“All happy families resemble one another, each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.”
-Tolstoy, Anna Karenina
Finally saw “The Royal Tenenbaums” last night. While I was expecting a “Rushmore” (which remains one of my favorite movies of all time), what I got was something more complex. It starts off like a joke, a goof – everyone is so fantastically “eccentric.” You laugh, but you think, is this all there is? Then unexpectedly it starts to deepen, not exactly into tragedy, but into something that holds a mirror up to how complex and messy life can be.
The performances, especially by Gene Hackman and Gywneth Paltrow, are exceptional. I’ve never liked Paltrow particularly, but here her blank sad-sack expression (complete with thick black eyeliner) carries the weight of the world. And I would watch Hackman read the phone book. His Royal is an inspired concoction – just enough humanity and love to make you realize he’s not a total bastard.
Can’t wait for director Wes Anderson’s next one.
And it’s got the edible Owen Wilson. I know, I know, his nose looks like a penis…but he’s a damned genius!
I agree. Magnificent. It inspired me to work on my screenplay.