SummaryRoyal Tenenbaum (Gene Hackman) and his wife, Etheline (Anjelica Huston), had three children—Chas, Margot, and Richie—and then they separated. Chas (Ben Stiller) started buying real estate in his early teens and seemed to have an almost preternatural understanding of international finance. Margot (Gwyneth Paltrow) was a playwright and received a B... Read More
Directed By:Wes Anderson
Written By:Wes Anderson, Owen Wilson
The Royal Tenenbaums
Metascore
Generally Favorable
76
User score
Generally Favorable
8.0
My Score
Drag or tap to give a rating
Hover and click to give a rating
Where to Watch
Not available in your country?
ExpressVPN
Get 3 Extra months free
$6.67/mth
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
76
82% Positive
28 Reviews
28 Reviews
18% Mixed
6 Reviews
6 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
100
You'll laugh, you'll cry -- the year's best movie.
89
A big generational saga that woos the audience with its humor, spirit, style, and ability. Genius here is an evolutionary thing.
User score
Generally Favorable
8.0
86% Positive
306 Ratings
306 Ratings
12% Mixed
41 Ratings
41 Ratings
3% Negative
9 Ratings
9 Ratings
Sep 16, 2024
10
For my money, Wes Anderson just doesn't get any better than this. The Royal Tenenbaums is where he strikes that perfect blend of heartstring and humor, spontaneous weirdness and obsessive attention to detail. This family has enough history to carry an entire franchise, but the film doesn't wallow for long; there's just too much going on in the foreground to spend more than a few savory moments on back story. Loaded with talent, the film pulls everything from its cast. Whether it's Gene Hackman as the conniving, two-faced patriarch with a sudden need for intimacy, Anjelica Huston as his long-sacrificing ex-wife, Ben Stiller, Luke Wilson and Gwyneth Paltrow as their never-had-a-childhood offspring, or the vast array of eccentric, colorful supporting characters, it's tough not to appreciate each as a leading-caliber performance. The Royals' tale is vivid and real, emotive and wounded but also spirited and playful. It resonates in a modern setting, especially, when so many of our friends' and family members' tightest circles are similarly dysfunctional. Layered and complex without feeling superficial or overstretched, it's a whole bundle of emotions, flavors, sights and senses smashed into a single, rich, evergreen portrait. I feel this one in my heart's private pantry and my stomach's deepest pit. Wonderful.
Jan 15, 2021
10
The best movie of 2001.
Original, quirky and most of all laugh out loud hilarious.
Gene Hackman is brilliant as Royal, a grifter who finds some heart. Wes Anderson's best movie to date.
88
The performances are all terrific, but Gene Hackman is close to a career best as the family patriarch Royal, the most useless man you can't help loving.
80
Far and away the funniest comedy in town.
75
It makes for chuckling entertainment and it's fun to watch as it's happening. But its New York characters are not a bit believable, there's no real bite to the humor, and the film never adds up to be more than the sum of its parts.
60
Precociously glib and never less than engaging.
50
Director Wes Anderson, who also co-wrote the "Royal" script with actor Owen Wilson, unquestionably has one of America's most distinctive filmmaking sensibilities, but that is part of the problem. As my mother used to say, too good is no good.
Dec 12, 2020
10
I absolutely loved this movie. Very unique and unlike any other movie you will see, especially in 2020's. The characters are flawed but likeable, it's quirky, absorbing and brilliantly acted.
Mar 18, 2015
5
It's not a bad movie. It's pleasant enough, but so much of it is just completely flat. There are a couple funny moments, and a couple emotionally affecting ones, but the cast is wasted. I didn't mind the characters so much as the way they're used. Wilson's and Stiller's characters are funny, but they almost never get a chance to steal the show. I also had a problem with the one character falling in love with his adopted sister. Maybe not actual incest but still weird and uncomfortable. It could have been so much better but Anderson's need for meticulousness completely distracts from the story and not in a good way. I wouldn't call myself either a Wes Anderson fan or hater. Some of his work, like The Grand Budapest Hotel, I really like, and other times it just doesn't. This was one of those times it just didn't do anything for me. I'll eventually re-watch this, and maybe I'll come back with a different opinion, but for now it's a meh for me.
Mar 16, 2023
4
4.2
It’s an alright movie in the grand scheme of things, but I can’t not stand the main romance of the film, they had no chemistry and were annoying. It is still certainty worth your time.
Apr 4, 2012
0
Its absolutely terrible. The acting ,or rather lack of it, is terrible. The entire film is really just poor from start to finish and an absolute waste of time.
Apr 3, 2011
0
Reminds me of the bad old days when American comedy exports were not funny they were just appalling. Anyone who found this nonsense funny really needs to get out and get a life. This film was utter dross from beginning to end and a total waste of Gene Hackman and the rest of the cast looked really bored all the way through. Wes Anderson has no sense of humour, no talent and should go back to commercials. The fact this film was put up for awards proves to me professional critics have not got a clue about the film industry and should go and get real jobs as they clearly have no talent as film critics, mainly because I doubt they even see the films they write about.
Production Company:
- Touchstone Pictures
- American Empirical Pictures
- Scott Rudin Productions
Release Date:Dec 14, 2001
Duration:1 h 50 m
Rating:R
Tagline:Family Isn't A Word... It's A Sentence.
Awards
Golden Globes, USA
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
Academy Awards, USA
• 1 Nomination
Satellite Awards
• 6 Nominations
