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With a cast like the one in The Royal Tenenbaums, you know you can’t go wrong. The talent alone is worth the trip to the video store (or to Amazon), and the story makes it even more worthwhile. But if you’re expecting a silly, slapstick comedy, you might be a bit surprised — so consider this your warning.
The Royal Tenenbaums traces two decades in the lives of the Tenenbaum family. Gene Hackman plays Royal, the absentee father who was thrown out of the house and spent twenty years living in a hotel room. His estranged wife, Etheline (Anjelica Huston) raised their three children by herself and turned them into prodigies. Chas (Ben Stiller) created his own breed of Dalmatian mice as a child and then began selling real estate before he hit his teens. He also figured out how to sue his own father in the process. Richie (Luke Wilson) was Royal’s favorite. He became “Baumer” — one of tennis’ young stars. And Margot (Gwyneth Paltrow) succeeded as a young playwright, despite the fact that she’s Royal’s Adopted Daughter.
Twenty years later, however, things aren’t so perfect for the Tenenbaums. Etheline is confronted by her accountant, Henry (Danny Glover), who’s just proposed, even though Ethel and Royal never divorced. Royal is thrown out of his hotel room. Chas, mourning the death of his wife, has become obsessed with keeping his two sons out of the slightest danger. Richie choked during an important match and ran off to live on a ship in the middle of the ocean. And Margot married Raleigh St. Clair (Bill Murray), gave up writing, and spends her days in the bathtub, watching TV with the door locked. The only successful Tenenbaum isn’t technically a Tenenbaum at all. Neighbor and almost-live-in friend, Eli (Owen Wilson) has become a successful novelist.
When Chas decides that his home is unsafe and his only option is to move his family back into his childhood home, Margot follows his lead. Then Royal shows up and announces he’s dying, which brings Richie in from sea. And suddenly the Tenenbaums are all under one roof again — though they’re far from one big, happy family.
Now, don’t get me wrong here — The Royal Tenenbaums is definitely a funny movie. At times, you’ll laugh so hard that it’ll hurt. But it’s not just a goofy movie. It’s quite melancholy, really. It’s even a bit depressing at times (which shouldn’t surprise you, since the movie is focused on bad marriages, death, failure, and absentee parents).
Owen Wilson and Wes Anderson did an excellent job writing this film. It’s a funny — yet honest and even realistic — look at life in today’s dysfunctional family.
