Rushmore was a film so nice I saw it twice. What was the last film I actually saw twice in a theatre? Er, Beavis and Butthead Do America. But really, Rushmore was a better film. Wait. Beavis and Butthead had the bus full of nuns. Rushmore, on the other hand, elevated the use of the word "handjob" to new heights.

Yep. Gotta go with Rushmore.

A great slice of the film's appeal comes from the soundtrack. As he writes in the liner notes, director Wes Anderson originally conceived of an all-Kinks soundtrack "because the Kinks played loud, angry teenage rock songs, and they wore blazers and ties." (So did AC/DC.) Eventually, that concept gave way-- the Kinks are here with only one song-- to a soundtrack that mainly features British Invasion-period pieces dipped between quick bites of former Devo guy Mark Mothersbaugh's incidental music. The result is the best soundtrack album since Pulp Fiction, memorable not only for great music but because it's comprised of music that can actually make you recall the scene in which it's featured. None of this "Music from and inspired by..." bullshit that features Tonic and Wallflowers b-sides. This one's the real deal.

We'll take it track by track (excluding incidental music):

• "Making Time" by Creation: A pointy mod-rock number full of weird guitar noises and enough schoolboy angst to make Pete Townshend green with envy.
• "Concrete and Clay" by Unit 4 + 2: Not really like "The Girl from Ipanema," but not unlike a good Willie Bobo tune, either.
• "Nothing in This World Can Stop Me Worryin' About That Girl" by the Kinks: An acoustic number from the Kinks' second album, and the perfect score for Bill Murray's angst-ridden dip.
• "A Summer Song" by Chad and Jeremy: Sure, these guys would get beat up if they tried to make it on the rock scene today. Back in the day, though, women actually bought into this shit. It still doesn't sound half bad, either. No, I'm not crying. Shut up. Fuck it and gimme a tissue.
• "Here Comes My Baby" by Cat Stevens: If all you know about Cat Stevens is his simple folk music, you may be surprised by this late-60's gem. He sounds pretty happy-- a far cry from that later angst and even later "Kill Salman Rushdie" bullshit.
• "A Quick One While He's Away" by the Who: A goofy mini-opera about some infidelity. Only the final third of this song appears in the film, but it's used to great effect. Score one for the Rushmore Beekeepers!
• "Blinuet" by Zoot Sims: Token jazz song.
• "Rue St. Vincent" by Yves Montand: What's the sound of one frog croaking? Actually, it ain't half bad, and it had a funny scene to lean on for support.
• "The Wind" by Cat Stevens: I found my "Harold and Maude" soundtrack! Neat!
• "Oh Yoko" by John Lennon: Good song-- more proof that John was off his rocker.
• "Ooh La La" by the Faces: Another jaunty number from the 60s. Ron Wood may not be pretty, but he's a capable tunesmith. The little piano bit near the end is killer.

-Jason Josephes