So you think you know what goes on at private schools? All work and no play? Banal, obsessive students?

Five minutes of Rushmore will knock the clichés right out of you.

Meet Max Fischer (Jason Schwartzman), a hyper-geeky social pariah attending Rushmore Academy. Sporting horn-rimmed glasses, unruly hair and a "holier-than-thou" demeanor, Max forgoes his classwork in the name of his numerous extracurricular activities, ranging from astronomy to karate to beekeeping to backgammon.

Soon Max adds love to that list, falling for a recently-widowed first grade teacher named Miss Cross (Olivia Williams). Max also forms an uneasy alliance with steel tycoon Mr. Blume (Bill Murray), a self-deprecating Rushmore benefactor with a soft spot in his heart for - surprise - Miss Cross. Chaos ensues.

That's the plot, but in the end the characters steal the show. Schwartzman plays Max's smug wise-ass like Bill Murray in training, oozing condescension even as he cuts the brakes on Mr. Blume's car.

Murray, meanwhile, contrasts this craziness with an aloof, deadpan delivery he never got to showcase in, say, Meatballs. Mr. Blume capably executes a cannonball off the high dive, stuffs a little kid's jump shot and destroys Max's bike, all with the same disinterested, resigned air.

Writer/Director Wes Anderson adds to the fun with goofy, satirical editing: Max strides in slow-motion through a hotel kitchen, moments after infesting Mr. Blume's hotel room with bees. Gangster-esque music blares in the background. This is Goodfellas after too many Pop Rocks and bowls of Lucky Charms.

Still, both Schwartzman and Murray are upstaged by Dirk Calloway (Mason Gamble), an innocent, blonde-haired youngin' who does Max's dirty work with hilarious mock seriousness. Dirk writes threatening letters in crayon and spits on Mr. Blume's car like the vengeful third grader from hell. When Dirk discovers Miss Cross and Mr. Blume on a romantic walk, the look of pure evil on his face is priceless.

"Priceless" also aptly describes Rushmore's final sequence - Max orchestrates a brilliant Vietnam War epic, complete with helicopters, real explosions and authentic Vietnamese (dig the pointy hats). Like the rest of Rushmore, the scene works over-the-top humor to great effect.

Bill Murray isn't running the show here, but with Rushmore's whimsical sense of humor and hilarious ensemble acting, Mr. Meatballs doesn't have to.