The Royal Tenenbaums
Royal Tenenbaum (Gene Hackman) and his wife Etheline (Anjelica Huston) had three children--Chas, Richie and Margot, and then they separated. Chas (Ben Stiller) started buying real estate in his early teens and seemed to have an almost preternatural understanding of international finance. Margot (Gwyneth Paltrow) was a playwright and received a Braverman Grant of fifty thousand dollars in the ninth grade. Richie (Luke Wilson) was a junior champion tennis player and won the U.S. Nationals three years in a row. Virtually all memory of the brilliance of the young Tenenbaums was subsequently erased by two decades of betrayal, failure and disaster. The Criterion Collection is proud to present Wes Anderson's hilarious, touching, and brilliantly stylized study of melancholy and redemption.
This disc includes the movie and Wes Anderson's audio commentary.
Member Reviews
There's only one word which accurately describes this movie to a tee and that word is "quirky" - moviemonger
The characters are quirky, the plot is quirky, the dialogue is quirky, the directing is quirky...pretty much everything about it is...yup, quirky! So do you like the quirky films? The Royal Tenenbaums is about a dysfunctional family with each member having their own talents and idiosyncrasies, reunited again under the same roof the child prodigies grew up together. The Royal Tenenbaums is written in a style of a book and starts off with a prologue – which is narrated by Alec Baldwin – that gives us a detailed background on the Tenenbaum siblings as children. It is the type of film that becomes more rewarding after each viewing and because of that it has a tremendous cult following. The movie is presented in a very strange but effective way, separating the movie into chapters. The first couple of minutes, where Alec Baldwin as the unseen narrator tells us about the lives of the Tenenbaums and introduces the cast, is in a league of its own. The movie itself is in a league of its own as well, using the same subtle humor that Anderson used in Rushmore. Either the script is better or I was just more prepared for the style of humor, but The Royal Tenenbaums is entertaining from beginning to end, using very laid back humor. Anderson's directing style also adds to the film's entertainment value, as he repeatedly throws in what appear to be useless scenes that turn out to be anything but. The acting is great. The movie does have a few slow parts, mainly in the beginning and end. The last fifteen minutes seem to drag on excessively, but I guess it is worth it, after you see what is printed on Hackman's tombstone. The relationship subplot between Luke Wilson and Paltrow might bother some viewers. The Royal Tenenbaums is not a great film, but it is a really good film, and with great directing, a great script, and excellent acting, it's one that shouldn't be missed.Sprawling, amazing - eli_quincy
"The Royal Tenenbaums" and "Rushmore" share some facile similarities but are very different movies at their core. Tenenbaums, about a mostly unhappy family whose discontentment can be traced to its miserable patriarch, is hilarious, raw and moving, but also sprawling. With so many characters and such detail lavished upon each one, it can be a bit overwhelming. But it's the sort of movie that actually improves with repeat viewings, since such care went into every aspect of it.Either you get it or you don't - Heathonist
And I pity you if you don't. One of the funniest, smartest, most meloncholy, bittersweet films ever made. There are not enough adjectives to describe it.
A family of child geniuses are now grown up and emotionally paralyzed. Margot can't seem to write her next play; Richie was devestated by Margot's marriage and had a meltdown on the tennis court; Chaz lost his wife in a plane crash and is overwhelmed with concern for his sons' safety. The patriarch, Royal, has been disbarred and kicked out of his hotel. All return to Archer street helmed by mother Ethel and Pagoda, the man servant.
Stylistically, The Royal Tenenbaums sets new standards in borderline compulsive detail - every painting, outfit, and prop is rife with character and meaning. The sets are incredible, the pseudo New York like another character.
And the performances are pitch perfect. This film makes me cry, laugh and sigh in contentment every time I see it (going 15 strong now).
I find Wes Anderson's films grow on you with each viewing. Do youself a favor and rent it. Then buy it and watch it again. Please.
Member Reviews
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There's only one word which accurately describes this movie to a tee and that word is "quirky" - moviemonger
The characters are quirky, the plot is quirky, the dialogue is quirky, the directing is quirky...pretty much everything about it is...yup, quirky! So do you like the quirky films? The Royal Tenenbaums is about a dysfunctional family with each member having ...Sprawling, amazing - eli_quincy
"The Royal Tenenbaums" and "Rushmore" share some facile similarities but are very different movies at their core. Tenenbaums, about a mostly unhappy family whose discontentment can be traced to its miserable patriarch, is hilarious, raw and moving, but also ...Either you get it or you don't - Heathonist
And I pity you if you don't. One of the funniest, smartest, most meloncholy, bittersweet films ever made. There are not enough adjectives to describe it.
A family of child geniuses are now grown up and emotionally paralyzed. Margot can't seem to write ...