I think the most frustrating thing about the Royal Tenenbaums is that the movie is 80% close to perfection.
*** SPOILERS ****
To point out a few examples and to comment on other comments, there is really 2 main disconnects for me. (All in all I recommend the film)
The first, is that I never really felt the transition from past to current status. That is, we need some visual clue that bring the fact that these Genius children failed misserably as adults.
Maybe that could be with a short cut of Chas (played by Ben Stiller, not the kid), being happy with his wife and his millions, Richie (again with the adult actor) winning the US nationals, and Margot accepting the Pulitzer. As such, I never connected the adult actors with success, which made it difficult to feel the sense of failure.
Secondly, the moment where Royal is thrown out of the Hospital and sees Ritchie leave and brush him off is THE pivotal moment of the film. I don't think you really get the feeling from the movie that, in that moment, the one child that Royal favored, who just tried to kill himself, brushes Royal off. In that moment, Royal should feel that all his kidding around, all his "You know I love you", just flat out failed and he finally figured out that no one is getting his 'joke'.
Only after a few views did I realize that Royal really changed after that (the moment in Groundhog Day when Bill Murray finally gives up trying to be the nice guy, and become one). That this moment is never truely realized, I feel is why many people feel that movie failed. With all the detail Wes Anderson gave other scene, it really tarnishes the whole movie in that one critical scene failed.
*** SPOILERS ****
To point out a few examples and to comment on other comments, there is really 2 main disconnects for me. (All in all I recommend the film)
The first, is that I never really felt the transition from past to current status. That is, we need some visual clue that bring the fact that these Genius children failed misserably as adults.
Maybe that could be with a short cut of Chas (played by Ben Stiller, not the kid), being happy with his wife and his millions, Richie (again with the adult actor) winning the US nationals, and Margot accepting the Pulitzer. As such, I never connected the adult actors with success, which made it difficult to feel the sense of failure.
Secondly, the moment where Royal is thrown out of the Hospital and sees Ritchie leave and brush him off is THE pivotal moment of the film. I don't think you really get the feeling from the movie that, in that moment, the one child that Royal favored, who just tried to kill himself, brushes Royal off. In that moment, Royal should feel that all his kidding around, all his "You know I love you", just flat out failed and he finally figured out that no one is getting his 'joke'.
Only after a few views did I realize that Royal really changed after that (the moment in Groundhog Day when Bill Murray finally gives up trying to be the nice guy, and become one). That this moment is never truely realized, I feel is why many people feel that movie failed. With all the detail Wes Anderson gave other scene, it really tarnishes the whole movie in that one critical scene failed.
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