Movie soundtracks today frequently include songs that are never used in movies. The soundtrack to The Royal Tenenbaums is great precisely because its songs are essential to the quality of the film.

Wes Anderson directed Rushmore before he directed The Royal Tenenbaums, and he used '60s garage rock by bands like the Who, the Kinks and the Creation to highlight Rushmore's zany, "seize the day" pace.

Tenenbaums alternates among several moods, bouncing from lovelorn to comical to darkly serious, and Anderson matches each scene with songs by artists that fit: the Ramones, Nico and Nick Drake, respectively.

Like Rushmore, Tenenbaums is scored by Mark Mothersbaugh (Devo, the music to Rugrats), and his jazz ensemble provides an aural backdrop that is as raucous and varied as the works from the soundtrack's best bands.

Anyone who sees The Royal Tenenbaums is going to have scenes like Margot and Richie's reunion and Richie's actions in front of the mirror stuck in his or her head after the movie's end. That's partly because those scenes, like much of the movie, are amazingly good, but it's also because of their matching music, (Nico and Elliott Smith, respectively).

The Royal Tenenbaums is a movie worth seeing again and again. Because its songs are so key to the feel of the movie, its soundtrack will allow anyone to relive its best scenes long after Tenenbaums leaves theaters.

— Reviewed by Justin Stranzl