I recently re-watched Wes Anderson’s Rushmore (1998) featuring Jason Schwartzman, Olivia Williams, and Bill Murray — Rushmore (film) - Wikipedia
I hadn’t seen it in a long time and quite enjoyed it. I was really astonished to learn it was shot in the Houston area. Somehow he gave it the feel of a lush northeastern ecology.
One thing I found puzzling, however—In the final scene, during the wrap party, when Ms. Cross agrees to dance with Max, Max signals to the deejay to change the song, and it’s played as if Max had carefully selected this song for its appropriateness/significance to the relationship between Max and Ms. Cross.
However, it doesn’t make sense to me. The deejay switches from something jazzy to the Faces’ “Ooh La La.” Now, I love that song; I love the Faces. But I just don’t buy that this song has some significance to Max. It’s rock ‘n’ roll. It’s anti-Max. Max is a pretentious pseudo-intellectual iconoclast. He wouldn’t choose loose bar-band rock for this moment.
Am I alone in this? I feel like Wes Anderson tried to take a shortcut and transition into the lyrics with a nostalgic crowd-pleaser. I don’t think it fits the character at all.
Well the ultimate reason it was chosen is because Wes Anderson loves it :). I believe he’s on record as originally wanting to do the soundtrack with 100% Kinks/Ray Davies tunes which he considers that the ultimate alienated male teen soundtrack. And look at the tune he chose for the happy dance ending of Fantastic Mr. Fox - the incredibly catchy and cheery-sounding, but very bitter Let Her Dance. When Terri Gross called him out on it, he seemed at a loss at the question :D.
However in context Ooh La La is another cheerily bitter song about the irresistible but evil wiles of women. I can see Max using it to make a sarcastic statement( especially as the song is somewhat self-mocking ).
I disagree with the OP. Max was trying to convey to Ms. Cross, that he wanted to be just friends again. Ooh La La was not a traditional rock song, it’s more of a catchy pop sound.