Rushmore is a comedy-drama film that was directed by Wes Anderson in 1998. This film is about an eccentric teenager, Max Fischer and Herman Blume, a rich industrialist. The two were good friends and both had an admiration for Rosemary Cross, a widowed elementary school teacher. Max was a scholarship student at Rushmore academy where he spent most of his time on extra-curricular activities, other than his studies. Max is expelled from Rushmore after he attempts to break ground on an aquarium and he enrolls at Grover Cleveland High, which is a public school. Blume starts a relationship with Rosemary after convincing Max that she is not worth the trouble. Max learns about their relationship through his friend Dirk, and from then, Max and Blume become mortal enemies, from the friends they were. After a couple of back and forth acts of revenge, Max and Blume reconcile and Max helps Blume to get back with Rosemary after their break up. The movie ends with Max and Margret as a couple and Blume and Rosemary reconcile.
Rushmore is a realistic film because; the story is about a real life situation that is experienced by many youths about the age of Max. Rushmore is a realistic film because, it deals with everyday people and everyday situation, and for instance, there is a schoolboy, a teacher and an industrialist who both have families. Rushmore deals with social issues because, there is a contest for a woman between two people and this brings a conflict between them with a series of revenge acts. In addition, realism can also be seen in Max Fischer’s situation whereby, he is taken to school to study, but he never takes his education seriously. Instead of studying, since that is the reason he is in school; he puts his focus on extra-curricular activities and neglects his education. In addition, in the beginning of the film, the audience witnesses an ordinary mathematics class, and this mimics a real life math class. The classroom in the film is just handled just like any other real class whereby a problem is hard to solve and a student is chosen to handle it on the blackboard. In this case, Max Fischer was implored by his peers to solve the problem, yet he was not even attentive in class, because he was reading a Wall Street Journal in class.
The non-diegetic elements of the film contribute to its realism as the author manipulates the plot to make the audience fit into the protagonist’s consciousness. The author presents the narrative in the protagonist’s perspective. The classroom scene in the story makes Rushmore a realistic film, since the class discussion is a real story that happens in the real world. In addition, Anderson maneuvers the plot to make the audience focus on Max’s actions and share the subjectivity of his character and experience. The plot of this film shows a social issue among the characters and it is solved at the end of the film. There was a contention between Max and Blume over a woman, Rosemary Cross. One of them manages to trick the other and is able to convince Rosemary to start a relationship (Rushmore). When Max finds out, he starts a war of revenge against Blume, which leads to the end of Blume’s marriage because; Max revealed his adultery to his wife. The problem between the two characters creates another social issue, divorce. In Rushmore, one social problem is solved, while the other is inescapable and remains unsolved. Blume’s marriage could not be mended, but his relationship with Rosemary was realized in the end. In addition, Wes Anderson uses a soundtrack of songs by the Kinks and music. This non diegetic element makes the film realistic because the music used suited Max’s angry and loud nature. In addition, music is sued in the film when Mac was rejected by Miss Cross, and the song played is "I Am Waiting" by the Rolling Stones. This non diegetic element creates realism in the story as the song plays when Max was in pain after rejection. The songs and music played in the film goes along with the situations. In essence, Rushmore is a realist film.
Works Cited
Rushmore. Dir. Wes Anderson. United States of America: Touchstone Pictures, 1999. Film.
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