The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)

Just the Right Mix

In 1998, Wes Anderson directed and, with Owen Wilson, co-wrote a movie called Rushmore. It was a critical hit, although it had conspicuous weaknesses -- most notably the extreme darkness of its comedy and a resolution that was too convenient. However, it got Anderson the attention he deserved, for with Rushmore he expressed a unique style suited to telling funny and quirky moral tales.

The Royal Tenenbaums is his follow-up, and here the ingredients are just right. The dark comedy is still intact, but there's enough lightweight goofiness to counter-balance it. Similar to the framing of Rushmore as a play with distinct acts, The Royal Tenenbaums is framed as if it were a fiction novel, with distinct chapters (in fact, the movie begins with the hands of a librarian date-stamping the card in a book, as if we the audience were borrowing it). The movie uses several devices -- a narrator, shots with titles, and montages set to pop/rock music -- to keep the story moving.

Best of all, the underlying theme from Rushmore is intact -- a character is guilty of committing selfish deeds due to his own inherent human weaknesses, realizes it, and then sets the stage for selfless acts on his path to redemption. In Rushmore, this theme was told in the context of a romantic triangle; in The Royal Tenenbaums, it is told in the context of the estrangement of an eccentric family and its patriarch. But while Rushmore's protagonist, Max Fisher, could be accused of too eagerly seeking acknowledgement for his later acts of selflessness -- all the while being motivated by the fact that he has a "replacement" for his original love interest -- the same can not be said about Mr. Royal Tenenbaum (Gene Hackman). Mr. Tenenbaum is one of the most flawed individuals audiences will ever meet, yet in the end he only wants to make things right for his family, thus earning deserved sympathy.

What I've said so far does this movie a disservice -- I have yet to mention how endearingly funny this picture is. Wilson and Anderson have served up a plate of hilariously imperfect characters to populate the world of the Tenenbaum family. The three Tenenbaum children grew up as geniuses, but each one of them experienced some kind of trauma that created alienation from the rest of the family. Chas (Ben Stiller) is a financial wiz who hasn't forgiven his father, Royal, for betraying him on numerous occasions. Margot (Gwyneth Paltrow), the playwright, is adopted and has never felt accepted as one of the family, thanks in large part to Royal's insensitivity. Richie (Luke Wilson) was a tennis prodigy and fell from grace during a dramatically bad match; he has been in hiding ever since. The matriarch, Etheline (Anjelica Huston), severed ties with Royal before the kids became teens, but neither she nor her husband ever officially signed for divorce. Add to this mix a neighbor who grew up with the Tenenbaum kids and is now an author with a drug habit (Owen Wilson), a neglected psychologist husband (Bill Murray) of Margot's, Etheline's accountant (Danny Glover) who is now courting her, and the Tenenbaum's quiet servant (Kumar Pullana) acting as extra pairs of eyes and ears for Royal. Stick them all in to one house and watch the skeletons fly from the closets.

The brand of comedy is at turns subtle and unexpectedly wacky. An ironic statement by the narrator gets a laugh as easily as a pratfall. Many of the gags are depicted matter-of-factly, relying on characters' personalities and deadpan deliveries. One scene generates uncontrollable chuckles through ingenious shot construction -- two characters talk to each other, and behind each one is a background object that's impossible not to crack up over.

The movie is constructed so well, not only in narrative, characters, and humor, but also in sights, sounds, and acting. The costuming is marvelously idiosycratic -- Chaz and his kids in identical jumpsuits, sullen Margot in her fur coat, Royal and his tacky wardrobe. The majority of the shots are filmed such that a singular character occupies the direct center of the screen, adding to the feel that this is less of a realistic movie and more of a whimsical piece of fiction. The soundtrack uses a wide range of pop oddities, from a Beatles instrumental to a Charlie Brown Christmas carol. And the acting is great all-around -- Hackman especially gives one of the funniest performances of the year.

The Royal Tenenbaums has a mis-step where the general levity is hampered by an unsuccessful suicide attempt. Anderson and Wilson refuse to relinquish their dark side completely, and the bleakness found in Rushmore threatens the proceedings. Luckily, they managed to get a good joke out of it. One character asks the would-be suicide victim why he did it. "I left a suicide note," he says. "Was it dark?", asks the other. "Of course it was dark. It's a suicide note!"

Rating: 9/10

©Jeffrey Chen, Dec. 15, 2001

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