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The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)
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Overview
User Rating:
Release Date:
14 December 2001 (USA) moreTagline:
Family Isn't A Word... It's A Sentence. morePlot:
An estranged family of former child prodigies reunites when one of their member announces he has a terminal illness. full summary | full synopsisAwards:
Nominated for Oscar. Another 9 wins & 27 nominations moreNewsDesk:
(51 articles)
First Look: Wes Anderson's The Fantastic Mr. Fox (From Worst Previews. 10 July 2009, 7:00 PM, PDT)
50 Greatest Trailers: The Experts Speak
(From IFC. 8 July 2009, 9:28 AM, PDT)
User Comments:
The perfect balance of drama and comedy moreCast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| Gene Hackman | ... | Royal Tenenbaum | |
| Anjelica Huston | ... | Etheline Tenenbaum | |
| Ben Stiller | ... | Chas Tenenbaum | |
| Gwyneth Paltrow | ... | Margot Tenenbaum | |
| Luke Wilson | ... | Richie Tenenbaum | |
| Owen Wilson | ... | Eli Cash | |
| Bill Murray | ... | Raleigh St. Clair | |
| Danny Glover | ... | Henry Sherman | |
| Seymour Cassel | ... | Dusty | |
| Kumar Pallana | ... | Pagoda | |
| Alec Baldwin | ... | Narrator (voice) | |
| Grant Rosenmeyer | ... | Ari Tenenbaum | |
| Jonah Meyerson | ... | Uzi Tenenbaum | |
| Aram Aslanian-Persico | ... | Young Chas Tenenbaum | |
| Irene Gorovaia | ... | Young Margot Tenenbaum |
Additional Details
MPAA:
Rated R for some language, sexuality/nudity and drug content.Parents Guide:
View content advisory for parentsRuntime:
110 minCountry:
USALanguage:
EnglishColor:
Color (Technicolor)Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 moreCertification:
Australia:M (TV rating) | Malaysia:18PL | Malaysia:U (cut) | Iceland:12 | Singapore:M18 (re-rating) | Philippines:PG-13 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:14A (Ontario) (video rating: 2004) | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba) | Canada:AA (Ontario) (original rating) | USA:R (certificate #38556) | Argentina:13 | Australia:MA | Brazil:14 | Finland:K-11 | France:U | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:IIB | Ireland:12 | Netherlands:MG6 | New Zealand:R13 | Norway:11 | Peru:14 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG (cut) | South Korea:15 | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15Filming Locations:
144th Street & Convent Avenue, Harlem, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA moreFun Stuff
Trivia:
The name "Ari" is taken from the nickname of musician Nico's son. Nico also has two songs on the film's soundtrack. moreGoofs:
Factual errors: Artist Elliott Puckette's name is badly misspelled in the credits (her paintings appear in the film). moreQuotes:
[first lines]Narrator: Royal Tenenbaum bought the house on Archer Avenue in the winter of his 35th year. Over the next decade, he and his wife had three children, and then they separated.
more
Soundtrack:
Lullabye moreFAQ
What is the name of the song played during the bus scene with Margot and Richie?Why does Richie say he's going to kill himself tomorrow when he tries to kill himself at that moment?
Are any of the characters based on real people?
more
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I loved this film.
The Tenenbaum's dysfunction (while amplified for the screen) is quite an accurate portrayal of family life. Families are, essentially, groups of people living in each other's pockets, and, invariably, those people who love you and hate you the most.
Don't get me wrong, Royal and his (thermo)nuclear family of brilliant buffoons do not represent my family (or any other in the world I think!) but the family united against a miscreant father is a motif a lot of people can understand. It is this common humanity that really appeals to me as a film watcher, and what, ultimately made this film so very memorable to me.
The ensemble cast is astonishingly proficient. They all lend a perfect quirkiness to the roles. Anjelica Houston is the perfect former Mrs Royal Tenenbaum, down to the smallest nuance, Ben Stiller and Luke Wilson turn in wonderful performances, and this is the only role I've seen Gwenyth Paltrow in where I actually thought she was someone other than Gwenyth Paltrow (this is not an insult, it's just that people don't always do it for everyone, you know...?). Bill Murray, Gene Hackman, Owen Wilson, all excellent, all the time.
The black comedy counterbalanced with the drama of the issues raised in this film left me feeling like I'd witnessed a film event, rather than just another film. I loved every frame of it, from the Baldwin narrated opening, to the final tying up of ends. It never dwelled on melodrama, or the more potentially unsavoury elements, and it didn't sink into the schmaltzy "We all love each other" end it could well have. It began perfectly, and it ended perfectly.
I can't recommend this movie more highly. It's a must see for anyone who loves quirky and emotive storytelling, great characters and beautiful dialogue.
10/10