History Film / Rushmore

* PlotMandatedFriendshipFailure: At least two. One between Max and Dirk when [[spoiler:the latter learns from Magnus that Max has been claiming to have gotten a handjob from Dirk's mother.]] This, in turn, kicks off the falling out between Max and Blume when Dirk writes him a letter revealing the affair Blume is having with Ms. Cross.

%%* ElevatorSchool

* ExtracurricularEnthusiast: Max Fischer's extracurricular activities at Rushmore Academy include: Yankee Review editor-in-chief, French Club president, representing Russia in the model UN, Stamp & Coin Club vice-president, debate team captain, Lacrosse team manager, Calligraphy Club president, Astronomy Society founder, fencing team captain, track & field J. V. decathlon, 2nd Chorale choirmaster, bombardment society founder, Kung Fu Club yellow belt, Trap & Skeet Club founder, Rushmore Beekeepers president, Yankee Racers founder, Max Fischer Players director, Backgammon Society founder, a member of the wrestling team, and has 4.5 hours logged with the Piper Cub Club. Yeah, and he saved Latin - what did you ever do?
%%* HighSchoolHustler

''Rushmore'' is a 1998 film by Creator/WesAnderson, starring Creator/JasonSchwartzman, Creator/BillMurray, and Creator/OliviaWilliams. It follows the exploits of Max Fischer, 15-year-old student at the eponymous academy. He is incredibly bright but scatterbrained, preferring to do extracurricular activities instead of actual schoolwork. He becomes unlikely friends with Herman Blume, a local businessman who is unhappy with his life and becomes inspired by Max's energy.

When a new teacher arrives at Rushmore Academy, Rosemary Cross, an odd LoveTriangle develops, with Max hopelessly lusting after Rosemary while she and Herman begin having an affair. The two friends soon become bitter enemies, working to ruin each other's lives. However, since this is a comedy, and not a particularly dark one, [[LighterAndSofter the tone remains lighthearted and whimsical throughout]].

The movie has a childlike sense of awe and general quirky atmosphere, which went on to become Wes Anderson's signature style. [[TomHanksSyndrome It also allowed Bill Murray to establish himself as a dramatic actor]], and he would [[ProductionPosse continue to work with Anderson in his major films to this day]].

* TriangRelations: Type four, between Max (a), Rosemary (b), and Herman (c).

--> '''Max:''' At least nobody got hurt.\\

** The Max Fischer Players also produced a number of [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jra8HD-VTv0 specially commissioned pieces for the 1999 MTV Awards]] adapting the biggest films of that year in their own unique, ingenious style. These included ''Film/{{Armageddon}}'', ''Film/OutOfSight'' and ''Film/TheTrumanShow''.

* TransferStudentUniforms: Max, [[spoiler: after he's expelled from Rushmore Academy.]]

--> '''Max''': At least nobody got hurt.\\
'''Rosemary''': Except for you.\\
'''Max''': Nah. I didn't get hurt that bad.

** Trap & Skeet Club Founder - [[spoiler: He uses a non-lethal rifle to shoot Magnus in the ear.]]
* CockFight

* DarkestHour: “November”- [[spoiler: Max is no longer in school after being arrested for cutting Herman's brakes, and is working at his father's barber shop, Herman is living in a hotel after his wife discovered his affair, and Rosemary has resigned from her job at Rushmore.]]

* DisproportionateRetribution: During their EscalatingWar, Herman [[spoiler: runs over Max's bicycle]]. Max's response is [[spoiler: to cut the brakes on Herman's car.]] Luckily, nobody gets hurt.
* DoggedNiceGuy: It’s clear pretty soon after she’s introduced that Margaret Yang is harboring an attraction for Max, but he gives her the cold shoulder in favor of his own infatuation with Ms. Cross. [[spoiler: Things get better by the end, though, when he warms up to and eventually begins dating her after getting over Ms. Cross ([[AmbiguousEnding maybe]]).]]

* ElevatorSchool
* EnterStageWindow: After [[spoiler: learning Blume and Ms. Cross have split up,]] Max comes to the latter’s second-story window at night and makes up a story about having been hit by a car and needing to use her phone. When she wises up, he leaves the same way he came in.

* HighSchoolHustler
* HotForTeacher: Max towards Rosemary, who is very clear in rebuffing his advances.
* IntergenerationalFriendship: Between Max and Herman, until Max finds out about Rosemary and Herman seeing each other. By the end of the film, their friendship is repaired.

* KidSidekick: Dirk Calloway is this to Max. [[spoiler: He briefly stops being this after he hears the rumor Magnus spreads about Max getting a hand job from Dirk's mother, but ends up befriending Max again in December.]]

** As part of his EscalatingWar with Herman, Max [[spoiler: cuts the brakes on his car.]] Max is reported to the Police and arrested incredibly quickly. Though this is equally subverted by [[spoiler: the car hurting no one and doing no damage when Herman can't stop. Instead, it rolls to a gentle stop on one of the lawns outside Rushmore.]]

* ModernMajorGeneral: Max is the president of numerous extracurricular activities, and very driven when creating plays, but so terrible at schoolwork that he's at risk of being expelled if he flunks another class [[spoiler: (At least, before he gets expelled before trying to build an aquarium on school grounds)]].

* ParodySue
* PlotMandatedFriendshipFailure: At least two. One between Max and Dirk when [[spoiler: the latter learns from Magnus that Max has been claiming to have gotten a handjob from Dirk’s mother.]] This, in turn, kicks off the falling out between Max and Blume when Dirk writes him a letter revealing the affair Blume is having with Ms. Cross.
* PretentiousLatinMotto: "Sic transit gloria", as opposed to "Sic transit gloria mundi".
* {{Retraux}}

* WoundedGazelleGambit: [[spoiler: Max pulls one, claiming to have been hit by a car, to get a chance to talk to Rosemary. Eventually she susses out the blood on his head is fake.]]

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[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rushmore1_8567.jpg]]

The movie has a childlike sense of awe and general quirky atmosphere, which went on to become Wes Anderson's signature style. [[TomHanksSyndrome It also allowed Bill Murray to establish himself as a dramatic actor]], though he would continue to work with Anderson in later films.

* KidSidekick: Dirk Calloway is this to Max. [[spoiler: He briefly stops being this after he hears the rumor Max started of getting a hand job from Rosemary, but ends up befriending Max again in December.]]

* NotSoDifferent: "I always wanted to be in one of your fucking plays."

* RealityEnsues: Nobody can be as much of a self-absorbed asshole as Max without consequences:
** Max decides to press on with the plans to build an aquarium on school grounds despite a lack of permission from the school, and even holds a groundbreaking ceremony where he has several trees cut down. [[spoiler:We SmashCut to him getting expelled.]]
** As part of his EscalatingWar with Herman, Max [[spoiler: cuts the brakes on his car.]] Max is reported to the Police and arrested incredibly quickly. Though this is equally subverted by [[spoiler: the car hurting no one and doing no damage when Herman can't stop. Instead, it rolls to a gentle stop on one of the lawns outside Rushmore.]]

* DancePartyEnding
* DarkestHour: “November”

* HotForTeacher
* IntergenerationalFriendship

* KidSidekick: Dirk Calloway is this to Max.

* ModernMajorGeneral

* TriangRelations: Type four.

'''Max Fischer:''' The secret, I don't know... I guess you've just gotta find something you love to do and then... do it for the rest of your life.

* IntergenerationalFriendship: Max and Herman are probably the trope codifiers.