"She's my Rushmore, Max."

If Ferris Bueller was a real person, he would probably be this guy.

After many years, I finally took the time to watch Rushmore (1998), a movie about an intelligent and talented prep school student who juggles several extracarricular activities (playwright, director,debate team, wrestling team, every other team imaginable) but can never focus in his classes. Max, played by Jason Schwartzbaum, is a hyperactive dreamer who loves a school that despises him.

Max meets a teacher at his school and tries to date her only to lose her to his mentor, a Steel factory owner played by Bill Murray. Max considers this a personal betrayal resulting in a cartoonish feud between the two. Meanwhile, Max's grip on his beloved prep school slips because he's blinded by love for the school teacher. Murray's character is disillusioned with life until he befriends Max. A range of colorful characters populate Rushmore, including an Irish bully, Asian girl genius and a young boy who idolizes Max.

Rushmore has a tone that's wry and ironic balanced with an affection for human frailty. Directed and co-written by Wes Anderson, Rushmore captures the strong emotions and naked insecurity of adolescence from a bemused point of view. Ultimately, the movie is about adolescence itself-finding your place in the world as it repeatedly (in this case literally) smacks you in the face. The film is well cast and manages to strike an insular tone without alienating the audience. I'm glad I finally saw this movie, it was worth the wait.