Taglines: You Are Invited To A Remarkable Family Gathering.
Royal and Etheline Tenenbaum (Gene Hackman and Anjelica Houston) are a wealthy couple living in New York City with their three children, all of whom are incredibly gifted in particular fields. Their older son Chas is a genius of finance and chemistry, their adopted daughter Margot is a recognized playwright, and younger son Richie is a tennis prodigy. Royal, a disbarred lawyer, loves his family but is often brash and insensitive to their needs. He and Etheline separate (though do not divorce) when the children are young, and Royal moves into an expensive hotel where he remains for 22 years, isolated from his family.
As adults, the three Tenenbaum children are wearied, tragic versions of their former selves. Chas (Ben Stiller) is mourning the loss of his wife in a plane crash six months earlier, and is struggling with the duty of raising their two sons, Ari and Uzi, on his own. Margot (Gwyneth Paltrow) is stoic and enigmatic, suffering from writer’s block and enduring a listless marriage to the much-older neurologist Raleigh St. Clair (Bill Murray).
Richie (Luke Wilson) retired from professional tennis after a mysterious emotional meltdown at a crucial match, and had been traveling the world on a cruise ship for a year. Etheline, mature and academic (in contrast to her estranged husband), works as an archaeologist. A chain of events is set in motion when Etheline’s smitten accountant Henry Sherman (Danny Glover) proposes marriage to her. Etheline truly cares for Henry, but asks for time to think over her situation with Royal. Meanwhile, the family’s longtime servant Pagoda (Kumar Pallana) reports the news to Royal, who resolves to win his family back.
Chas and his sons move back in with Etheline, as Chas has increasing paranoia about the boys’ safety. After hearing this news, Margot returns home as well, craving a change from her odd married life (she spent most of the day locked in the bathroom, indulging in her secret vice of chain-smoking). Margot is also having an affair with Richie’s best friend, novelist Eli Cash (Owen Wilson), although Eli knows that Richie is secretly in love with Margot, his own adopted sister.
Royal runs out of cash and is evicted from his hotel. Ashamed of facing his family with the truth, he resolves to win them back through fraud. He meets with Etheline and convinces her that he has terminal stomach cancer and wants to make amends with her and the children before his approaching death.
She hesitantly agrees, but meanwhile accepts Henry Sherman’s proposal. Chas is indignant over Royal’s return, as he still mistrusts his father. Margot appears indifferent, while Richie is more sympathetic and loving. Royal rmoves into the family house with a large amount of medical equipment (borrowed from a hospital worker who “owed him a favor”). During his stay, he finally meets his grandsons and the three form a tight bond.
The Royal Tenenbaums is a 2001 American comedy-drama film directed by Wes Anderson and co-written with Owen Wilson. The film stars Danny Glover, Gene Hackman, Anjelica Huston, Bill Murray, Gwyneth Paltrow, Ben Stiller, Luke Wilson, and Owen Wilson.
The story 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 absurdist and ironic sense of humor pervades the film, which was shot around New York City with an extensive soundtrack and influences from other works of cinema.
After debuting at the New York Film Festival, The Royal Tenenbaums received positive reviews from critics and was Anderson’s most financially successful film to date. Hackman won a Golden Globe for his performance, and the film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. It was included in BBC’s 100 Greatest Films of the 21st Century.
The Royal Tenenbaums (2002)
Directed by: Wes Anderson
Starring: Gene Hackman, Anjelica Huston, Ben Stiller, Gwyneth Paltrow, Luke Wilson, Owen Wilson, Danny Glover, Bill Murray, Seymour Cassell, Irina Gorovaia
Screenplay by: Wes Anderson, Owen Wilson
Production Design by: David Wasco
Cinematography by: David Wasco
Costume Design by: Karen Patch
Art Directon by: Carl Sprague
Makeup Department: Kate Biscoe, Jerry DeCarlo
Music by: Mark Mothersbaugh, Dee Dee Ramone
MPAA Rating: R for some language, sexuality / nudity and drug content.
Distributed by: Buena Vista Pictures
Release Date: January 4, 2002
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