ROYAL TENENBAUMS, THE
Released: December 14, 2001
Three grown prodigies (Ben Stiller, Gwyneth Paltrow and Luke Wilson), all with a unique genius of some kind, and their mother (Anjelica Huston) are staying at the family household. Their father, Royal (Gene Hackman) had left them long ago, and comes back to make things right with his family. In the hands of director Wes Anderson, this plot line is magic. Like his two previous movies "Bottle Rocket" and "Rushmore", "The Royal Tenenbaums" takes place on our planet but is clearly not of this world. Anderson's characters inhabit their own world within our world and that is key in making this and all his movies so much more special than what Hollywood tends to offer us. Like his other films, Anderson co-wrote "The Royal Tenenbaums" with actor Owen Wilson. This collaboration is a perfect match. Luke's brother Owen stars here as well, along with great contributions from Bill Murray, Danny Glover and narrator Alec Baldwin. For a truly delightful movie experience I think "The Royal Tenenbaums" is essential. It's rare to have a movie where there are plenty of characters and you genuinely care about what happens to them. Add in great performances and a perfect soundtrack and you've got one of the most enjoyable films of 2001.
108 Minutes
Touchstone/Buena Vista