The Royal Tenenbaums

The Royal Tenenbaums

Theatrical release poster
Directed by Wes Anderson
Produced by Wes Anderson
Barry Mendel
Scott Rudin
Owen Wilson
Written by Wes Anderson
Owen Wilson
Starring Gene Hackman
Anjelica Huston
Bill Murray
Gwyneth Paltrow
Ben Stiller
Luke Wilson
Owen Wilson
Danny Glover
Narrated by Alec Baldwin
Music by Mark Mothersbaugh
Cinematography Robert Yeoman
Edited by Dylan Tichenor
Production
company
Touchstone Pictures
American Empirical Pictures
Distributed by Buena Vista Pictures
Release dates
  • December 14, 2001 (2001-12-14) (United States: limited)
  • January 4, 2002 (2002-01-04) (United States: wide)
Running time
 109 minutes
Country United States
Language English
Budget $21 million[1]
Box office $71.4 million[1]

The Royal Tenenbaums is a 2001 American comedy-drama film directed by Wes Anderson and co-written with Owen Wilson. The film stars Gene Hackman, Anjelica Huston, Bill Murray, Gwyneth Paltrow, Ben Stiller, Luke Wilson, Owen Wilson and Danny Glover.

It follows the lives of three gifted siblings who experience great success in youth, and even greater disappointment and failure after their eccentric father leaves them in their adolescent years. An ironic and absurdist sense of humor pervades the film.

Hackman won a Golden Globe for his performance. The screenplay was nominated for an Academy Award. In 2008, a poll taken by Empire ranked it as the 159th greatest film ever made.[2]

Plot

Royal Tenenbaum explains to his three children, Chas, Margot, and Richie, that he and his wife, Etheline, are separating. Each of the Tenenbaum children achieved great success at a very young age. Chas is a math and business genius, from whom Royal steals money. Margot, who was adopted by the Tenenbaums, was awarded a grant for a play that she wrote in the ninth grade. Richie is a tennis prodigy and artist. He expresses his love for adopted sister Margot through many paintings. Royal takes him on regular outings, to which neither of the other children are invited. Eli Cash is the Tenenbaums' neighbor, and Richie's best friend.

Twenty-two years later, Royal is kicked out of the hotel where he has been living. All of the Tenenbaum children are in a post-success slump. Richie is traveling the world in a cruise ship following a breakdown. He writes a letter to Eli revealing his love for Margot. Chas has become extremely overprotective of his sons, Ari and Uzi, following his wife Rachael's death in a plane crash. Margot is married to neurologist Raleigh St. Clair, from whom she hides her smoking and her checkered past. Raleigh is conducting research on a subject named Dudley Heinsbergen. Etheline's longtime accountant, Henry Sherman, proposes to her.

Learning of Henry's proposal, Royal claims that he has stomach cancer in order to win back the affections of Etheline and his children. He moves into the family home and sets up medical equipment in Richie's room. Etheline calls each of her children home. Royal learns of Chas' overprotective nature and takes his grandsons on an adventure involving shoplifting and dog fighting. Upon their return, Chas berates him for endangering his boys. Royal accuses Chas of having a nervous breakdown.

Eli, with whom Margot has been having an affair, tells her that Richie loves her. Royal discovers the affair and objects to Margot's treatment of Raleigh, who confides to Richie his suspicions of Margot. He and Richie hire a private investigator to spy on her.

Henry investigates Royal's cancer claim and discovers the hospital had closed years before, his doctor does not exist, and that his cancer medication is only candy. He confronts Pagoda, the family servant, and gathers the whole family to tell them what he's discovered. Afterward Royal and Pagoda move out of the house.

Richie and Raleigh get the private eye's report on Margot, which reveals her history of smoking and sexual promiscuity, including a previous marriage to a Jamaican recording artist. Raleigh is only concerned by her smoking, but Richie takes the news much harder. He goes into the bathroom, shaves off his hair and beard, and calmly slashes his wrists. Dudley finds him in a pool of blood, and Raleigh rushes him to the hospital. As the Tenenbaums sit in the waiting room, Raleigh confronts Margot and then leaves. Richie escapes the hospital and meets with Margot. They share their secret love and they kiss.

Royal decides that he wants Etheline to be happy. He arranges for a divorce. Before Henry and Etheline's wedding, Eli, high on mescaline, crashes his car into the side of the house. Royal rescues Ari and Uzi, but the boys' dog, Buckley, is killed. Enraged, Chas chases Eli through the house and wrestles him to the ground. Eli and Chas agree that they both need psychiatric help. Chas thanks Royal for saving his sons and for buying them a Dalmatian from the responding firemen as a replacement for Buckley. Forty-eight hours later, Etheline and Henry are married in a judge's chambers.

Some time later, Margot releases a new play inspired by her family, Raleigh publishes a book about Dudley's condition, Eli checks himself into a drug rehabilitation facility in North Dakota, and Richie begins teaching a junior tennis program. Chas becomes less overbearing and overprotective of his children. Royal seems to have improved his relationship with all of his children, and seems to be on better terms with Etheline. He has a heart attack and dies at the age of 68. Chas accompanies him in the ambulance on the way to the hospital, and is the only witness to his death. The family attends his funeral together. Royal's epitaph reads that he "Died tragically rescuing his family from the wreckage of a destroyed sinking battleship."

Cast

Production

According to Anderson's DVD commentary, E. L. Konigsburg's book From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, in which the characters Claudia and Jamie run away to live in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, inspired the story of Margot and Richie hiding out in a museum.[3]

The house used in the film is located near the famous Sugar Hill in the Hamilton Heights section of Harlem in Manhattan, New York City. The address is 339 Convent Avenue.[4]

The paintings in Eli's apartment are by Mexican artist Miguel Calderón.[5]

The name Tenenbaum was taken from that of family acquaintances of Wes Anderson.[6]

Typography

In common with his other films, Anderson makes extensive and careful use of typography, in particular Futura and its variation Futura Bold.[7] It is suggested that the typography is used to identify the characters, with Futura used almost entirely in scenes featuring members of the Tenenbaum family, but other typefaces such as Helvetica used with people outside the family, e.g. on Raleigh St. Clair's books.[7] Anderson uses the same typeface in Bottle Rocket, Rushmore, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, and Fantastic Mr. Fox.

Soundtrack

The score was composed by Mark Mothersbaugh. The soundtrack also features rock songs from the 1960s, '70s, '80s and '90s.

There have been two soundtrack album releases for the film. The first, released in 2001, was well received by most critics, though some songs were omitted; notably, Paul Simon's "Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard", Van Morrison's "Everyone", John Lennon's "Look at Me", Nick Drake's "Fly", The Mutato Muzika Orchestra version of The Beatles' "Hey Jude" and "She Smiled Sweetly" and "Ruby Tuesday" by The Rolling Stones. Erik Satie's "Gymnopédie" was also used in the film, but never appeared on either soundtrack.

In 2002, the soundtrack was re-released with three songs not found on the 2001 release, but the two songs by The Rolling Stones ("She Smiled Sweetly" and "Ruby Tuesday") were not included, because, while the band allow their music to be used in films, they rarely allow the songs to appear on soundtracks. The Van Morrison track, which served as the closing credits song, was also still missing. Additionally, the "Lindbergh Palace Hotel Suite," credited as original music by Mothersbaugh on the 2001 release, was retitled on the 2002 soundtrack release as "Sonata for Cello and Piano in F Minor," performed by The Mutato Muzika Orchestra.

Reception

The film was met with mostly positive reviews, viewed by many as a worthy follow-up to Anderson's previous film, Rushmore. The film holds an 80% "Fresh" rating at the website Rotten Tomatoes and a 75/100 weighted average score at Metacritic.[8] Todd McCarthy of Variety called the film "As richly conceived as the novel it pretends to be" and Richard Schickel, in Time, writing, "As with Anderson's Rushmore, there's a certain annoying preciousness to this film—it's not so consistently wise or amusing as he thinks it is—but it has its moments." Roger Ebert praised the film's writing, noting his belief that the film was "proof that Anderson and his writing partner, the actor Owen Wilson, have a gift of cockeyed genius." Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle was enthusiastic in praising the film as "like no other, an epic, depressive comedy, with lots of ironic laughs and a humane and rather sad feeling at its core."

Some critics disagreed about the success of the film and its style, Glenn Lovell of the San Jose Mercury News writing, "If I smiled at all during this colossal misfire, it was at Hackman, who knows how to do cheerfully thoughtless better than anyone around. The rest of the cast looks lost and miserable." Peter Rainer was lukewarm about the film, writing, "Anderson is something of a prodigy himself, and he's riddled with talent, but he hasn't figured out how to be askew and heartfelt at the same time." Jay Carr of the Boston Globe wrote "Mostly you sit around waiting for it to be funnier, or at least funny more often."

In popular culture

The narration and the way the film follows each family member was reprised in Fox's critically acclaimed television sitcom Arrested Development. Jason Bateman, one of the show's stars, described the show as "The Royal Tenenbaums shot like COPS."[9] Arrested Development creator and head writer Mitchell Hurwitz said that when he saw The Royal Tenenbaums, he already had the idea for Arrested Development in mind and thought, "Well, I guess I won't be doing that," but subsequently changed his mind.[10]

Alec Baldwin, the narrator, has effusively praised the film, including it in his Top 10 Criterion Collection and calling it "arguably one of the most original movies, in tone and style, since Robert Altman’s M*A*S*H"[11] and cites Hackman's performance as the key inspiration for his Emmy and Golden Globe-winning work playing NBC executive Jack Donaghy on 30 Rock - "All actors have debts to other actors. Mine is to the great Gene Hackman. Without Royal Tenenbaum, there’d be no map to Jack D."[12]

The Tenenbaums' style has been cited as an influence in fashion design, and Margot Tenenbaum has been described as the "muse of the season" for Spring/Summer 2015 collections.[13][14]

References

  1. 1 2 The Royal Tenenbaums at Box Office Mojo
  2. ↑ "The 500 Greatest Movies Ever Made". Empire. Retrieved March 3, 2012. And you thought your family was crazy... Anderson’s eccentric, hilarious and moving dramedy about the world’s most dysfunctional clan is almost too quirky for its own good. Almost.
  3. ↑ Konigsburg, E.L. (1998). From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. Atheneum Books for Young Readers. ISBN 0689711816.
  4. ↑ "43Places entry for Tenenbaum House".
  5. ↑ Browning, Mark. (2011). Wes Anderson: Why His Movies Matter. Praeger. p. 132. ISBN 1598843524.
  6. ↑ Marriott, As told to Hannah. "Margot Tenenbaum: this season's hottest fashion muse is actually a school guidance counsellor". the Guardian. Retrieved 2015-10-27.
  7. 1 2 "Royal Tenenbaums' World of Futura". Marksimon.com. Retrieved 2008-11-15.
  8. ↑ "The Royal Tenenbaums Movie Reviews, Pictures". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2010-03-04.
  9. ↑ Chaney, Jen (2004-10-19). "Washington Post review of Arrested Development Season One DVD". Washingtonpost.com. Retrieved 2010-03-04.
  10. ↑ Robinson, Tasha. "AV Club interview with Mitchell Hurwitz". Avclub.com. Retrieved 2010-03-04.
  11. ↑ "Alec Baldwin's Top 10". criterion.com. Retrieved 2014-03-28.
  12. ↑ "30 Rock: Alec Baldwin, Co-Stars Finish Last Episode". tvseriesfinale.com. Retrieved 2014-03-28.
  13. ↑ Cartner-Morley, Jess. "What I wore this week: glam geek". the Guardian. Retrieved 2015-10-27.
  14. ↑ Cochrane, Lauren. "Fantastic Mr Wes Anderson: how Tenenbaum chic took over the catwalks". the Guardian. Retrieved 2015-10-27.

External links

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