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After the wild critical acclaim of Rushmore, Wes Anderson set out to direct his most personal piece to date. With an ensemble cast anchored by Gene Hackman, The Royal Tenenbaums made Hollywood and moviegoers stop and say “Who is Wes Anderson?”

The Tenenbaum family is both blessed and cursed. Two prestigious parents, Royal (Gene Hackman) and Etheline (Anjelica Huston), had their hands in raising three highly accomplished children. During their childhoods all three children had specific talents that brought them fame. Chas Tenenbaum (Ben Stiller) had an acute sense for business matters and was dealing in real estate by his teens. Richie Tenenbaum (Luke Wilson) was a tennis champion and began a successful professional career at a young age. Margot Tenenbaum (Gwyneth Paltrow) was a successful play write throughout her adolescence. Due to their brilliance and their stature in society, their childhood friend Eli Cash (Owen Wilson) longed to be a Tenenbaum. These qualities and talents are a thing of the past though, mostly due to the state of the family.

The brilliance of the Tenenbaums faded away, and so did their outspoken father. Constantly letting his family down and even sometimes ridiculing or demeaning their accomplishments, Royal had become very distant from his wife and children. Chas, though an accomplished businessman and father of two, now lives in constant fear and paranoia due to his wife’s death in a plane crash. Richie’s tennis career faded almost as quickly as it had risen, and ended very strangely and abruptly. Margot, constantly being reminded that she was adopted and not a true Tenenbaum, has developed an eccentric habit of secrecy and gave up on her writing endeavors. She is now in a failing marriage with the renowned psychologist Raleigh St. Clair (Bill Murray). Eli, with the unexpected and arguably undeserved success of his new novel, has become addicted to drugs and has lost his grasp on reality.

After learning that Etheline has just been asked for her hand in marriage by family friend Henry Sherman (Danny Glover) and he is being evicted from his hotel room that he has resided in for decades, Royal feels a sudden sense of urgency to reconnect with his family. Knowing that his family will not accept him with open arms, Royal informs his family of his stomach cancer. Thinking that their father and husband is dying, the Tenenbaums allow Royal to stay in Richie’s old room. After his fake illness is exposed Royal has some explaining to do, and more so discovers that he truly does want to reconnect with his dysfunctional family.

Usually any time that a film features an ensemble cast, the characters suffer due to underexposure or underdevelopment. This could not be further from the truth in the case of The Royal Tenenbaums. Each character is extremely flawed, but also extremely embedded in the development of the film. If the film were to stray away from any one of its many characters, the film would have suffered. Though Royal is a horrible father figure and possesses very few positive qualities, the role was written and delivered so well that anyone who watches the movie feels both sympathy and dislike throughout this redemption tale. Following the Tenenbaum children is a joy, especially in seeing how they attain their senses of identity after decades of emotional absence.

I have always had respect for Gene Hackman, and his performance in this film is nothing short of perfect. Becoming his character and delivering the role with such precision, Hackman is the driving force of the film’s humor and direction. Another actor whom I feel deserves much more praise than he has gotten, is Luke Wilson. Wilson’s portrayal of Richie, who was once a young boy filled with energy and love and has now become an empty vessel who cannot grasp the things he loves, is the pendulum of the film’s emotions. He caters his father back into the family’s lives, and then abruptly shakes things up for not only himself but for the entire family. Both of these characters provide presence in the film, and make this story of redemption all the more worth it.

Through this film, Anderson was able to forge even stronger friendships with the actors and actresses that are featured in many of his films. Much like Martin Scorsese, Anderson tends to work with a troupe of performers that you might consider his favorites. Scorsese actually called Anderson “the next Scorsese” in an Esquire magazine article. The likeness to Scorsese’s style is very distinct. Both men are auteurs in every sense of the word, and both men have thus far helped launch the careers of their early counterparts. Anderson’s Owen and Luke Wilson are Scorsese’s De Niro and Keitel.

One theme that i particularly enjoy within Wes Anderson films is his use of timelessness. Though his films may appear to be set within a specific period of time, mostly thought to be the 70′s, they never truly show enough detail to accurately label a year or even a decade. In the case of The Royal Tenenbaums, the family’s wardrobe is directed at the 1970′s. From Chas adorned in his Adidas jumpsuits, Richie in his Bjorn Borg inspired attire, and Margot whom faithfully wears her Lacoste dresses, the children have certainly reached at least their thirties but are still wearing these outfits. This not only creates sense of timelessness, but also symbolizes how this family is stuck in an emotional and personal rut since the time of their greatest accomplishments. Also, the gypsy cabs and the choice of buildings and communities allow Anderson to take a place like New York and make is almost unrecognizable to the audience. Anderson purposely avoids structures of importance and symbols that would associate the film with reality and create a pseudo-fairytale ambiance within the film.

The music of this film yet again provides the perfect backdrop for certain situations. We hear punk during Margot’s rebellious years, and we hear a song ironically sung by Elliot Smith during Richie’s suicide attempt. The mix of Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Beatles, Paul Simon and Jackson Browne songs are perfectly displayed right alongside another beautiful Mark Mothersbaugh score. The emotions of an actor can be greatly amplified by soundtrack choices such as these.

The Criterion Collection DVD is another prime example of what should actually be considered a “special edition”. The first disc is accompanied by commentary from Anderson, which is enlightening all throughout the film. The second disc is garnished with set photos, set design materials, interviews with the actors, an interview with Anderson and also a clip from the Peter Bradley Show. The Peter Bradley clip is my favorite because it is fake. It is an actor posing as Peter Bradley, and basically intentionally embarrassing himself while interviewing various Anderson personalities. It is a must see. The sound and video quality are superb, and Criterion has yet again provided a perfect transfer of a magnificent film.

The Upside: A dysfunctional but charming look at how families can become closer, no matter what their differences may be

The Downside: Most people, even myself, expected a much funnier film due to the cast.

On the Side: The original hawk used to play Mordecai was captured during shooting
and held for ransom – production could not wait for him to be returned which is the reason that the bird that appears later in the movie has “more white feathers” – it’s a different bird

Final Grade: A