the main character of Max Fischer. It was in the Rushmore film that the actor made his debut. Schwartzman also appeared in six other Anderson’s movies: The Darjeeling Limited (2007), Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009), Moonrise Kingdom (2012), The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014), The French Dispatch (2021) and Asteroid City (2023). Moreover, Schwartzman is a musician. Before releasing three albums as part of his solo project, Coconut Records, Jason was the drummer of Phantom Planet rock band.
Herman Blume was played by William Murray, a famous multigenre actor and comedian. He is known for his roles, from studio comedies to independent dramas. Murray is a winner of several Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe and an Oscar.
British actress Olivia Williams portrayed Rosemary. Her first major role on screen was as Jane Fairfax in the 1996 British TV film Emma, based on the novel by Jane Austen.
A FEW INTERESTING FACTS
- St. John’s School was the filmmaker’s former school. Wes Anderson sent his assistants across the United States and Canada when searching for the perfect location for the movie. None of the schools they found satisfied him, so the director chose his own alma mater.
- Actor William Murray starred in the film almost for free. After reading the script, Murray was so taken with the idea that he was willing to work for free. Ultimately, he received a symbolic fee of $9,000 for the movie.
- Rushmore was Jason Schwartzman’s first film role. Casting directors scouted for a young actor for the role of Max Fischer across the United States, Canada and Great Britain. Australian actor Noah Taylor was a favorite among others. However, on the last day of casting in Los Angeles, Jason Schwartzman auditioned and got the part.
- Alexis Bledel appeared in Rushmore as an extra, that is, she performed a role without lines. She played a high school student. Later, Bledel became a well-known actress. Her roles in the TV series Gilmore Girls and the films The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants and Sin City made her particularly famous.
- The movie’s editor, David Moritz, made a cameo (a short and unexpected appearance in the film of some celebrity invited by the producer or director) appearance as a seller of dynamite. At the end of the film, he sells Max dynamite and explosives for his performance.
- The movie producers made a deal to get a Bentley. They needed a Bentley car for one scene but couldn’t afford to rent one as the film’s budget was only $20 million. One of the Houston residents lent them this car under the condition that his daughter would get the role. The producers agreed, and the girl played a servant who seats Miss Cross at Max’s play at the end of the movie.
- Schwartzman had his chest waxed for the role. Although he only showed his chest once in the film (during a school wrestling match), Anderson made him remove his chest hair.
- The movie displeased Schwartzman’s uncle, the director Francis Ford Coppola. Coppola owns a winery, and when he first saw Rushmore, he was upset with Anderson. The latter, in an episode when Max celebrated his game, used the product of his main competitor, Napa Valley.
- Rushmore contains a unique cinematography style specific to all of Wes Anderson’s works. In particular, there is a special sense of color. The filmmaker focuses mainly on blue, green and red colors to create an enhanced reality.
