The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)

Editor’s Note: I have been informed that this movie is not so well known or critically acclaimed that I cannot comment on it. So here it is.

Premise: Etheline (Angelica Houston) and Royal (Gene Hackman) have been separate for 22 years. After announcing that he will be dead in six weeks and his subsequent desire to reconcile with his family of geniuses, Etheline finds her three adult children, Chas (Ben Stiller), Margot (Gwyneth Paltrow), and Richie (Luke Wilson), under the same roof for the first time in 17 years. Etheline struggles with a proposal from her accountant, Henry Sherman (Danny Glover), Margot with her strained relationship with her older husband, Raleigh St. Clair (Billy Murray), and Richie with his best friend, Eli Cash (Owen Wilson).

Man, it was hard to figure out a concise way to mention all the major players. There it is, though.
Don’t worry if it seems kind of confusing: Alec Baldwin narrates the whole thing with indifferent aplomb.

Actually, his narration is one of the many beautifully woven portions of this movie. There are many elements to it that could stand alone, but I’m glad that they don’t. Owen Wilson and Wes Anderson (writers) have an amazing way of keeping it all together.

I think the best way to describe how riotous this movie is is to say that it doesn’t try to be funny. Does that make sense? I mean that everyone, or nearly everything, is funny in this movie because there is seemingly little effort to make it funny. Things are simply happening. Things are simply said. It’s an absolute laugh-riot.

Except for one or two dark parts. Those weren’t so funny. I don’t think they were supposed to be, though.

As I said with Reality Bites, I really wish Stiller did more films like this one. He really gels with this stellar ensemble cast, and I don’t think I would be going too far when I say that the movie industry could probably do without movies like Dodgeball.

I don’t know where to start with this cast. It truly is an ensemble one, all playing and laughing and working together in a stunning way. Truly stunning. I’m talking, “Set your VCRs to stun – because you will be” stunning.

It helps that Wes Anderson’s, who also directed, got one hell of an eye for the comedic insanity. This isn’t the hilarity of everyday life. Anderson manages to make absolutely impossible things seem so reasonable. It’s his gift.

I think you should see this movie. It’s probably not for everyone, and it’s probably best reserved for a bit of a trippy mood. But it’s worthwhile.