Max Fisher is an enthusiastic pupil at the prestigious Rushmore Academy. He prefers extra-curricular activities: he is editor of the yearbook, founder of the debating team, chairman of the chess club, etcetera. Later he wants to go to Harvard or Oxford. Unfortunately he is the school’s worst pupil. His strange position within the school becomes more complex when he falls in love with a new teacher, a refined English widow. His rival for her affections is Mr Blume (Bill Muray), the father of two of the school’s most obnoxious pupils. But Blume is also the only one to recognise Max’s special talents and encourages him in his rashest plans. The situation drives Max to despair and revenge. He loses himself in a base sparring match of mutual harassment that gets completely out of hand.With its prickly and well-timed humour, Rushmore is a refreshing variation on the high-school comedy. Adolescent campus life is portrayed in clear cameos with a sharp eye for detail. The result is a disarming portrait of Max, who refuses to admit that he is no longer in control of the situation and has little patience with the snobs all around him. Bill Murray as Blume is both ruthless and genuinely concerned about his friend, and in this way Anderson manages to maintain the complexity of his characters between the gags.
