The Royal Tenenbaums
d. Wes Anderson, 2001
Whether or not you enjoy The Royal Tenenbaums has a lot to do with how your own sensibilities respond to the idiosyncrasies of the film. In my case, Wes Anderson's life-changing masterpiece is as close to perfect a film as I've seen in a long time. It's an achingly beautiful, unbelievably hilarious, and ultimately heartbreaking portrayal of a group of wounded people.
The Royal Tenenbaums would be a major work if only for its carefully-crafted frames. Rarely has there been a film--I'm thinking Werckmeister Harmonies--where every single shot is a notable entity, something to be taken out and studied.
The film is the story of the Tenenbaum family; Royal, played by Gene Hackman, is the patriarch that's been away for many years, after the separation from his wife, Etheline, the wonderful Angelica Huston. The three children, Chas (Ben Stiller), Richie (Luke Wilson), and Margot (Gwyneth Paltrow), each have come to an uncomfortable place in their life, and soon after the film begins they find themselves under the same roof once again. What gets the film starting is Royal's claim that he will be dead in six weeks as a result of stomach cancer.
The rest of The Royal Tenenbaums plays out a series of low-key scenes culminating in one of the most moving final acts the cinema has ever given us. I wish I could say more, but this is the sort of film with images so unforgettable that to talk about them would only diminish their beauty.
