Rushmore (Classic Screenplay) [Paperback]

Wes Anderson (Author), Owen Wilson (Author)

Book Description

Series: Classic Screenplay | Publication Date: May 31, 1999

Rushmore is the second work from the team of Wes Anderson and Owen Wilson following the success of their debut screenplay and film Bottle Rocket. It is a refreshingly offbeat comedy about young Max Fish, a precocious pupil at a conservative private school. He is a live wire, a teenager full of madcap entrepreneurial schemes that usually in failure. His personal life becomes similarly complicated when he falls for his elegant teacher, Rosemary Cross, and finds himself vying for her favor with Herman Blume-who is portrayed in the film by Bill Murray-the wealthy father of two of his classmates. Max ultimately proves himself a figure of some tenacity as he negotiates the minefield of love, desire, and adolescence.At the Toronto Film Festival, Screen International called Rushmore "a real charmer filled with surprise twists and emotions that avoid sentimentality . . . A little gem."

Editorial Reviews

Review

"An unqualified delight . . . [It] maintains the mix of comic and dramatic throughout." --Allan Hunter, Screen International

"A wickedly funny high school comedy . . . This tart tale of an audaciously clever prep school kid . . . has all the makings of a cult hit . . . nearly everything hits the bull's-eye here, a rarity in screen comedy these days." --Todd McCarthy, Variety

About the Author

Wes Anderson and Owen Wilson both live in Los Angeles.

Product Details

• Paperback: 156 pages
• Publisher: Faber & Faber (May 31, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0571200125
• ISBN-13: 978-0571200122
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #177,437 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must for Max Fischer fans, January 31, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Rushmore (Classic Screenplay) (Paperback)

Happily, this is an original script/shooting script, not the final filmed version so there are plenty of scenes and lines included here that did not appear in the movie. After reading I have a new appreciation for the subtle, nearly flawless directing and acting in this amazing film. Buy it!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If not anything, the humor., October 28, 2003

By 

Nebula (VA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rushmore (Classic Screenplay) (Paperback)

I identified with the characters in the movie. I know one person wrote an intelligent review saying that the movie seemed too surreal, but in my opinion, though I admit the situation had a surreal feel to it, the characters were extremely realistic. I loved Margaret Yang and the way she was so caught up in success that she lied for a project that was almost bought by NASA.

If you don't like anything else, you have to at least admit that Rushmore is one of the funniest things you have seen or read.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Oddly Original, Funny, and Moving, March 11, 1999

By 

"sigg" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rushmore (Classic Screenplay) (Paperback)

Much has been made of the performances in Rushmore -- all of which are remarkable. Bill Murray is hilarious and startlingly moving, Olivia Williams is delightful, and Jason Schwartzman -- well, he just plain is Max Fisher. His performance is astonishing, especially considering it's a rookie effort.

But what of the roles as written? What of the story? It's fresh, unpredictable, and moving. Part of this is the truly odd plot and comic tone, but there's something else -- an underlying compassion that permeates the film and sets it apart from so many other hilarious but somehow cold-hearted comedies today.

Wes Anderson & Owen Wilson truly do seem to love the characters and the world they've created. And, so, in the end, do we.

But what of the screenplay? Rushmore is written with a breathtakingly sure hand from start to finish. There's tremendous economy here. Every scene is essential to the story, and every scene is maximized for full dramatic/comic value. At the same time, the screenplay has a delicacy and an attention to detail (one example: Max brings sandwiches when he tells Blume's wife of her husband's affair).

In short, Rushmore is one of the most original, funny, and moving films I've seen in a very long time.