The Movie that Made Me Long for Gregory’s Girl
So I wanted to break up my current serial watching of Mike Leigh movies with something more 
lighthearted and my eyes fell on the Wes Anderson movie Rushmore, which stood unwatched on a shelf.
It surely seemed to be a safe choice. I recalled The Darjeeling Limited, which I liked a lot. And I’ve always had a soft spot for Bill Murray, particularly in Lost in Translation and Broken Flowers. Add to this a lot of praise (this movie tops the top-five list of 1998 of several Filmspotting forum dwellers) and you can imagine my expectations were pretty high.
However for some reason this movie just didn’t click with me. There were some funny moments in it but as a whole… meh. This movie is – I don’t know how what to call it, cartoonish maybe? – and I don’t quite get it. I can’t put my finger on why, but it somehow lacks heart and soul to me.
There’s just surface and no desire, no fire, nothing that makes me feel or think or laugh or nod or feel unsettled, basically get ANY kind of reaction. It could of course also be that I’m too old, that this is the next generation of moviemaking, targeting an entirely different audience than me? Maybe I’m missing out some references, maybe I just need some explanations from a fan in order to appreciate it better?
The nicest thing I could say was that there was something in the attitude, the unstoppable optimism of the main character wanting to conquer the object for his affection, that reminded me a little, just a little bit of Bill Forsyth’s Gregory’s Girl, which is a true gem, actually one of my favorite movies. However, being reminded of this I couldn’t help thinking that I’d rather be watching that movie once again than spending time on Rushmore, so it didn’t make me any happier.
Rushmore (Anderson, US, 1998) My rating: 3/5
The Velvet Café 
I’ld agree with what you wrote about ‘Rushmore’. It works best for me as a movie to watch a director becoming what he will be soon. ‘Bottle Rocket’ had that small indie movie charm going for it and ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’ is one of my favorite comedies of all time (even if few others seem to laugh at it). ‘Rushmore’ is a work between the two and it shows. I wouldn’t sit down to watch it, but if it was on I wouldn’t leave the room
Kierbuu
July 21, 2011 at 7:37 pm
To be honest I haven’t seen The Royal Tenenbaums. Yes, I have a lot of gaps in my film education, since I haven’t spent much time watching movies for a number of years. Now I’m trying to catch up a bit and that’s definitely one of those in queue. I really loved Darjeeling, which I thought was entirely charming, so I figure I might like some of his other work.
Jessica
July 21, 2011 at 8:29 pm
I have massive gaps in my movie knowledge, too. Wes Anderson just happens to be a favorite of mine so I’ve seen all of his stuff (yes, even the AT&T commercials). Of all his stuff I liked ‘Tenenbaums’ the best and have a fondness for ‘Bottle Rockets’ and ‘The Fantastic Mr. Fox’ (a kids movie I can’t imagine any kid enjoying). 🙂
Kierbuu
July 21, 2011 at 9:10 pm
Just watched the movie… and I loved it. The whole movie has a great sense of humor, had me laughing from start to end. Bill Murray is just great as always. And unlike you I could relate to the main character. He’s a nerd but he lacks the insecurity that goes with it.
I was also reminded of the Royal Tenenbaums which is also a great movie I saw a few weeks ago. Then again, I really did not like The Darjeerling Limited.
Carra
July 31, 2011 at 11:32 pm
Oh, I totally love Bill Murray. Always. But I suppose we’re not quite on the same time when it comes to movies. I found The Darjeeling LImited absolutely charming.
Jessica
August 7, 2011 at 8:06 pm
[…] get the picture. If you’re younger, you might not have heard of them, but I suppose Rushmore could give a fairly relevant association, even though it’s a bit unfair because I really […]
This movie cracked up my sad face « The Velvet Café
September 1, 2011 at 1:07 am