Rushmore Page #15

MAX:

Do you know Dirk Calloway?

MARGARET:

I don't think so.

MAX:

Dirk, this is Margaret Yang.

Dirk nods. Margaret waves to him. Silence.

MAX:

I heard about your science fair project on Action 13 the

other day. They said the Navy was going to buy it from you.

Margaret is polite but cold.

MARGARET:

Not anymore.

MAX:

Why not?

MARGARET:

Because it was fake.

MAX:

What do you mean?

MARGARET:

(sighs)

I faked all the results.

MAX:

Why?

MARGARET:

Because it didn't work. I thought it would but it didn't.

MAX:

(in disbelief)

You mean it was all bullshit?

MARGARET:

Not all of it. Just the parts I didn't get right.

Max stares at her. It is as if he is seeing her for the

first time. He says quietly:

MAX:

That's exactly the way I would have handled that situation.

MARGARET:

Well. It's nothing to be proud of.

MAX:

But it's true.

Max is completely hypnotized by her.

MARGARET:

You were a real jerk to me.

MAX:

(pause)

I know. I'm sorry, Margaret.

Silence.

MARGARET:

Well. Anyway. Nice to see you.

MAX:

Yeah. Nice to see you, too.

Margaret starts skating slowly away backwards. Max waves to

her. She spins and skates off full-speed. Max watches her

go. Silence.

MAX:

You set me up.

Dirk nods. Max says wistfully:

MAX:

Not bad, not bad. The child has become the father of the

man.

Max looks out across the frozen pond. He pulls off his ski

cap and feels the cold air against his cheeks. Snowflakes

catch in his eyelashes.

MAX:

We might have to get some hockey skates, Dirk.

DIRK:

I already got you some.

Dirk reaches into his backpack and takes out a pair of

skates. He hands them to Max. Max looks at them for a

minute. He nods slowly. Something begins to change in his

face. He says with quiet intensity:

MAX:

Do me a favor, will you?

DIRK:

Sure. What?

MAX:

(pause)

Pack up your goddamn tackle box.

Dirk smiles. Max grabs Dirk's fig pole and starts walking.

Dirk calls after him:

DIRK:

You sure you don't want to stay here and feel sorry for

yourself?

MAX:

I'll take a rain check.

Dirk grabs his tackle box and follows Max briskly off the

ice.

EXT. BARBERSHOP. DAY

Mr. Blume stands on the sidewalk in front of the barbershop.

He stares off into the distance. He has his hands in his

pockets and his hair is blowing in the wind.

Mr. Fischer is inside reading the sports page.

A cab pulls up and splashes water on Mr. Blume, but he does

not appear to notice. Max gets out of the cab. He is dressed

in a beautiful green velvet suit and bow tie. He smiles.

MAX:

Thanks for meeting me, Mr. Blume.

MR. BLUME

What can I do for you?

Max hands Mr. Blume a little white cardboard box. Mr. Blume

frowns.

MR. BLUME

What's this?

Max shrugs. Mr. Blume starts to open the box. Max flinches

away like the box is going to explode. Mr. Blume stops. Max

smiles and motions for Mr. Blume to go ahead. Mr. Blume

opens the box. There are two little pins inside.

MAX:

That's the Perfect Attendance awards and the Punctuality

Award. I got those at Rushmore. I thought you could choose

which one you like more, and you could wear that one and I

could wear the other.

Mr. Blume's face softens. He nods slowly. He studies the

pins and says quietly:

MR. BLUME

I'll take punctuality.

MAX:

OK.

They put their pins in their lapels.

MR. BLUME

Thank you.

Max nods. He smiles.

MAX:

Come on. Let's go inside.

Max motions to the barbershop. Mr. Blume looks confused.

INT. BARBERSHOP. DAY

Mr. Blume follows Max into the barbershop. Mr. Fischer looks

up from his newspaper.

MR. FISCHER

Well, looks what the cat dragged in.

MAX:

Sorry, I'm late. I want you to meet somebody.

(looks to Mr. Blume)

Mr. Blume, this is my father, Bert Fischer.

Silence. Mr. Blume nods slowly.

MR. BLUME

Nice to meet you, Mr. Fischer.

MR. FISCHER

(smiles) Mr. Fischer's my father's name. Call me Bert.

MR. BLUME

(pause)

OK, Bert.

MR. FISCHER

Max tells me you could use a haircut.

Mr. Blume hesitates.

MR. FISCHER

Let's have a look at you.

Mr. Blume sits down in one of the barber's chairs and looks

in the mirror. Max and Mr. Fischer stand on either side of

him. Mr. Blume looks terrible. He sighs deeply.

MR. BLUME

I don't know, Bert.

MR. FISCHER

Don't worry. We might have to throw in a shave, too. Max?

Why don't you get Mr. Blume a cup of coffee?

EXT. BARBERSHOP. DAY

Max and Mr. Blume come out of the barbershop and walk

quickly down the sidewalk. Mr. Blume's hair is crisply cut

and neatly combed, but his clothes still look very

disheveled.

MAX:

How much are you worth, by the way?

MR. BLUME

I don't know.

MAX:

Over ten million?

MR. BLUME

Yeah. I guess so.

MAX:

Good, good.

MR. BLUME

Why?

MAX:

Cause we're going to need all of it.

DECEMBER MONTAGE:

Christmas decorations are evident throughout the following

scenes.

Max and Mr. Blume watch a Jacques Cousteau film on 16mm in

Mr. Blume's office. Ernie runs the projector.

Max and Mr. Blume visit a marine research facility. Mr.

Blume holds up a fish at the edge of a pool. A killer whale

jumps out of the water and takes it in its teeth.

Max and Mr. Blume sprint down the street and through the

park in warm-up suits. They hurdle bushes and dodge traffic.

They run into an empty football stadium and race up the

bleachers.

Max's young architect shows Max and Mr. Blume a miniature

baseball diamond field. The architect slides over the

diamond an inch and puts model of a building labeled The

Cousteau-Blume Marine Observatory in its place.

Max and Dirk skate around on the frozen pond during

complicated tricks and jumps.

EXT. VACANT LOT. DAY

A large crowd of Rushmore student, parents and faculty has

gathered around the vacant lot beside the baseball field. A

huge banner says The Cousteau-Blume Marine Observatory.

There is a huge bulldozer and a cement truck at the back of

the lot.

Max and Mr. Blume shake hands for the yearbook photographer.

Mr. Blume is holding a gold shovel with a ribbon around it.

MR. BLUME

She's not coming, is she?

MAX:

(pause)

It doesn't look good.

MR. BLUME

Ah, sh*t, man. What the hell am I doing here?

Mr. Blume throws down his shovel and starts to walk off. Max

yells at him:

MAX:

Dammit, Blume! How the hell did you ever get so rich? You're

a quitter!

Mr. Blume looks at Max in shock.

MR. BLUME

This cost me eight million dollars!

MAX:

(hesitates)

And that's all you're prepared to spend?

Silence.

EXT. THE FISCHER'S HOUSE. DAY

Max carries as old leather typewriter case in the backyard.

He sets it down on a picnic table. The case has an

inscription on it in gold letters.

INSERT TYPEWRITER CASE:

Bravo, Max! Love, Mom.

Max unzips the case. There is an old portable manual

typewriter inside. Max rolls a piece of paper into it and

starts typing furiously. He pauses to drink a sip of hot

chocolate. He starts typing again.

TITLE:

January.

EXT. WEBSTER SMALLEY SCHOOL FOR GIRLS. DAY

Webster Smalley is Rushmore's sister school. The doors to

the lower school burst open and twenty-five first-grade

girls in plaid jumpers run yelling onto the playground.

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