The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)

An estranged family of former child prodigies reunites when one of their member announces he has a terminal illness.

Director:

Wes Anderson

Writers:

Wes Anderson, Owen Wilson

Stars:

Gene Hackman, Anjelica Huston, Ben Stiller

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 11 wins & 29 nominations.

Cast

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

Storyline

Three grown prodigies, all with a unique genius of some kind, and their mother are staying at the family household. Their father, Royal had left them long ago, and comes back to make things right with his family.

---

Plot Keywords:

child prodigy | terminal illness | genius | tennis player | skeleton | 

---

Taglines:

You Are Invited To A Remarkable Family Gathering.

---

Genres:

Comedy | Drama

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some language, sexuality/nudity and drug content

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Italian

Release Date:

14 December 2001 (USA)

Also Known As:

Los excéntricos Tenenbaums

Filming Locations:

144th Street & Convent Avenue, Harlem, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$21,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$59,632 (Sweden) (22 March 2002)

Gross:

$52,353,636 (USA) (14 June 2002)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Touchstone Pictures, American Empirical Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Wes Anderson:  [peanuts]  According to Anderson on the DVD commentary track, Buckley the beagle is a tribute to Snoopy. The Vince Guaraldi Trio song "Christmastime is Here" from A Charlie Brown Christmas recurs as Margo's theme.

---

Goofs

When Royal and Pagoda first meet in front of the hot-dog stand, the blind man with a dog sitting on a bench behind them has sunglasses in one shot and no sunglasses in the next.

---

Quotes

[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.

---

Connections

Featured in Hollywood's Top Ten: Gwyneth Paltrow Movies (2011)

---

Soundtracks

"Me And Julio Down By The Schoolyard"
Written by Paul Simon
Published by Warner Tamerlane Publishing Corp. o/b/o Paul Simon Music
Performed by Paul Simon
Courtesy of Warner Bros. Records Inc.
By Arrangement with Warner Special Products

User Reviews

hilariously freaky, yet heartrendingly poignant

I've watched The Royal Tennenbaums 3 times so far and just ordered the DVD. How can you beat the cast, the plot, and the humanity of this film?

I dare you to find a better cast than Gene Hackman, Angelica Huston, Danny Glover, Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Gwyneth Paltrow, and the rest of the crew.

The chemistry between them works magic on the screen.

Without giving away too much of the plot, it revolves around the family of Royal Tennenbaum, a lovable rascal whose family hasn't forgiven him for transgressions of the past. When his estranged wife decides she may want to remarry, the games begin -- and oh what fun games they are. You have to laugh.

Emotionally speaking, you will feel like you're riding a roller-coaster with no dead space. If you are into quirky characters, intelligent humor, and aren't afraid to stare painful aspects of human nature eye to eye, you will love The Royal Tennenbaums.