Overview
A precocious teen navigates the chaotic world of love and ambition at a private school.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- None
- witty
- deadpan
- wistful
- lazy sunday
- coming of age double feature
What critics said
Critics broadly acclaimed the film as a quirky, sharply observed coming-of-age comedy-drama distinguished by Jason Schwartzman and Bill Murray’s off-kilter performances.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Max Fischer dominates Rushmore through clubs, theater productions, and invented responsibilities despite failing classes and facing academic probation.
Max and Herman Blume both become attracted to Rosemary Cross, creating an unusual triangle shaped by adolescence, age, wealth, and emotional immaturity.
Max stages elaborate plays and approaches school life with the self-importance of a director, giving ordinary teenage conflicts operatic scale.
Critics specifically praised the film’s deep-focus widescreen compositions, which frame Max’s school world with exceptional vividness.
Films like Rushmore, and why
The Squid and the Whale
quirky coming-of-age comedy centered on an emotionally immature outsider, eccentric social rituals, and bittersweet romantic entanglements
The Royal Tenenbaums
stylized adolescent comedy-drama balancing precocious self-invention, loneliness, and unconventional romance
Election
offbeat teen outsider comedy with theatrical ambition, deadpan humor, and a warm emotional undercurrent
Igby Goes Down
adolescent self-discovery, melancholic humor, and carefully composed ensemble storytelling
Movie Details
- Director
- Wes Anderson
- Release Date
- 1998-12-11
- Runtime
- 93 min
- Rating
- 7.4 / 10 (2821)
Cast
- Jason Schwartzman
- Bill Murray
- Olivia Williams
- Seymour Cassel
- Brian Cox
- Mason Gamble
- Sara Tanaka
- Stephen McCole
- Luke Wilson
- Dipak Pallana
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Rushmore about?
- A wildly ambitious teenage theater director finds his private-school kingdom threatened by academic failure, adult desire, and the painful demands of growing up.
- What is Rushmore like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Rushmore as brisk, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Rushmore violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in Rushmore.
- What did critics think of Rushmore?
- Critics broadly acclaimed the film as a quirky, sharply observed coming-of-age comedy-drama distinguished by Jason Schwartzman and Bill Murray’s off-kilter performances.
- Which films are like Rushmore?
- Films with a similar feel include The Squid and the Whale, The Royal Tenenbaums, Election, and Igby Goes Down.
- How long is Rushmore?
- Rushmore runs 93 minutes.
- Where can I watch Rushmore?
- In United States, Rushmore is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
