Customer Reviews

The Royal Tenenbaums

5 star:		(223)
4 star:		(58)
3 star:		(30)
2 star:		(34)
1 star:		(87)

 

 

If you thought that they stopped making good films after the 70's, this is a flick that will restore your faith in the movies.

What starts as a pitch black comedy about a family of neurotic, failed child prodigies (Stiller, Paltrow and Luke Wilson) poisoned by the self-indulgence of their dissolute-but-still-loveable patriarch (Hackman) morphs effortlessly somewhere in the final reel into a touching paen to forgiveness, redemption and family without losing its offbeat edge at all.

Anderson's bold use of well-composed head-on shots is dazzling at times. His and Owen Wilson's screenplay is as sharp and snappy as they get, creating a ensemble of quirky, memorable characters that give all of the actors something to sink their teeth into. All of the performances from the leads to the elevator attendants are top notch (especially Hackman and Luke Wilson, the latter's performance being something of a revelation), and the soundtrack makes a perfect counterpoint to what's going on onscreen.

The DVD is a Criterion, so (as you've come to expect) it's excellent in quality with loads and loads of nifty features.

I recently watched this disc back-to-back with Altman's delightful Gosford Park. And I know this might sound like heresy, but I actually think that Anderson handles his ensemble a little better even than Altman . . . and Altman still handles his ensembles damn well. High praise indeed.

I usually prefer older movies, but this could possibly be my favorite movie of all time. The script it brilliant, it's hilarious and touching. There's sorrow in the humor that makes it seem very real. The movie is very observant of human nature, and very insightful. It's also accompanied by a wonderful soundtrack, that compliments the dialogue and camerawork beautifully.

Once again, Wes Anderson brings back Deepak Pallana (Pagoda in the film). He has appeared in every Anderson film, especially as Kumar in Bottle Rocket. My friend and I still wonder why this quirky guy ends up in all of Anderson's movies, but I love every minute of it. He is hilarious!!!! Pagoda yelling "You son of a beeech" and stabbing Royal Tenenbaum is so unexpected and hilarious, I almost fell out of my seat. Tenenbaum's reaction is almost as funny!!!! JUST SEE THIS MOVIE!!!!!!!!!

While not quite as brilliant and original as Wes Anderson's previous
classic 'Rushmore', it's a terrific movie, full of wonderful
performances, great cinematic flourishes, Anderson's trademark terrific
use of songs as score, and lots of very funny and occasionally
deeply touching moments.

It just doesn't stay with you quite the same way 'Rushmore' does, and
some of the Anderson techniques that were shockingly new the first
time, feel more familiar here. But this is still one of the brightest,
most original voices on the film scene in the last 20 years,
a film-maker who creates oddball worlds and characters that somehow
you can still always relate to. This is a film well worth seeing out.

I am a skeptic on some prticular actors and actresses, and it so happens that two of them were in the royal tenembaums. Of course I'm referring to Luke wilson, and ben stiller.

Stiller has done nothing for me since appearing in theres something about Mary. He falls into this habit of playing the same two characters in every movie. The nice quiet innocent character who alway seems to be thrown to the wolves. nut stuck in zipper, crap on your dates especially favorite loofa, etc, etc. And of course there's the Ben stiller who is just a total jerk. In tenenbaums, Stiller actually flexes his acting muscles creating a new image of him and lodging it in my brain. Wow!! i guess he can act.

As for Wilson i didn't favor him simply because of the god awful shanghai movies. I admit now that was unfair Luke Wilson has my respect now. Not that he cares, but hey.

Ok well enogh rambling the movie was excellent and the charcters were very well thought out, particularly Margot. I will agree with a former reviewer in that the film was a bit tedious, but you win some and you lose some.

Hackman delivers a wonderful performance as an insensitive selfish jackass. Unfortunately, the rest of the all-star cast seem to be perfectly content to stand around and watch him act. He does all the heavy lifting as the plot muddles along and the adult children mope. I know this movie is the darling of the critics and the self-described literati but it really isn't particularly interesting or insightful. More like forced, pretentious and false. As if the script is inspired by pop psychology books and dimly remembered classic novels read years earlier in high school. Seems all you need to get people to applaud these days is to tell them life is suffering and just about everyone is damaged or weird in some way. True but hardly a clever or novel observation.

this movie is licous , granjer , and totally obsolete .
i rented this motion picture thinking it will suit the evening with funny and absolutley no obsolete scenes . this movie was thethird degree of obsoleteness. after watching this movie i pondered what is my purpose i had rather drown in a pool of acid mixed with some obsolete fruit punch or orange soda. this movie is great.

I went into this film with high hopes . . . good writers, great cast. I came away feeling utterly cheated by what apepared to be nothing more than a poor effort to capture the essence of what is present in John Irving's novels and the subsequent film adaptations. Get iGarp, Hotel New Hampshire, and Cider House Rules to and see how this type of humor works when done right.

I will, however, give them credit for the gypsy cab gag.

THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS is a film I love to watch again and again. The dialogue is so perfect and the performances so understated that I find something new in the film almost every time I see it.

The Tenenbaums are a family that are far more dysfunctional than most. Royal Tenenbaum (Gene Hackman), the family patriarch, moved out of the family home and into a hotel about three years before the film opens. His wife, Etheline, however, did not divorce him and she remained in the house where she and Royal raised their three children. Royal and Etheline have the distinction of having three grown children, all of whom were prodigies, yet all of whom have grown up to be both paranoid and neurotic. Chas (Ben Stiller) was a financial whiz kid who's now afraid of even waking up in the morning. Margot (Gwyneth Paltrow) was a promising playwright, and the only adopted child, who gave up both her career and her motivation when she married the very intellectual Raleigh St. Clair (Bill Murray). Now, instead of writing award winning plays, Margot's a closet smoker instead. (If she thinks anyone in her family would care, she'd better think again.) And then there's Richie, a once up-and-coming tennis star who gave it all up because of a burning romantic love for...who else? Margot.

The plot of THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS is set in motion when Etheline announces she wants to marry her long time accountant, Henry Sherman (Danny Glover). The news that his wife wants to remarry doesn't prompt Royal to give Etheline a divorce, despite their years apart. Instead, he decides he wants to enjoy her love and affection once again, so he fakes a terminal illness and moves back into the family manse, complete with hospital bed, IV tubes, and other assorted "sick bed" paraphernalia. Coincidentally, Chas, Margot and Richie all arrive at about the same time, so the family is reunited, much to their individual and collective dismay.

THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS is a very sophisticated comedy, heavily dependent on dialogue and its biggest strength, I think, is that it always keeps the viewer a little off guard. Sometimes we don't know whether we're supposed to laugh or cry or feel empathy for this very eccentric family. And, strangely enough, as eccentric as they are, I did feel empathy for the Tenenbaums. I think this is why the film works and works so well. In creating the comedy, the writers didn't forget to create believable and likeable characters as well.

The acting is good in this film, but I thought Paltrow and Hackman turned in the best performances and that is saying something because I don't think Paltrow is an especially good actress. She captured the essence of Margot perfectly, though.

THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS is a comedy, but it's cerebral rather than physical and thinking viewers will appreciate it most. Those looking for mindless entertainment or comedic "fluff" should look elsewhere.

The Royal Tenenbaums is a beatiful movie that is very full of life and graced with poetic characters. The story has been described by many people, so I will just say that this is one of those movies where the story dosen't really matter because you are so enamored by the characters. This movie is basically a character study but with a whole family and their various friends, children, and spouses. Everything about the set, the costumes, and the way the actors portray their characters is fairy tale like and almost seems like a metaphor for something more ordinary, but is just beautiful and filled with tiny details that draw you into their world with an open heart.
The movie is wonderfully written and acted, although some people may not get the humor or may be expecting easy laughs, so they will not really "get" or enjoy the movie because they don't know what to think. For the most part, this movie does not dictate to the audience what is funny about it, and it does not dictate who to like and what to think about the film. This leaves some less patient audience members feeling unsatisfied and like they have missed something, which they have. Many people I know who have seen this movie are expecting Ben Stiller ala There's Something About Mary, or Bill Murray ala Ghostbusters, but this is not the usual "popular comedy" sort of performance these actors give in this movie. Bill Murray says nothing directly funny at all, he just mopes around with a beard and a patient named Dudley, which is only funny if you take his character as a whole and stop to notice the subtle humor in his character and how he reacts to what goes on. It is the same for all the characters. Overall, I would definitely recommend this movie to anyone who will appreciate a quirky, complex, understated dramedy, because the experience will stay with you for a long time.