Is Max a Stereotypical Teenager?

The montage sequence during the opening of Rushmore gives an overview of the main character, Max Fischer. From this I have come to the conclusion that he is not what you would call a stereotypical teenager. For example, he has lots of responsibility, something that is uncommon in the typical teen - as they are often 'lazy' and almost 'rebellious'. He takes part in several extra-cirricular, unusual activities such as calligraphy club and the model united nations club. This also goes against the sterotype, as it shows open mindedness - whereas others are often quite fussy and almost narrow-minded.

He dresses formally in every clip, always wearing his school uniform - even when others aren't. This shows he has a sense of pride in his school and appearance, however on the other hand - stereotypical teens are often quite scruffy or interested in fashion, and prefer there own clothes over uniform. This could also mean however, that Max has a dull personality - reflected by the lack of creativity in his appearance.

At the beginning of the montage, the school journal is opened. Max is also in control of this, aswell as nearly every other aspect of the school. The front cover is decorated with bumble bees. In a way, this reflects Max's life - as he hops from activity to activity in the same way bee's fly from flower to flower. The phrases 'busy as a bee' and 'the bee's knees' also coincide with his personality, perhaps justifying the use of bee's as a logo.

The soundtrack for this sequence is a track by 'The Creation' called making time. The title is fitting, as it is what Max has to do in order to fit in all of his activities and responsibilities. Also, the last line 'pulling the wool, acting the fool' is relevant, as it describes Max in a way (pretending to be interested and good at so many aspects of life, yet being a bit of a fool in the fact that he is not really that good at any). An interesting point I picked up on, is the fact that the genre of the song is 'Indie', meaning independant rock (non-mainstream), which pretty much sums up Max, he seems to take part in a lot of these activities independantly, and they are all very non-mainstream.