By Jason Haskins
Texas native Wes Anderson came onto the scene with his directorial debut, Bottle Rocket, in 1996, which introduced the world to a younger Owen Wilson. His next feature boosted his reputation and is still a cult classic today--you might know it as Rushmore, starring Jason Schwartzman. It was in 2001 that he caught my attention with his magnum opus, The Royal Tenenbaums. All of the quirky qualities of his first two films remained and came together perfectly in this film. With an all-star cast he made one of the best films ever made--this is literally my favorite movie of all time.
Gene Hackman plays Royal Tenenbaum, the patriarch of a high-class family who he's managed to squander over the years with his wife (Anjelica Huston) and kids (two sons and an adopted daughter) disowning him. He hasn't spoken to his family for some time and is living in a ritzy hotel until he's kicked out. Royal comes up with a ruse that will hopefully bring his family back together. He fakes dying of cancer so that he can move back into their large estate and maybe get closer to them.
It's not like he's the only one with problems. One of his sons, Chas (Ben Stiller), is still reeling after the sudden death of his wife and is smothering his children with over-protection. He has moved into the home recently as well in fear of the sprinkler system at his apartment not being safe for his two kids. The other son Richie (Luke Wilson) is an athlete grappling with the attraction he has towards his adopted sister Margot (Gwyneth Paltrow) and is in seclusion following a public meltdown that occurred at his last tennis match. When Margot gets word that all of her siblings are returning home she departs from her husband (Bill Murray) in order to get away for a while. Little does she know what awaits her at home.
This movie is astoundingly crafted--truly one of the most exceptional examples of what filmmaking is capable of. The story, for one, is so heart-wrenching at times as you see how estranged this family is and witness them trying to connect with one another even under the pretenses of what Royal is trying to sell. At the same time, The Royal Tenenbaums is exquisitely well humored and hilarious with this dry wit that's hard for some to pick up on. There are certain beats that most, hopefully, will find funny such as Owen Wilson's cowboy character Eli Cash, who's a neighbor of the Tenenbaums, but Gene Hackman's bastardization of Royal is really one of the best performances he's ever given with his fantastic delivery.
It may be marked as a comedy, but it has many dramatic elements in it as well. I always find Chas's story really gripping--the final payoff between Royal and him makes me tear up every time. Ben Stiller's performance is frustrated and cold at times, which matches the character completely. He's really underrated in this role. The whole idea of a jerk of a guy redeeming himself for his family to make up for years of awful behavior was very touching to me and ultimately what makes the movie so watchable between many of the comedic bits. I also love how quick paced the film is. While it's two hours long you will not realize it. Alec Baldwin provides the narration that moves from scene to scene so smoothly with precise editing. There's tons of great music from Nico, Elliott Smith, Nick Drake, and others. Be sure to look for a particularly upsetting scene halfway through featuring Luke Wilson that is very well done.
The whole cast does such a fine job bringing their roles to life and each offers a consistent animation. Gwyneth Paltrow is very mysterious and set in her ways--I love her attitude. Bill Murray doesn't have much to do here, but he strikes gold with all of the scenes he's in as he's a psychologist of sorts who has to study this dunce kid the whole film. You actually feel sympathy for him because of how Margot treats him. Anjelica Huston is gorgeous as always, but also brings a terrific footing for her character since she seems to be the only sane one in the entire household. Her relationship with Mr. Sherman (Danny Glover) is really sweet and the atmosphere between them and Royal is very entertaining. Luke and Owen Wilson are fantastic in their performances with Luke by far putting forth one of his best efforts as he's in this serene and melancholy state of mind the whole flick.
I think that everyone will find something to enjoy from this movie, but it's certainly not for everyone as much as I want it to be. The humor shifts between blatant and subtle and some may just not connect to the movie as much as I do. For as many characters as there are in the movie, the character development between them all is phenomenal. Wes Anderson penned it with Owen Wilson and I have to say that it's the best work either of them has ever done.
Anderson's direction is flawless as well as he uses these elaborate sets and colors to illustrate the themes, but not to spoon-feed them to you. He has a specific style that is very interesting and far apart from what everyone else is doing and it makes the movie even more intriguing. I can't think of a better film than this and it's one that hopefully will be more recognized years from now as one of the finest accomplishments of American moviemaking. Of course, you should get this on the Criterion Collection as it comes LOADED with extra content: a commentary by Anderson, outtakes, fun interviews with the cast, and more.
5 out of 5 stars
© Jason Haskins, 2011
I wouldn't classify this as a cult film since it's got more than devoted following of people that is bigger than a cult. It's definitely a film the public sort of knows as it's one of Wes Anderson's more accessible films. I like it a lot though I much prefer Rushmore and Bottle Rocket. Anyways, great review as usual.
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