The Royal Tenenbaums

An eccentric family of geniuses reunites when the patriarch announces he is dying.

The Royal Tenenbaums explores the same themes found in director Wes Anderson’s previous films Bottle Rocket and Rushmore, only this time in the context of a family. Granted, the family in The Royal Tenenbaums is made up of eccentric geniouses, but this is in keeping with the director’s offbeat style and vision.

While this is an ensemble film, the narritive swirls around Gene Hackman’s Royal Tenenbaum character and as such, his performance is the most crucial. Fortunately Anderson wrote the role for him and it shows. This is easily one of Hackman’s best performances and it’s a testemant to his innate charisma and charm that he is able to take a character who on the surface is self-centered and arrogant and portray him as such while also giving the audience a reason to care what happens to him.

Luke Wilson also delivers a terrific performance which is so believable that, at times, it’s painful to watch.

The silent star here though is Anderson. From his quirky visuals, to his trademark dialog, The Royal Tenenbaums has his signature all over it, and it’s a better movie because of it. From the opening narration by Alec Baldwin (which is setup by a classic Anderson device), you know you’ve entered Wes Anderson’s world, and it’s a wonderfully charming world indeed.