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100 out of 123 people found the following review useful: The perfect balance of drama and comedy, 9 November 2004 Author: mneilson-2 from Dunedin, New Zealand
I loved this film.The Tenenbaum's dysfunction (while amplified for the screen) is quite an accurate portrayal of family life. Families are, essentially, groups of people living in each other's pockets, and, invariably, those people who love you and hate you the most.Don't get me wrong, Royal and his (thermo)nuclear family of brilliant buffoons do not represent my family (or any other in the world I think!) but the family united against a miscreant father is a motif a lot of people can understand. It is this common humanity that really appeals to me as a film watcher, and what, ultimately made this film so very memorable to me.The ensemble cast is astonishingly proficient. They all lend a perfect quirkiness to the roles. Anjelica Houston is the perfect former Mrs Royal Tenenbaum, down to the smallest nuance, Ben Stiller and Luke Wilson turn in wonderful performances, and this is the only role I've seen Gwenyth Paltrow in where I actually thought she was someone other than Gwenyth Paltrow (this is not an insult, it's just that people don't always do it for everyone, you know...?). Bill Murray, Gene Hackman, Owen Wilson, all excellent, all the time.The black comedy counterbalanced with the drama of the issues raised in this film left me feeling like I'd witnessed a film event, rather than just another film. I loved every frame of it, from the Baldwin narrated opening, to the final tying up of ends. It never dwelled on melodrama, or the more potentially unsavoury elements, and it didn't sink into the schmaltzy "We all love each other" end it could well have. It began perfectly, and it ended perfectly.I can't recommend this movie more highly. It's a must see for anyone who loves quirky and emotive storytelling, great characters and beautiful dialogue.10/10
97 out of 120 people found the following review useful: It's more than quirky!, 4 October 2004 Author: FilmOtaku (ssampon@hotmail.com) from Milwaukee, WI
With 'The Royal Tenenbaums', Wes Anderson turns his lens to the American family, warts and all. The Tenenbaums are a dysfunctional family – the parents have been separated for decades, and Royal (Gene Hackman) is a disbarred attorney who has long since moved out of the family's enormous house (in an unnamed city of course). The children, all geniuses and overachievers in their own way, are then raised by Etheline (Angelica Houston), an archeologist. Chas (Ben Stiller) is a financial wizard, Margot (Gwyneth Paltrow), is adopted and was a published playwright at 11, and Richie (Luke Wilson) is a tennis prodigy. We are provided the family history at the start of the film, then are introduced to the family 22 years later. Chas is still a financial wizard, but, having lost his wife in a plane accident is now the paranoid father of two small sons. Margot is married to Raleigh St. Clair (Bill Murray, who is basically Anderson's muse), is depressed and hasn't written in years, and Richie, after having a nervous breakdown on the tennis court a couple of years earlier is traveling the world by boat. Still hanging around is Eli (Owen Wilson) a long-time family friend from across the street who is now a literature professor and successful novelist. Etheline is being wooed by her accountant, Henry (Danny Glover) and when Royal gets wind of this, he embarks on a bid to win his family back after not speaking with them for years.Wes Anderson has an unusual style of film-making that has been static throughout his career. Highly theatrical, almost in the style of a play, he presents the story of the Tenenbaums to us as if it were taken directly from a book, so much so that if you were to read the few sentences that are visible in the book that accompanies the beginning of each 'chapter', you would see that the written narrative follows the action to the letter. Anderson favors primary colors, and characters that are identifiable by very distinct appearances. Chas and his sons have their red track suits they always wear, Margot wears the clip in her hair, Izod dresses from the 80's and dark eyeliner surrounding her eyes, Richie wears the sweatband around his head, Eli is in cowboy gear and Raleigh looks like a Freud knockoff. One of the results is that there are varying degrees of recognition for the actor in 'real life'. When seeing Raleigh, it's easy to forget that it is Bill Murray, and Margot for that matter is so different from how we are used to seeing Paltrow. Certainly, this is Anderson's intent. Anderson also favors point of view shots, characters looking directly at or addressing the camera, and is also one of the few modern masters in the use of music. The soundtrack to 'The Royal Tenenbaums' features some classic songs (Ruby Tuesday, Hey Jude) but also has some obscure tracks that are bizarre and fit into the scene beautifully.'The Royal Tenenbaums' has a phenomenal cast, and all of the actors are excellent in the film. I get the strong impression that, since Anderson isn't a mainstream film director, A-list actors sign up to work for him because of his alternative vision and his obvious talent. When I watched this film recently, I asked the two friends I saw it with what they thought, and they both said 'It was quirky'. Since they are both film lovers, I was a little disappointed in this narrow (and obvious) assessment of the film at first. Upon further reflection, however, I realized that they both come from households that have parents who are still together. Coming from a 'broken home' I can relate to the high dysfunction of the Tenenbaums as an adult and embrace the story beyond the presentation, despite its highly stylized format. 'The Royal Tenenbaums' is a brilliant film that is both emotional and eye-catching, and truly cements Wes Anderson as an exciting and talented filmmaker. 9/10--Shelly
79 out of 109 people found the following review useful: Wonderful, hilarious and dark. A great film., 4 November 2002 Author: Richard Cosgrove from Dublin, Ireland
Writing/Director team Owen Wilson and Wes Anderson follow up their wonderful 1999 film Rushmore with something not completely different but altogether more satisfying and a good deal more powerful.The Tenenbaums are a wealthy New York family of eccentric genuises, headed by Angelica Huston. The pater familias Gene Hackman has been kicked out and estranged from the family for twenty years. The film begins with a prologue detailing the lives of the Tenenbaum clan - Ben Stiller, the real estate genius and safety obsessive, now widowered with two boys. Luke Wilson a former tennis wunderkind, now an isolated, lonely character all alone in the world and Gwyneth Paltrow, the adopted daughter, playwright, depressive and all-round misery guts. Other players include Bill Murray, Owen Wilson and Danny Glover.The excellent cast is testament to the fantastic script. Filled with one-liners, hilarious situations and visual gags, it is a real winner. However, it would be a mistake to take this for an out-and-out comedy. Two-thirds in, the script takes a turn for the utterly dark with a bloody, affecting scene, not to everyone's taste and at odds with the film gone beforehand. It's a brave move by Wilson and Anderson and one that pays off in dividends, elevating this movie above others in the genre.Hackman gives as good as he's got as Royal Tenenbaum, who takes a turn for the better when his kids wake him up to the kind of man he really is. His transformation from manipulative and selfish to a genuinely lonely and honest man is wholly believable. When he emerges as the only man who can bring the whole family together again, it really brings a smile to your face. The rest of the cast, with the exception of Luke Wilson, aren't given a huge amount to do but do extremely well with what they've got. Luke Wilson is superb, playing the confused and alienated Richie, at odds with himself and the rest of his family. His is possibly the best character in the film, symbolising all that is wrong with the Tenanbaum clan.> As usual, The Royal Tenenbaums is rife with Anderson's distinctive directorial touches - 90 degree overhead shots, dialogue-free sequences played to classic rock anthems, and memorably, towards the end, a one-take canvas shot, as beautiful as it is inspired.Special mention must also be given to the New York painted in the film. All Georgian houses, tree-lined avenues and flat sky lines, it's one of the most beautiful depections of this city ever seen in a movie. All in all, a delighful tragi-comedy, with great characters, lush direction and great gags. Don't miss it!
62 out of 86 people found the following review useful: Thank you Wes Anderson! The film is brilliant!, 27 December 2001 Author: Karen Divorty (karendivorty@gmail.com) from Toronto, Canada
I think if someone tries to watch a Wes Anderson film, they have to have a certain kind mind to understand the real meaning of them. After being awed by the Royal Tenenbaums, I left with a certain kind of joy that only a great film can give me. It's like flying an electric kite, it's that hard of a buzz. As I began my travel down the stairs of the theater, I heard this couple talking about how stupid the movie was, and how they are going to ask for a refund. I suddenly smiled, because I hoped that they would get one. I think that I got something out of the film that they didn't. That inside the frames of the movie I felt like I was in good company and had a understanding for the material that they didn't. What is so good about the Royal Tenenbaums? The great detail in every frame, from the costumes (and they really are costumes)to the design of Chas, Margot, and Richie rooms and the house. This is brilliant film on every level, a delight for the senses and for the mind. This movie makes you think, and without giving too much away there is a lot of surprises that come from the characters dialogue and their past. High kudos go to Luke Wilson, I loved his performance as the suffering Richie. If you loved Rushmore, there is no doubt that you will love this film because it is at par with it, except that its a bit darker in tone. I think its funny that way that people look at film, we each love or hate a film based on our own perception(and mind there are people who just watch film for entertainment). So if you have a complicated mind and you enjoy watching a challenging film, then the Royal Tenenbaums is for you. As for me, I plan on watching it again so I find more things to love about it. Thank you Wes Anderson, so much. You made laugh, you made me smile and I cried. A thousand times, thank you!
71 out of 106 people found the following review useful: Beauty found in comic places, 24 January 2005 Author: Rachel (uberpoof) from Philadelphia
The Royal Tenenbaums, to put it shortly, is a weird movie. It is the story of a family longing for its heyday to return. It is the story of a man who wants to be accepted. It is a story of redemption, filled with small epiphanies and smaller details that make for excellent viewing. It takes delight in showcasing its brilliant characterizations and depictions of social oddities. Many will find it hard to relate to such strangers and therefore decline to revel in this film's cinematic glory. We can pity them.Those that enjoy Wes Anderson's films can be put into two categories. There are those that simply find them to be quirky joyrides and laugh them off as such. Then there are those who recognize the loneliness in all of the characters Wes Anderson writes - it is this sense of loneliness that Wes Anderson, as a storyteller, brings to the screen. It is this sense of loneliness that makes Wes Anderson one of the most visionary filmmakers out there today.The Royal Tenenbaums is an altogether thrilling experience. It is epic, filled with pageantry. Though categorized as a comedy, at times it seems darker then typical black comedies - a drama, or even a triumphant tragedy of life's unrealized outcasts. As Margot Tenenbaum (Gwenyth Paltrow) says in one of the last scenes: "Well, I'm sure he'll get over it." The Royal Tenenbaums is a rejoicing in the human spirit's reluctant but continuous march forward.
51 out of 71 people found the following review useful: Slow-burning masterpiece, 27 September 2004 Author: mostlypanic from Brighton, England
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
I first saw this film on TV and have never seen a director quite like Wes Anderson displaying his outlook on life so expertly. He and Owen Wilson have created a family beyond dysfunctional. Their underplayed script of various oddballs all with their own tale of despair is as left-field as you'll find, with each character, and I stress this, as pathetic as the next.Gene Hackman plays the lead role of Royal with huge confidence while Paltrow (Margot), Stiller (Chaz), and Owen and Luke Wilson (Eli and Richie), develop into fully fledged actors in their brilliant well-rounded performances. Anjelica Huston plays the strong matriarchal head of the family and gives the biggest whiff of normalcy from the film with Kumar Pallana, the knife happy friend/butler/colleague at the opposite end of the spectrum. Along with Pallana's inspired creation, comes Anderson's strongest hand - background players. Like the Coens, he truly adores every character and you feel background with each one. Whether it be Danny Glover's sombre turn as Huston's love interest, Royal's colleague and partner in deception or Buckley the dog. They carry the film and keep it fresh.The script is as above mentioned, slow-burning, letting its characters develop with ease and no constraints. This sits perfectly with Anderson's patient camera, and eye to present the story in a skit-type basis which it very well may be with its spot-on throw away one-liners. When pestered about the nature of his suicide note Richie replies wryly, "Of course it's dark, It's a suicide note."Its along with these, the acting and Andersons direction that Tenenbaums is promoted from simply a cult or indie classic into something so much more. The slow moments perfectly sober the funnier and give room for rest and perspective. It is also where the film delivers its most touching and poignant moments. The wedding scene is totally destroying and will levels the viewer flat. As with Richie's graphic suicide attempt and Royals ultimate demise in the company of his previously absent son.I cannot praise this film enough but I have tried.
48 out of 71 people found the following review useful: 'Quirky' Seems To Be The Most Popular Word To Describe This, 24 May 2006 Author: ccthemovieman-1 from Lockport, NY, United States
This was a quirky film that surprised me, in that I liked it....at least twice. By the third viewing, I had enough but I got my money's worth out of it. That's what I would recommend with this movie: rent it before considering buying it. It's very different, and you might love but also might hate it.What it is, simply, is a portrait of a very dysfunctional family and the father trying to re-connect with his kids after a long absence. Gene Hackman is the father, Angelica Huston the mother and the wacko kids - and other assorted strange characters - are played by Ben Stiller, Owen and Luke Wilson, Gwyneth Paltrow, Ben Stiller, Bill Murray and Danny Glover. This is mostly dry, dark humor with some funny lines delivered in deadpan style. Nobody is particularly likable but - with the possible exception of Paltrow's character - are not really unlikeable either. They are just strange.I enjoyed viewing the house with all its colors. For those who appreciate low-key absurd humor nd some pleasing visuals, you should like this film and I certainly recommend giving it a look.
42 out of 65 people found the following review useful: hilariously freaky, yet heartrendingly poignant, 6 September 2004 Author: ms_jade_li from MI
I've watched The Royal Tennenbaums 3 times so far and just ordered the DVD. How can you beat the cast, the plot, and the humanity of this film?I dare you to find a better cast than Gene Hackman, Angelica Huston, Danny Glover, Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Gwyneth Paltrow, and the rest of the crew.The chemistry between them works magic on the screen.Without giving away too much of the plot, it revolves around the family of Royal Tennenbaum, a lovable rascal whose family hasn't forgiven him for transgressions of the past. When his estranged wife decides she may want to remarry, the games begin -- and oh what fun games they are. You have to laugh.Emotionally speaking, you will feel like you're riding a roller-coaster with no dead space. If you are into quirky characters, intelligent humor, and aren't afraid to stare painful aspects of human nature eye to eye, you will love The Royal Tennenbaums.
45 out of 73 people found the following review useful: Engaging, ghoulish "Tenenbaums" is comic royalty at its best, 18 February 2002 Author: Glacier571-3 from San Francisco
They're creepy and they're kooky, mysterious and spooky, they're altogether ooky... Oops, that's the wrong family, isn't it? Oh well, no matter. The Royal Tenenbaums could very well be considered the First Family of Fright for the new millennium. Their utterly twisted and often hilarious exploits bring to mind memories of that other lovably weird clan. But in terms of the little matter of family harmony, the difference is like oil and water. Neat? Sweet? Petite? The Tenenbaums? No way. Director Wes Anderson's oddball showpiece opens in 1979. Royal Tenenbaum (Gene Hackman in a performance that is nothing short of amazing), a mustachioed chain smoker like Gomez Addams but nowhere near as attentive a father, is separated from his level-headed wife, Ethel (Anjelica Huston, who, ironically, played the always-cool Morticia in the two "Addams" films). They have three kids: Chas, Richie, and "adopted daughter" Margot. Royal's blatant lack of interest in his children is the cause of the separation, and he makes no bones about it either. He purposely shoots Chas in the hand with a BB gun and openly criticizes Margot's play, among other things. And his reasoning for the separation? "Well, we made certain sacrifices by having children." Priceless. After his departure, Ethel takes the children under her wing and they evolve into underage prodigies. Chas is a wealthy banker, Margot a successful playwright, and Richie a tennis pro sporting the nickname "The Baumer." Disbarred and suddenly kicked out of a hotel room he's occupied for years, Royal, accompanied constantly by his Lurch-like Middle Eastern manservant Pagoda (Kumar Pallana), decides he wants to make amends for his actions by attempting to reunite with his estranged brood...even if it means faking a terminal illness. And that's when this delight of a movie really takes off. However, things have changed during the 17 years Royal was separated from his family. The children have reached adulthood and are shadows of their former selves. Chas (Ben Stiller), constantly bedecked in red jogging suits - and black for funerals - is a widower with two young boys. Margot (Gwyneth Paltrow), complete with a Wednesday Addams-style blank glare, is married to a much older man, human study author Raleigh St. Clair (Bill Murray), and she spends six hours a day locked in her bathroom staring listlessly at the TV. Due to a childhood accident, she now has nine and a half fingers. Richie (Luke Wilson), following a humiliating burnout during a televised match, has become a recluse, travelling the world by ship and communicating only through telegrams. Meanwhile, Ethel is engaged to accountant Henry Sherman (Danny Glover), a Teddy bear in a blue suit. Oh, and Richie just happens to be infatuated with his sister Margot. The well-paced screenplay by Anderson and Owen Wilson (who also has a supporting role as drug-addicted, self-absorbed Western author Eli Cash) does a great job of fleshing out each of the main characters, and as a result, viewers will empathize with some of them, no matter their motives. Although it's not an outright knee-slapping laugh fest, one of "Tenenbaums'" best selling points is its aspect of physical comedy, which actually provides more laughs than the spoken variety and adds to scenes instead of bogging them down, as opposed to random, pointless acts of slapstick that do nothing to advance the plot. The outrageous is turned into the subtle, and the results are hysterical moments such as Cash unexpectedly walking off the set of a talk show, Royal attempting to inject a little delinquency into Chas' straight-arrow boys, plus the funniest moment in the film: Richie's embarrassing swan song on the tennis court. Just imagine, say, Pete Sampras helplessly flinging his racket at his opponent's serve or removing his shoes and socks and sitting forlornly on the ground. Then there's also a tour of Cash's quarters, complete with a handy stash of marijuana plants, a multitude of adult videos bearing colorful titles such as "Dark and Dirty", and a collection of large, horrid paintings that even Salvador Dali would have considered repulsive. Throughout the film, nutty covers of books scribed by family members over time randomly pop up and cover the entire screen like wallpaper. In fact, the entire movie is played out much like a book, complete with occasional "chapter introductions" preceding cuts to different scenes. The opening credits are shown in an impossible-to-ignore bold font that nearly usurps the screen. Although the aforementioned physical comedy is a hoot, the verbal is definitely no slouch. The snappy dialogue is full of witty one-liners, such as Royal's innovative use of adverbs when he describes Chas' late wife as "a terribly attractive woman." When Margot informs Ethel that she's been a smoker for 22 years, Ethel calmly replies, "I think you should quit." It's a no-brainer to say that the acting is through the roof. For such a large cast, there is a striking chemistry among the actors as they become so immersed in their onscreen personalities. In turn, the script is effective at balancing these roles out. Although Hackman is undoubtedly the star of the show, the other family members are given their time in the spotlight, and they are just as memorable as a result. The execution of the diverse soundtrack helps set the mood for both humorous and foreboding moments, from the Rolling Stones' "Ruby Tuesday" to film composer Mark Mothersbaugh's inspirational cover of the Beatles' "Hey Jude." Royal's mischievous outing with Chas' sons is set to Paul Simon's classic "Me and Julio Down By The Schoolyard," while Elliott Smith's dark "Needle In The Hay" is used effectively in a very disturbing scene. There's also plenty of classical mixed in with the classic rock, including Vince Guaraldi's "Christmas Time Is Here" (despite the fact that the movie takes place nowhere near Christmas), and my all-time favorite piece, Erik Satie's "Gymnopedie No. 1." What took some points off the board was the fact that Hackman and Paltrow light up constantly. I despise smoking in movies, but here it's barely significant in the grand scheme of things. "The Royal Tenenbaums" is a terrific film that is easily recommended for those who enjoy quirky, offbeat yet intellectual humor, or for those simply in need of a good laugh...heck, it's great viewing for any warm-blooded human being, for that matter. Not since the Family Addams has household dysfunction been so much fun. Snap, snap. 9/10
31 out of 48 people found the following review useful: Favorite movie, even after several viewings, 10 December 2006 Author: bumper314
I just finished watching this movie with commentary, and after seeing how much care goes into each scene, I have fallen for the movie all over again.Even after watching this film 10+ times now, I love it all the more. I have never held this movie as my favorite, but now it has moved into the #1 position after a careful study, and realizing that even 50 more viewings would not unlock all the little treasures hidden within.You are doing yourself a huge disservice if you don't see this movie, or if you dismiss it after a single viewing. Watch it, again if necessary, and see what you are missing.
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