Movie Character Profile: RUSHMORE: Max Fischer

Character Profile: Max Fischer

In the movie, Rushmore, the audience can clearly notice a development with Max Fischer, the movies lead character. Max Fischer goes from the eccentric 15-year old Rushmore Academy student in the “Upper World” of the movie. As the movie progresses, Max enters the “Under World” and emerges as a new student at Grover Cleveland High.
At the start of the movie, Max is in the “Upper World”. He attends Rushmore Acadamy amd is involved in many extracurricular activities. However, we (the audience) discover that Max has failed all of his courses, and will be expelled after the next course he fails.
At the same time we are introduced to Mr Blume Ms Cross. Max befriends Mr Blume quickly, and becomes affectionate towards Ms Cross. Max, smitten by Ms Cross, tries to learn about her and things she enjoys.
After discovering Ms Cross likes fishes and aquatic life, Max decides he is going to build her an aquarium on Rushmore grounds. However, he does this without the consent or knowledge of the school board. At the grounds breaking ceremony, Max is taken into the headmaster’s office were he is expelled. It is at this point in the movie that Max enters the “Underworld”.
As Max continues on into the “Underworld”, his world continues to fall apart. He goes to Grover Cleveland High School, where he is clearly different from all of his fellow students. Max also learns that his friend, Mr Blume has become romantically involved with Ms Corss. He learns this from his sidekick Dirk. Dirk, who initially was not going to inform Mx on this affair, does so because he has learned that Max was using him to get closer to Dirk’s mother. It is at this point in the film that Max has reached his lowest point. He drops out of Grover Cleveland and starts to work for his father at the barber shop. This action represents Max living out his lowest point. Earlier in the movie he claimed that his father was a neurosurgeon, trying to make it sound like his family is not the lower class function that is.
One day, Dirk stops by the barber shop. In this encounter, Dirk apologizes for what he has down to Max, and Max apologizes for using Dirk. This scene sets up Max’s return from the “Underworld”. Max goes around making amends for his wrong doings he has done to Mr Blume and Ms Cross.
Max returns to Grover Cleveland high school and starts production for his new play, which is the same play he wrote that got him into Rushmore.
Max runs into Mr Blume at the hospital as they are both going to visit the headmaster of Rushmore, who had suffered a stroke. The two (Max and Blume) reconcile. Max learns of the falling out between Blume and Ms Cross, so Max makes it his personal mission to reunite the two.
Max devises a plan to have the two sit beside each other at his new play at Grover Cleveland. Blume and Cross reconcile by the end of the movie. Max, as well finds a special person of his own. Max introduces his father as a barber. This move shows that Max has come to terms with who he is.
As the movie ends, Ms Cross and Max are walking onto the dance floor to share a dance at the play’s after party. It is at this moment that Max returns from the Underworld. He is still, is some way, the same 15 year old who was expelled from Rushmore, as in more extracurricular activities than school work. But now he has changed. He is no longer after the girl, but wanting the girl to be happy. Max emerges from the “Underworld” as a new person.