The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)

The eccentric members of a dysfunctional family reluctantly gather under the same roof for various reasons.

Director:

Wes Anderson

Writers:

Wes Anderson, Owen Wilson

Stars:

Gene Hackman, Gwyneth Paltrow, Anjelica Huston

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 11 wins & 45 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
Irina Gorovaia	...	Young Margot Tenenbaum (as Irene Gorovaia)

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.

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Plot Keywords:

family relationships | forbidden love | unconventional family | eccentric family | lesbian kiss | 

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Taglines:

You Are Invited To A Remarkable Family Gathering.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

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

Did You Know?

Trivia

The building next to the Tenenbaum house has a plaque that says it is an Ambassador's residence. It is never stated what country the Ambassador represents, but the flag is that of Thailand.

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Goofs

When Royal takes Ari and Uzi on their adventure and they are riding the garbage truck, the opening shot shows a side view of the trio. In this shot, Royal is not wearing his cap in following shots, Royal is wearing his cap backwards.

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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.

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Crazy Credits

The film title first appears on a library book being checked out, then several of the books are seen, and finally the book cover becomes a title card.

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Alternate Versions

There's another scene involving Etheline Tenenbaum (Anjelica Huston) and Henry Sherman (Danny Glover) eating dinner together. Etheline once again turns him down and leaves while he's lighting a piece of toast on fire.

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Connections

Referenced in The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon: Gwyneth Paltrow/Tyler Oakley/The Who (2016)

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Soundtracks

Judy Is A Punk
Written by Dee Dee Ramone (as Douglas Colvin), Johnny Ramone (as John Cummings), Tommy Ramone (as Thomas Erdelyi), and Joey Ramone (as Jeff Hyman)
Published by W8 Music Corp. o/b/o itself, Bleu Disque Music Co., Inc and Taco Tunes, Inc.
Performed by Ramones
Courtesy of Sire Records
By Arrangement with Warner Special Products

User Reviews

hilarity w/heart

In many ways, 'The Royal Tenenbaums' could be considered the "ultimate" Wes Anderson film. It gleefully employs all of Anderson's principal cinematic traits and contains levels of quirk so high it isn't even worth describing. It is also a masterpiece. Every shot is beautiful and precise, as is oft the case w/Wes Anderson, but here the style is containing of more vigor and heaviness than is even to be expected. 'The Royal Tenenbaums' is essentially the archetypical Wes Anderson film and, since Wes Anderson is one of my very favourite filmmakers of all time, that just ranks it among what I believe to be the greatest films of all time. It tackles dark topics in a manner that is at once lightly and blackly comical while also be genuinely and successfully dramatic throughout as well. Punchlines don't get in the way of the drama, and yet they are still oft inserted into more dramatic scenes. Everything is timed w/perfection, creating an atmosphere that is theatrical, dramatic, and fantastical, and yet all of the emotions are incredibly raw and real. It's a beautiful film w/near perfect writing, cinematography, performances, etc.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Italian

Release Date:

4 January 2002 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Royal Tenenbaums

Filming Locations:

U.S. Customs House, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$21,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$276,981, 16 December 2001

Gross USA:

$52,364,010

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$71,444,482

Company Credits

Production Co:

Touchstone Pictures, American Empirical Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1