Current mood:

energetic

you know this just makes me hate the movie even more
This is my first post here, so if it's not the kind of thing that belongs here, my apologies. I actually considered posting it on FW because I think the "film review" in question just may be the wankiest thing I have ever seen, but it's old, and it's only the one comment.

Ever see a movie that's very critically acclaimed and not been able to understand what anyone could ever like about it? That's the way I feel about the movie Rushmore. It gets over-the-top good reviews (I see a lot of "This is the closest thing to a perfect movie we will ever get") across the board, but there's not a single minute of it I enjoy, and I don't understand why it's considered a comedy. In fact I think a new genre of film should be created to house it, called "uncomfortable and embarrassing." Then we can put Clifford in there too. But all that's beside the point--I won't begrudge anyone their tastes and I even can see things in it that people may enjoy, although I personally don't.

In an effort to better understand why people liked this movie so much I headed to IMDB to read some of the user comments, and after a couple pages of "OMG best movie ever!" I found THIS review and promptly bruised my jaw on the floor.


an excellent brief litmus test for whether people will be worth getting to know or not, at least in terms of common interests. i very simply believe (only half-jokingly) that people who do not "get" rushmore, or the royal tenenbaums for that matter, will hold no opinions that i will find valid or can respect, about ANYthing. this film is a referendum on subtle, intelligent, adult-level sadness and melancholy and humor. simply put, it is brilliant, and one of the five best films i've ever seen. now, others may disagree to the extent of "well, it only made MY top 100, or top 50. . ." and i will cede them their point.

however;

when i see critiques like some that i have seen here, with comments (paraphrasing here) like "this movie sucked", "this was one of the most over-rated movies of the past X number of years" and "i just dont get what the big deal is about this movie", then i simply have to wonder what trauma(s) occured in the lives of these people that have tragically removed from them the ability to see the background, the subtle, the brilliance of understatement and grayness and shading and ambiguity, without each profound moment having to be pointed out to them in neon in such a CLEARLY excellent work like this. i think this type of reviewer needs characters to talk to themselves - "ok, now i am thinking about what i will do next - notice my scrunchy face. ok, now i am going to walk to the door - look at my arms and legs moving very exaggerated to show that i am in a hurry" so they will understand what is going on. luckily for us, the number of people like this is very few.

having said that, you dont HAVE to be an egghead to appreciate this movie, but i think the fact that it didnt do all that well mainstream-wise proves that anderson is the thinking man's director, and that for one to get the best of every little nuance of the film, it helps to be a little bit max fischer-esque oneself. there are people who are "dorky" that you just hate, because they are delusional and unsociable and impolite and blindly unaware of any of it (witness most sci-fi fans); fischer is a perfect character representation for all of us who, despite our quirks, remain unflailingly endearing at the core of our being and at the same time, are exceptionally lonely because of how hard it is to connect with others for most normal people, let alone those with the gifts of wit and observation and charm and intelligence all mixed together in a ratio that freaks most uninteresting people out. the average iq is 100, hence a world where most things are designed by, for and around that demographic. it is very lonely to watch the social isolation of oneself perfectly characterized in film, but also very redeeming and cathartic to see that others DO exist that can eventually bring a soulmate-type quality to his relationships and life. besides speaking personally, i think wes anderson has a lot more of this quality than he is willing to admit publicly in his interviews; otherwise, i think he'd have to own up to max being far less of a "creation" and more of a real-life experience.

to all those who didnt "get" this movie, i would hope that you eventually will. to all those who did "get it" and loved it, i hope that your own relationships give something back to you, and end up as satisfyingly as those of max, ms. cross and mr. blume. : )

Just . . . Jesus Christ. Is all I have to say. Let's look at that again:

fischer is a perfect character representation for all of us who, despite our quirks, remain unflailingly endearing at the core of our being and at the same time, are exceptionally lonely because of how hard it is to connect with others for most normal people, let alone those with the gifts of wit and observation and charm and intelligence all mixed together in a ratio that freaks most uninteresting people out.

Maybe the reason it's so hard for you to connect with others is that the first thing you ask them is whether they liked Rushmore and if they didn't you assume they were abused as a child. Just a thought. Also, bitch, please, you are NOT the next e.e. cummings. It's called a shift key--learn it, love it.

I fear the kind of person who would find this review "unflailingly endearing."

wankily edited to be a little nicer about hating the movie. which i do.