| Plot: Royal Tenenbaum (Gene Hackman) is an irresponsible father who has alienated his family and been separated from his wife. He has three children (one adopted), and all of them are adults. Royal Tenenbaum's wife (Anjelica Huston) is thinking about marrying another man (Danny Glover). Royal Tenenbaum is broke, jealous of his wife's new love interest, and tired of being away from his children. Subsequently, he attempts to return to his family and make things right with his children. Indeed, Royal is not the only dysfunctional member of the family. All of the family members have a problem in their lives and perhaps Royal can help sort them out. |
| The Royal Tenenbaums |
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| Rating: Good Distributor: Touchstone Pictures Running Length: 1 hour, 43 minutes Release Date: December 14th, 2001 (limited), December 21st, 2001 (wide) MPAA Rating: R Genre: Comedy, Family Drama Director: Wes Anderson Cast: Gene Hackman, Anjelica Huston, Gwyneth Paltrow, Ben Stiller, Danny Glover, Luke Wilson, Owen Wilson, and Bill Murray. |
| Critique: The Royal Tenenbaums is a hilarious motion picture. Its jokes and wit easily eclipse all its weaknesses. Gene Hackman is charming at the lead, and the whole cast performs wonderfully. The film plays at a relaxed mood, and thus most of the actors do not have challenging roles. Still, they play their quirky parts very well. Wes Anderson and Owen Wilson, who wrote the script, fashioned an uproarious film. However, the film has flaws. The story is not inspiring, and the film often feels hollow. Yet, the film conjures enough laughs to make the film recommendable. Any film that can maintain a smile on the viewer's face is OK by me. The Royal Tenenbaums is not funny enough to be a great film, but it has consistently amusing humor that aids the story immeasurably. If you look beyond the humor there is no heart or substance in the story. However, the film manages to be an entertaining stay in a darkened theater. The Royal Tenenbaums is technically well crafted. Director Wes Anderson and cinematographer Robert D. Yeoman create a visually polished motion picture. Additionally, the use of music in the film is well placed. Moreover, The Royal Tenenbaums is an intellectually sound endeavor. The film is very intelligent and clever. The Royal Tenenbaums is a technically well crafted, and intelligent film. It is devoid of spirit, and the story is dull. However, the humor in the film makes it worthwhile. I highly recommend The Royal Tenenbaums because even with its flaws it is a very entertaining motion picture. review by supernothingman |