Once you get past a pregnant Drew Barrymore waddling through a characterless Texas backdrop, there aren’t many laughs in the comedy Home Fries, which was shot in Austin in 1996 and opened in theaters around the country on November 25. On the fall film festival circuit, audiences groaned at the comedy about a boy (Dallas native Luke Wilson) who falls for his dead stepfather’s gal. By contrast, Rushmore, which was shot in Houston in 1997, was a hit on the festival circuit, and for good reason: It works, and it proves that fellow Texans and co-writers Wes Anderson and Owen Wilson are no flashes in the pan. While Bill Murray, Olivia Williams, and, once again, Luke Wilson lend professional charm, a newcomer is the key. Jason Schwartzman (Talia Shire’s son) stars as an underachiever with no shortage of enthusiasm for his prep school—and for a sexy first-grade teacher. He’s an intriguing young actor; you never know whether to fall for him or give him a wedgie and shove him in a locker. Rushmore opens in February.
