The last film in Zócalo Public Square’s Summer Movie Series at LA Plaza, Rushmore packed the lawn with couples picnicking on blankets, groups chatting in chairs while sipping wine, and others dining on Mexican meals offered on-site.

Some moviegoers were such fans of Wes Anderson, whose credits also include The Royal Tenenbaums and The Grand Budapest Hotel, that they came to LA Plaza’s downtown site from Los Angeles’ surrounding cities. Dalena Bui and her date Khoa Le hadn’t seen Rushmore before. “We’re familiar with Wes Anderson,” said Bui, who recently introduced Le to The Grand Budapest Hotel. “A beautiful film.” They drove in from Orange County just for the Friday night film screening.

Julie Marin and her husband were looking for a good date night downtown. Marin wanted to spend her birthday in the area and thought the film would be the perfect finish to the evening, even though she’d never seen the movie before. “This was an impromptu decision,” she said. “I don’t have any expectations; I’m a clean slate.”

Though Rushmore now has cult status, many audience members hadn’t seen the film, or hadn’t re-watched it since its release. Andrea Kirschner, who was in high school when Rushmore came out, didn’t like the film back then. “Max was so pretentious,” she shuddered before the screening.

Rushmore follows Max, played memorably by then-unknown Jason Schwartzman (son of Talia Shire and nephew of Francis Ford Coppola), as he attempts to stay in his beloved prep school Rushmore while under “academic sudden death” for pursuing too many extracurriculars and not studying enough. Matters aren’t helped when the 15-year-old falls for teacher Rosemary Cross (Olivia Williams), an alluring Brit with a thing for Jacques Cousteau. With the help of his newfound friend Herman Blume (Bill Murray), the wealthy father of Max’s classmates, Max hatches various schemes to attract Miss Cross. But they turn the plotting on each other after Blume and the teacher begin a romantic relationship. Meanwhile, Max gets kicked out of Rushmore and must navigate being the new kid at the public school in his shabby neighborhood.

With Anderson, the charm is in the detail. “This is so sweet!” Kirschner exclaimed during the film, won over by Schwartzman’s cringe-worthy yet heartwarming performance, the Mark Mothersbaugh-selected soundtrack, and the costumes.

Fashion was the main draw for some in the audience, like Taylor Demarest, who attends the nearby Fashion Institute and had seen the film before. Nate Fitzpatrick, an analyst for the clothing company Splendid (which has offices near LA Plaza), admired the green velvet suit Max wears during the film’s final scene. We won’t give it away here, but it’s a surprisingly simple happy ending to a complex tale—just the way Max, and Anderson, wanted it.

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When asked about the appeal of the 2002 film, starring a surprisingly subdued Ice Cube and an irreverent Cedric the Entertainer, Bianca Jones said it was, well, “entertaining.” As Jones and her companion, Paul Williams, fended off an unseasonable late summer chill with fleece blankets, Williams said he appreciated “the realism of what goes on in a barbershop.”

What goes on, in the film, is that Cube’s Calvin must decide whether to sell his family barbershop, a staple of his Chicago neighborhood, to sleazy loan shark Lester. The shop has more barbers than customers, including Cedric the Entertainer’s old school Eddie, pretentious college grad Jimmy, West African poetry aficionado Dinka, and the volatile Terri, played by rapper Eve. There is also Ricky, the smart, sensitive ex-con who is suspected of ripping off an ATM, when in reality the heist was perpetrated by a bumbling duo who spend the film carting the money machine around the city’s South Side.

The slice-of-life film is better known for its Marvin Gaye dance break, Rosa Parks “haterism,” and painful ATM-stealing antics than a fast-paced plot. But those qualities were enough to attract fans from as far away as Upland to partake of the communal comedy feast, with the added draw of picnicking on the lawn.

“We’ve seen the movie before and thought it would be a great date night,” said Kesha O’Dell, who packed a chicken dinner to enjoy with her husband Darryl before the film. Others opted to dine on tamales and cotton candy purchased on site. Though they’re local, “we’ve never been here,” said O’Dell of LA Plaza. “We’ve got to come back and visit the museum.”

“I’m always looking for free fun things to do,” said Nina Shelby, who said she moved to Los Angeles three weeks ago. Hoping to meet new people, Shelby said, “things like this [movie screening] make it better.”

After the credits rolled, roommates Iesha Rochelle and Eric Hunter discussed Barbershop’s enduring relevance. “It came out shortly after September 11,” Hunter observed. “It has a strong narrative of men coming together as a team,” a storyline people craved at the time. Rochelle agreed: “It’s just one of those movies that brings people together.”

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The Zócalo Summer Movie Series at LA Plaza presented Little Miss Sunshine, a 2006 indie classic about a failing father with a self-improvement program, his wife, her suicidal Proust scholar brother, a silent Nietzsche-worshipping teen son, a drug-addled and sex-crazy grandfather, and a seven-year-old daughter who drags the whole family on a road trip to a children’s beauty pageant in California via a temperamental VW bus.

“I love this movie,” said Michael Herrera, a Cal State Northridge journalism student. “It’s one of those movies that stays with you. I like the dysfunction of the family and how, despite that, they come together and share their happiness.”

As the sun set, hundreds of Angelenos—some filling the venue’s chairs, others on blankets or the grass—shared dinners and snacks, some brought and some purchased on site.

“I like the movie for its artistic feeling and the music,” said Maria Sanchez, 26, who works in affordable housing policy. She came with Carolina Gamero, 26, and the two ate a dinner purchased at a nearby Chinatown restaurant.

Christopher Cantu, a teacher, and Natalie Morales, a community health worker, said they had come to the movie because “we’re looking to do something together.”

“It’s nice to be outside,” said Cantu.

Morales, like many of those attendance, recalled seeing the movie when it debuted 10 years ago, and remembered liking it. But she’d forgotten details. “I saw it with my mom back then,” she said. “She thought it was inappropriate for me at the time. So I want to see it again.”

Little Miss Sunshine was a surprise popular and critical hit a decade ago. It made $100 million at the box office and was nominated for four Academy Awards, including best picture, and won two, for best original screenplay and best supporting actor for Alan Arkin’s performance as the grandfather.

The audience responded warmly to the movie, laughing throughout and applauding at its conclusion. There were a few gasps of surprise when the actor Bryan Cranston—two years before his star-making turn as Breaking Bad’s Walter White—appeared in a small role.

Bruno Bonilla, 37, said he had been on his way with friends to Union Station when he saw signs for the screening, stopped by, and stayed to see the movie for the first time. “I had no idea this was happening,” he said. “We were just passing by, and came in, and the movie was good—awkward and funny.”

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As the sun set over downtown L.A. and the heat dissipated, Angelenos of all ages settled down—some with picnic baskets and blankets, others with dinner, snacks, and drinks purchased on-site—for a night at LA Plaza. Some were there for the setting, some for the movie, and others simply to spend time with friends, family, or significant others.

“I love the movie, and I wanted to see it in an open-air environment like this,” said Adrian Fine.

“I heard about this movie when it first came out, and I wanted to watch it but didn’t get a chance,” said Bonnie Hsu. Sixteen years later, her opportunity had finally arrived.

Billy Elliot was a sleeper hit when it came out in 2000 with its thick northeastern England accents and unknown cast and creative team. But the dance flick, set against the backdrop of a miners’ strike in Margaret Thatcher’s England, grossed over $100 million and launched the career of director Stephen Daldry. Billy Elliot went on to become a hit musical on London’s West End and Broadway.

Alexis Floyd was invited to the screening by a friend and brought along her brother, who is spending the summer in Los Angeles from Cleveland. This was her first time seeing the movie, she said before the screening began. “I had a really strong reaction to the musical,” she said. “It’s really powerful, and I’m excited to see it on film.”

The celluloid didn’t disappoint. “I loved it,” said John Patterson, who was accompanied by his son, Sam. “We saw it onstage as well, but I think we liked the movie better.”

A number of people who had come with their families talked about the power of the story, which involves a father coming to grips with his son’s unconventional aspirations. “I liked that it shows when you go after your dream, how much resistance is going to come up because you’re changing and you’re different,” said Giselle Noguera. “If you persist and you have the confidence to stand in your own belief and self-love, everybody will come around.”

Ben Chavez had only good things to say about this “very sweet” movie and the outdoor screening experience. “I thought the ambiance was wonderful,” he said. “It was a perfect night for it.”

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