The Royal Tenebaums - Wes Anderson
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0265666/

Royal: Everyone's against me.
Pagoda: It's your fault, man.
Royal: I know but dammit, I want this family to love me. How much money you got?



From Amazon.com
In a fitting follow-up to Rushmore, writer-director Wes Anderson and cowriter-actor Owen Wilson have crafted another comedic masterwork that ripples with inventive, richly emotional substance. Because of the all-star cast, hilarious dialogue, and oddball characters existing in their own, wholly original universe, it's easy to miss the depth and complexity of Anderson's brand of comedy. Here, it revolves around Royal Tenenbaum (Gene Hackman), the errant patriarch of a dysfunctional family of geniuses, including precocious playwright Margot (Gwyneth Paltrow), boyish financier and grieving widower Chas (Ben Stiller), and has-been tennis pro Richie (Luke Wilson). All were raised with supportive detachment by mother Etheline (Anjelica Huston), and all ache profoundly for a togetherness they never really had. The Tenenbaums reconcile somehow, but only after Anderson and Wilson (who costars as a loopy literary celebrity) put them through a compassionate series of quirky confrontations and rekindled affections. Not for every taste, but this is brilliant work from any perspective.

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What I particularly like about The Royal Tenenbaums is Wes Anderson's growth as a filmmaker, but not so much in the traditional sense. The RTs is certainly more ambitious, and WA was able to secure a pretty prestigious and ultra-talented cast (Hackman, Huston and the usuals). The narration and book chapters give the film a sort of form that has a similar presence in Rushmore (the months during a school year), so the story has a novella-type pathos that fits the characters quite well. I'm always a sucker for family driven stories, so The Royal Tenenbaums has a certain resonance for me as fledgling storyteller. On the other hand, one can argue that The RTs is a lot sillier than Rushmore, especially with characters like Eli Cash and his apartment full of ridiculous paintings and pornos lying around all over the place. Fucking brilliant.

Eli: [reading part of his newest novel at a press conference] The crickets and the rust-beetles scuttled among the nettles of the sage thicket. "Vámonos, amigos," he whispered, and threw the busted leather flintcraw over the loose weave of the saddlecock. And they rode on in the friscalating dusklight.

The scene of the previous quote exemplifies how much respect Anderson has for his audience. He pokes so much fun of his own work, characters and all the other pretentious writers and filmmakers, but it's always so subtle.
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Young Chas Tenenbaum: Well, did you at least think the characters were well developed?
Royal: What characters? There's a bunch of little kids dressed up in animal costumes.
Young Margot Tenenbaum: Good night, everyone.
Royal: Well, sweetie, don't get mad at me. That's just one man's opinion.

Royal is easily my favorite character in the film, and definitely in the top 3 of the Anderson canon. He's such a selfish bastard, and all of his choices (until the last 15 minutes or so) completely revolve around his own self preservation and interest. He begins to show moments of compassion for his family, like when he almost tells Ethel he's been faking:

Royal: Baby, I'm dying. I'm sick as a dog. I'll be dead in six weeks. I'm dying.
Ethel: What are you talking about? What happened? Oh, my God. I'm sorry. I didn't know. What'd they say? What's the prognosis?
Royal: Take it easy, Ethel. Hold on. Hold on.
Ethel: Where's the doctor? Let's get...
Royal: Wait a second. Listen. I'm not dying. But I need some time. A month. Maybe two. I want us to...
Ethel: What's wrong with you?
Royal: Ethel.
Ethel: Are you crazy?
Royal: Baby. I am dying.
Ethel: Are you or aren't you?
Ethel: Dying? Yeah.

What's so great about Anderson's dialogue is that it's always so outrageous, but when delivered on screen it's instantly believable and it's a wonder why more people don't talk like this all the time.

The only thing I can negatively say is the lack of Bill Murray throughout the film. He's so great in Rushmore, it would have been nice to just have a little bit more of him. I know his character is pretty auxiliary to the main storyline, but I always find his presence so electrifying so I just want a little bit more. I guess I could just watch Life Aquatic, really.

Here's the pivotal "Needle in the Hay" scene, which is oddly inappropriate given recent events of a certain Wilson brother.




Anyway, I could go on about this film forever, but I'd rather hear what others have to think. Thanks for reading, chaps.

Royal: I've always been considered an asshole for about as long as I can remember. That's just my style. But I'd really feel blue if I didn't think you were going to forgive me.
Henry Sherman: I don't think you're an asshole, Royal. I just think you're kind of a son of a bitch.
Royal: Well, I really appreciate that.

Previous Movies of the Week:
#1: Gladiator
#2: The Passion of the Christ
#3: Cool Hand Luke
#4: Fight Club
#5: American Beauty
#6: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
#7: Goodfellas
#8: Boogie Nights
#9: American Psycho
#10: Dr. Strangelove
#11: Dog Day Afternoon
#12: Unforgiven
#13: 2001: A Space Odyssey
#14: Do the Right Thing
#15: Reservoir Dogs
#16: Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
#17: L.A. Confidential
#18: Big Trouble in Little China
#19: Out of Sight
#20: The Shawshank Redemption
#21: The Waterboy
#22: Field of Dreams
#23: The Godfather
#24: The Godfather Part II
#25: The Godfather Part III
#26: Network
#27: Die Hard
#28: Sin City
#29: Dawn of the Dead
#30: American History X
#31: Swingers
#32: Thelma & Louise
#33: Casablanca
#34: Independence Day
#35: Jaws
#36: Adaptation
#37: The Life Aquatic
#38: Rushmore

favorite movie of all time.

this movie changed my life, how i watch movies, listen to music, and is responsible for so much that happened to me in my life i don't even know what to say. i guess i'll just leave you guys with my senior quote from high school:

"THE CRICKETS AND THE RUST BEETLES SCUTTLED AMONG THE NETTLES OF THE SAGE THICKET. "VAMANOS, AMIGOS," HE WHISPERED, AND THREW THE BUSTED LEATHER FLINTCRAW OVER THE LOOSE WEAVE OF THE SADDLECOCK. AND THEY RODE ON IN THE FRISCALATING DUSKLIGHT".

"I don't have." -Pagoda

Man, this is in my top five. I recently rented it again, because I lost my copy months ago. The intricacy and details in this film are mind blowing. Watching with Anderson's commentary is a must as well. The man is a genius. Hopefully he will collaborate with Owen Wilson on another script in the future. Big kudos to whoever decided on doing all of these Wes Anderson movies.

I absolutely love this movie, even more than Rushmore. These characters are so eccentric and offbeat that it's not a laugh-out-loud funny (at least for me, but then again I still laugh at the sound of a fart), but it just sucks you right in and amuses you. And like Rushmore, these characters aren't instantly likable, but you come to know them so well in a short amount of time that they're all irresistable. Gene Hackman is spot-on perfect as Royal in a performance that could have been extremely over-the-top by another actor. I wish I'd seen it recently so I could pinpoint my absolute favorite parts and lines (I had the Criterion edition but it was destroyed). I could watch this one over and over again.

Very underrated. A great dark comedy.

It was miscast, however. In the movie Luke Wilson slits his wrists, not Owen.

Died while saving his family from a destroyed sinking battleship.

i was waiting for someone to say this

This was a fricken funny film, not belly jiggling laughter but a strange and bizarre amusement. I love these two:

I actually watched Rushmore the other day after seeing the thread posted here and tonight threw this on for a bit. I love all of the dry humor of Wes Anderson's films. This one didn't make me laugh as much as Rushmore or Bottle Rocket, but its still a damn fine film.

Royal: "That's one helluva grave... wish it was mine."

On another note, it just struck me that there are only two people who've been in all three Wes Anderson films: Bottle Rocket, Rushmore, and this, and that's Kumar Palana and his son Deepak. Kumar plays the locksmith in the botched robbery scene at the end in Bottle Rocket, Mr. Little Jeans in Rushmore, and Pagoda in the Royal Tenenbaums. His son, Deepak works in the library that is robbed in Bottle Rocket, plays the geometry teacher in the opening scene of Rushmore, and is the doctor who does a checkup on Royal in this. Its not that important, but it just occurred to me and I thought it was interesting. Kumar also played the janitor in The Terminal as Tom Hanks' nemesis. "Do you have an appointment?"

great great movie, one of my favourites. such style and great music choices. funniest part was early on when royal shoots the young ben stiller with a bb gun.

"you're supposed to be on my team"

royal: there are no teams

or something like that.

Didn't dig this movie at all...the characters were too eccentric to be believable. i can't stand owen wilson,luke is mediocre.

i don't get all the accolades for it.

T....
*sigh*

This surprises me coming from you, T. I thought you'd really be into a movie like this. The eccentricity is part of its charm, at least for me.

You wanna talk some jive?! Right on!

This is probably my favorite of the movies you guys are doing here of late. Very funny and just bizaare. I remember walking out of the theater and thinking "ok", but for once that was a very good review. It is it's own creature, that's for sure.

october is going to be fun in this series of threads, merc

Eccentricity can be fun, but there was nothing else to them, imo. and, again, if owen wilson's in the movie, it already has one strike against it.

I consistently list this as my favorite movie when being asked. I can't remember the number of times I've watched it. I love every part of it. I fell in love with Gwyneth in this film. And Alec Baldwin should narrate every movie.

Ethel: How long have you been a smoker?
Margot: 22 years.
Ethel: Well I think you should quit.

Royal: Let's shag ass.

Royal: That's the last time you put a knife in me! Y'hear me?

Tennis Announcer: I don't know, Jim. There's obviously something wrong with him. He's taken off his shoes and one of his socks and... actually, I think he's crying.

Raleigh: So, she smokes.

Raleigh: Where's that red one going to go?

if everything went well this should be downloaded by now at home, and i'll be watching this this weekend.

Yes. Yes it is.

I've got some ideas for it that I'll probably throw your way and see what you think.