Rushmore Anaylis

Is Max A Typical Teenager?

A very easy answer to this question is no, Max is not a “normal” Teenager. The stereotypical view of teenagers is that they go out on Friday night and get paralytic on alcohol or drugs, and that every teenager is a trouble maker. Judging on the opening clip Max is not that type of guy. The scene opens up with max opening a book with bees on, this gives me the impression he likes bees and wildlife, and straight away here is an example that Max is not your typical teen! Because stereotypically that book would belong to a younger child, female, or an older person.

The first achievement of Max it mentions is he is the Editor In Chief, Not Your Stereotypical teen however; some teenagers would get involved in this type of thing, so it’s not that unusual. If we look closely at his picture within the book he looks like he purposely meant that picture to look older than he really is. You will see this many times within this opening montage this again proves, that Max is not the stereotypical teen!

The next hobby of Max is Yankee Review Publisher; notice that he is taking the leading role with the group of four teenagers! He is dressed different to them to (wearing a suit) this to me is him trying to show his dominance to the group, to show that he is boss. Also on this clip if you notice, Publisher is coloured in red this makes it stand out so I would think he is proud to be given this roll as publisher within the group, most likely because it means he is superior to the other guys that he seems to be leading. 

The next clip shows Max as a French Club President yet again notice he is the leading role; he stands out among the crowd of people, he is sat up straight when all the others are slouched and casual this to me shows his maturity because stereotypically a teenager does not stand straight instead they slouch like the rest of the people in this scene. However Max is in box number two which I am surprised at because of what I have seen so far of Max he is normally the leader and generally I think as the number one as a leading role.

The clip after is MODEL UNITED NATIONS, straight away I notice that Max is Russia, once again Max likes Power! Russia is a powerful country, especially in comparison to the countries sitting either side, which are India on his right and Mexico on his left. Judging on the face expressions of the characters sitting next to Max they do not look very happy, I’m guessing because he is controlling everything because to me he seems very controlling and definitely a powerful and controlling character!

The hobby after is very peculiar it is Stamp & Coin Club; this is very strong evidence that Max is not a normal stereotypical teenager.  This is stereotypically not a teenager’s hobby, it’s an old man’s hobby. According to Society Max should be going out getting drunk or drug taking, this is not the case and Once again the point I have made many times is that he has a powerful roll within the group, here Max is the Vice-President.

Max is also the Debate Team Captain, this is what I would expect him to also be in after watching the last few clips, because he can control people within debates and get across his point of view, this shows me that Max also has a lot of confidence because I personally wouldn’t be able to do that based on my confidence level.

Next is Lacrosse Team Manager, again this is showing us how he likes to have power, the stereotypical teenager would be playing the sport however Max is Managing the sport, which is normally an adult job. Also he is making sure all the equipment is tidy this is not stereotypical Teenager! Normally teenagers are untidy; also this might tell us about how he is obsessed with precision and likes things perfect, maybe a bit of a OCD?

Next, Calligraphy Club this could show the audience once again his obsession with precision and making everything perfect. Also he is advertising what I am guessing is another club that he is the leader of whilst he is practicing his Calligraphy.

Next is Astronomy Society Founder, once again founder is a powerful roll within the group which will give him the power to control people. Most teenagers are not fond of Astronomy it’s considered more of an adult hobby.

Next, Fencing Team Captain, if you look closely it appears to me that Max is fighting someone that is smaller and thinner than himself, which would give him the advantage, and not make Max look bad (Less Chance Of Losing). Also Again the slight difference in clothing in comparison to the rest make him stand out and look more powerful within the group.

The next clip is Track & Field J.V. Decathlon keeps all the stereotypes, how max is in a tracksuit, he is running and keeping fit like any other teenager does. However there is one thing missing out of this scene and that is his peers. Normally teenagers would go for a run with others.

Next, 2^nd Chorale Choirmaster, this clip just sums up my argument about him wanting to be more controlling and powerful than anyone else. I’m not a musician but I’m pretty positive you do not need two Choirmasters, I think he just does this to show that he is dominant, I mean he even made up a roll that doesn’t exist just to be noticed!

Next, Bombardment Society Founder, Max made this group this shows again that he has the most control in the group, also he is trying to show his dominance by throwing the ball first, before anyone else can have a go with it.

Next, is Kung Fu Club, Fighting is what the stereotypical teenager is known for however as you can see in this clip, Max is yellow belt, I know for a fact in Kung Fu yellow is second rank from the bottom, There are some white belts in there that he is better than however, Red belt is higher than yellow in kung fu, so here Max is not the dominant one, however if you look at the age of these characters there all children and max is a teenager! This just shows he needs to be the dominant one! The only way he can get this with this club is by being older than the rest.

            Next scene we see Max Fischer in Trap & Skeet Club, he is also the founder of this group. However once again this is not stereotypical teenage behaviour! Max Is always trying to be older than he really is. This is the main reason why he is not the stereotypical teenager.

            Next, Rushmore Beekeepers, President, Max is the leader again and this explains the Bees on the cover at the start of the montage. Again in this clip he is wearing different clothes to the other Beekeeper to show his dominance.

            Next, Yankee Racers, Founder, in stereotypical teenager would not drive what Max’s group does, yes it’s his group. The stereotypical teenager would be on a moped or a little car that they would race in, not the type that appears on this clip.

            Basically just to sum the whole montage up I would say Max is a character that craves attention and likes to be the dominant being within all of the things he does. I would think of him as a confident person that just wants to be known by the public. And doesn’t really care about anyone but himself!

Rushmore Opening Montage - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Ud2BywS_3U&feature=player_embedded