Wes Anderson’s Rushmore was released in 1998.
Rushmore was Anderson’s second feature film, following Bottle Rocket. It centers on Max Fischer, an academically weak but highly active student at the prestigious Rushmore Academy, whose relationships with a teacher and a wealthy businessman drive the story.
The film premiered at the Telluride Film Festival in September 1998 and received its wider United States release later that year. Jason Schwartzman made his screen debut as Max, while Bill Murray played Herman Blume, a role that became an important early part of Murray’s collaboration with Anderson.
People sometimes confuse Rushmore’s release year with its awards season dates because it continued to receive recognition in 1999. Its screenplay and performances helped establish Anderson as a major young American filmmaker, while the film’s visual style became a foundation for his later work.