Schwartzman is cautious but stubbornly optimistic, while Murray is possessed by the mania of near-despair... They make the best and most disconcerting odd couple that American movies have produced in a long while.

| Mar 17, 2014

Rushmore is an almost indefinable genre of its own. A comedy with a menacing edge? An ironic romance? Hard to call. Anderson, the director and co-writer, and Wilson, co-writer, have a vision like no one else's.

| Mar 17, 2014

A quirky, sometimes hilarious and often touching comic fable.

| Mar 17, 2014

There's an unshakable confidence about this coming-of-age fable that matches that of its central character, Max Fischer.

| Original Score: 4/4 | Mar 17, 2014

Rushmore offers more than simply a series of high-grade yuks; it's a finely-judged parable on the line between self-delusion and reality.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Mar 17, 2014

If happiness is finding something you love to do and doing it forever, one of my somethings might just be watching this oddly uproarious little flick.

| Mar 17, 2014

Despite cute moments, nothing about Rushmore begs to be liked, which makes this modest comedy all the more satisfying.

| Original Score: 4/4 | Mar 17, 2014

There's a danger of overselling Anderson's sweet-hearted, loony little fantasy, but everything -- from the soundtrack of '60s Brit bands with their jangly anthems of angsty love to Robert Yeoman's slightly hyper-real photography -- fits perfectly.

| Original Score: 4/4 | Mar 17, 2014

An inspired second feature from director Wes Anderson and co-writer Owen Wilson, the picture shares the offbeat rhythms and disarming humor of their overlooked debut, Bottle Rocket.

| Mar 17, 2014

The hint of genuine pathos [Murray] brings to Rushmore tempers Schwartzman's brash, sometimes off-putting antics, gracing an already great comedy with surprising depth and heart.

| Mar 17, 2014

One of the freshest, richest, most original films to come out of Hollywood in a very long time.

| Original Score: 4/4 | Mar 7, 2014

Probably of more interest to adults than to teens.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Dec 28, 2010

The director treats eccentricity with compassionate respect: no winking, no nudges to even like the boy. The filmmaking, meanwhile, is beautifully disciplined.

| Original Score: A | Feb 4, 2010

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Oct 18, 2008

You also have to admire the creepy arrogance of Schwartzman's performance.

| Aug 12, 2008

What I wanted was a larger perspective, something more insightful than the one-thing-after-another existential whimsy.

| Jul 18, 2007

A wickedly funny high school comedy for most of its running time, Rushmore is a bracingly fresh and original outing.

Full Review | Jul 18, 2007

A peculiar, poignant comedy, with an outstanding character turn from Murray.

| Jun 24, 2006

This film is so not-from-the-cookie-cutter, so unaccommodating of our expectations, that we can't anticipate where Anderson's going to take us. Every scene is a discovery or sly diversion.

Full Review | Jul 21, 2005

A true original: a film that stands apart from the crowd, goes its own way and all but dares you not to like it.

| Feb 4, 2004