Rushmore

Anderson's first commercial success (after his debut Bottle Rocket) is an endearing indie feature about a talented young man, Max Fischer, who seems to excel in all his extra-curricular activities to the demise of his academic grades. Subsequently, Max's life goes awry when his headteacher (played brilliantly by Brian Cox) threatens him with expulsion in the middle of Max's courting efforts to impress a young teacher.
As a regular feature in Anderson's films, the young protagonist is constantly seeking approval from a older man (Bill Muarry as Herman Blume), who happens to be the father of a pair of obnoxious twins at his school, and their best buddy friendship is truly heart-warming and in turns hilarious.
The colourful character arcs, quippish dialogue, unrequited love, quirky outfits and offbeat direction make this quintessential Wes Anderson, and Rushmore falls just shy of The Darjeeling Limited as his best work. A true gem.

Standout performances abound in this quirkiest of quirky comedies from Wes Anderson, the man behind such contemporary classics as 'Bottle Rocket' and 'The Royal Tenebaums'. Bill Murray is on inspired form in the film that kick-started his revival and Jason Schwartzman was a real find. Mr. Blume (Murray) is the millionaire who's lost his zest for life but sees a little of his former self in Max Fischer (Schwartzman), the kid with the most extracurricular activities but worst grades in school. Max sees his chance to exploit Mr. Blume for his own agenda, while they both manage to fall for teacher Miss Cross (Olivia Williams). Meanwhile Seymour Cassel provides strong support as Max's father "the brain surgeon". This is not your typical high school comedy and was overshadowed by the more mainstream 'American Pie' style films but there's a lot on offer here. It has a pace all its own, never blistering but not quite laid back either, it's incredibly funny, has a lot of heart and is one of the most rewarding films you'll ever see. The UK version doesn't have any special features; the US release (while a good deal pricier) has a great commentary with Anderson, Schwartzman and co-writer Owen Wilson, typically entertaining chats with Bill Murray and Wes Anderson (separately) from the Charlie Rose Show and more.

If you're not familiar with Wes Anderson but you like directors like Michel Gondry, this film is for you. Rushmore is an offbeat dark comedy but like all of Wes Anderson's film's there are elements of drama in there too. It's a great film and for this price you can't lose.

To use the word "quirky" in conjunction with a Wes Anderson movie is probably too obvious, but that's the truth of the matter. It's a strange little film that will annoy some and charm others. Schwartzman is well cast as the do-everything academic who falls in love with one of the teachers at his school, only to find himself in competition for her affections with a bored businessman. Except it's not really a competition, as she's not interested in dating pupils. In amongst the eccentricities, there's a very amusing revenge fantasy played out but that doesn't sustain Anderson's interest for too long. All rather scattershot, it does however share a lot of characteristics with "The Graduate".