After the highly acclaimed independent film Bottle Rocket, director Wes Anderson follows up with a quirky Touchstone Studios film entitled Rushmore. Written by Anderson and old Austin, Texas partner Owen Wilson (an actor in Armageddon and Anaconda), they have created the story of Max Fischer, a highly eccentric 15-year-old boy who attends the tenth grade at Rushmore Academy. Played by Jason Schwartzman (Talia Shire's son and Francis Ford Coppola's nephew), Max is a poor student with big dreams and a love of extracurricular activities. Max is editor of the school newspaper and yearbook, president of Chess, Astronomy, French and German clubs, captain of the fencing team, and director of the school play. Max is also a compulsive liar, telling everyone that his barber father (Seymour Cassel) is really a brain surgeon. Suddenly Max falls in love with Miss Cross (Olivia Williams) a first grade teacher at the school. He also makes a new friend in business-tycoon Mr. Blume (Bill Murray), an eccentric millionaire who also loves Miss Cross. The love triangle heats up as Max refuses to believe that his age has anything to do with Miss Cross refusing his romantic advances. Also Max's poor grades lead to his eventual dismissal from Rushmore Academy. As Max's life crumbles around him, he is forced to grow up and accept the consequences of his actions and his lies. He throws himself more into his extracurricular activities in hopes to redeem himself by staging the most ambitious school play ever attempted.