Filmmaker Wes Anderson (Bottle Rocket) returns with this wonderfully offbeat film that turns out to be quite poignant.

Max is a student who's not as brilliant as he thinks he is. He meets his match in Mr. Blume, hilariously played by Bill Murray, a childish tycoon who falls for the woman that Max has an enormous crush on. And thus the battle begins.

Jason Schwartzman is completely engaging as Max and Murray does what he does best, while offering hints that there is a dramatic performer behind all of his comedic skills. Anderson, together with Bottle Rocket collaborator Owen Wilson, has fashioned a screenplay full of originality. The situations Max finds himself in are often quite funny. On top of all this, an absolutely terrific performance is given by Olivia Williams as the beautiful young widow that Max and Blume fight over.

Rushmore isn't as consistently funny as I'd hoped it would be, but it constantly remains original and never gets predictable. The Vietnam stage play that Max presents at the climax of the film is worth the price of admission alone.