Die Royal Tenenbaums

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

Royal Tenenbaum (Gene Hackman) left his family. Etheline (Anjelica Huston) raised their three children as oddball geniuses. Twenty two years later, their early successes are now old memories. Chas (Ben Stiller) is a death-obsessed widowed father to Ari and Uzi. Richie (Luke Wilson) is a former tennis champ in love with his adopted sister Margot (Gwyneth Paltrow). Their neighbor childhood friend Eli Cash (Owen Wilson) is now a successful writer and professor. Margot is married to neurologist Raleigh St. Clair (Bill Murray). Etheline is asked by her friend Henry Sherman (Danny Glover) to get marry. Royal is broke. After finding out about the proposal, he tries to inject himself into the family by telling them that he's dying.

Director Wes Anderson starts his journey to discover his unique style. I love the visual concept of what he's doing. I don't particularly like the characters or their story. I don't find it funny but I do like the unique style. This is a wacky dysfunctional family that doesn't make me laugh.

I loved this movie the first time I saw it. And it grows on me a little bit every time I rewatch it. It's like going to visit an old friend's house. Anderson did such a marvelous job building this odd little world. It's just one indelible image after another. Gene Hackman is just marvelous. And that shot of Margot getting off the bus.

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.

I think it's unfortunate that some of those who liked this film imply that anyone who found it a waste of time is a boor, who is only interested in Jim Carrey style films. There are some very off-beat, "arty" films that I enjoy a great deal. This was not one of them, though. To me, it was "okay", but certainly not great. The humor was very subtle. I got most of the "jokes" (or humorous aspects, really, more than jokes) that people have mentioned, but they just weren't all that funny, to me. Maybe I actually sympathized with the characters too much; the humor was overwhelmed by the sadness of their situations.