Review Copyright Rose Cooper, 2002

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After watching The Royal Tenenbaums, I have to confess to something that'll likely get me roasted: I have no idea what I just watched. It's almost as if I just stepped out of Magnolia (hmmm...is Wes related to Paul Thomas?) all over again. Only, I liked this movie. I think. I'll have to let you know when I get down to the ratings section of this review. THE STORY (WARNING: **spoilers contained below**) Let's tell this Dysfunctional Folks R Us story "Magnolia-style", shall we? Royal Tenenbaum (Gene Hackman), estranged and strange patriarch, wants to push his way back into his family's life; he uses their housekeeper Pagoda (Kumar Pallana) as a spy, and lies to his almost ex-wife and their kids, to make it so; Etheline Tenenbaum (Anjelica Huston), who has finally put Royal behind her after raising their genius offspring on her own, writing a book about them - "Family of Geniuses" - and falling in love with accountant Henry Sherman (Danny Glover), along the way; Chas Tenenbaum (Ben Stiller), a financial tycoon who has Issues with the cold way his father treated him as a child; still grieving his dead wife, Chas overprotects his sons Ari (Grant Rosenmeyer) and Uzi (Jonah Meyerson); Margot Tenenbaum (Gwyneth Paltrow), a prize-winning playwright who Royal never let forget was adopted; married to Raleigh St. Claire (Bill Murray), a brilliant author and researcher in his own right, Margot leads a secretive, and very unhappy, life; Richie Tenenbaum (Luke Wilson), a pro tennis player who has sympathy for Royal, Deep Feelings for his sister, and Issues with her husband; he seems the most well-adjusted of the three children, but looks can be deceiving; Richie's best friend Eli Cash (Owen Wilson), also an author; Eli wanted to be one of the Tenenbaums, and maintains close relations with at least one of them. THE UPSHOT Where do I start? First off, the trailers for The Royal Tenenbaums are completely misleading: despite appearances, this movie is not a straight-up comedy. It has comedic elements, some of which will likely catch you off-guard; but if you're expecting gut-busting hilarity, you're going to the wrong movie. Is this necessarily A Bad Thing? That all depends on what the target was. In this case, I don't think that writers Wes Anderson and Owen Wilson (Eli) were aiming strictly for your funny bone; at least, not without a side trip to your thinking cap. Second, things are not as they seem. This is a movie that deals with the dysfunctions rampant in a somewhat-loveless family. But is it really loveless? True, of the many characters in this ensemble film, only Royal and Chas seemed to display anything resembling an emotion; but I got the distinct feeling that in spite of their dysfunctions, each of the children, the grandchildren, the parents, Raleigh, and the rest, loved very deeply. If not for love, who would stick with such wack people? Third, the casting seemed a bit off. It should've been a no-brainer for real-life, lookalike brothers Luke and Owen Wilson to have played the brothers here, with Ben Stiller instead playing the Wacky Friend (though this might've given this movie a whole new, unwanted, vibe). Gene Hackman seemed right in his element as the gregarious Royal, Stiller did Anal quite well [hmm...maybe that's not the right choice of words], Owen Wilson again played his Type right on the money, and if Gwyneth Paltrow was going for Disaffected Waif, she nailed it. But I'm at a loss as to what Bill Murray's whole deal was; the same can be said of Anjelica Huston - who never seemed to be about much - and Danny Glover - who seemed to serve more as a plot point than a realized character, at least until the end. Fourth, I kept searching for Hidden Meaning in every frame. Beyond the glorious attention to detail by director Anderson and this movie's art department (somebody get that group a raise; seeing those weird paintings alone are worth the price of admission), I tried rooting out all the "Magnolia-like" parables (remember the frogs?), because surely, the costumes they wore throughout the movie, those trashed gypsy cabs, and the Green Line buses, had to Mean Something, right? Surely, they must. Or, I could be totally wrong; The Royal Tenenbaums could just be Yet Another weird-ass movie about people whose lives are totally outside my ability to fathom. Only, they aren't. I've known an absent father; I understand a widowed son; I totally get a distant daughter, a neglected husband, a bewildered mother. The package these people were presented in might look different from the outside, but the contents inside, are quite familiar. Well, except for the incestuous bit. That, I don't grok. THE "BLACK FACTOR"    [ObDisclaimer: We Are Not A Monolith] Racism is a strange and ugly thing. Worse yet, is the learned reaction some take from it: "well, that's to be expected". That reaction, being my own. Case in point? The early relationship between Royal and Henry. An email listmate of mine wondered aloud whether Royal's ever-growing provocative statements to and about Henry, were written to get a reaction, or were those Royal's true feelings. Regardless to the answer to that question - was Royal really Bad, or was he just drawn that way? - my unsurprised reaction to that situation, independent of that email discussion (I hadn't read it before seeing the movie), tells me a lot. The real question is, does it tell me a lot about Royal, or me? But that's Another Issue For Another Time. BAMMER'S BOTTOM LINE Well, it's rating time, and I find that I still can't tell you how I felt about this film. The more I sit and try to dissect it in my mind, try to believe I hated its monotones or loved its colorfulness...the more I realize that I cannot possibly be indifferent about The Royal Tenenbaums. It dawns on me that my burgeoning awareness is something not unlike Royal's Reawakening; and that I have to see this film again, to fully grasp it all. And feeling thus, how could I not recommend this movie to you? I'll say this: regardless of my rating, you will either love this movie for all of its weirdness, or think I am totally off my rocker and hate it. If you come away indifferent, let me know. I think They make something for that. THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS: Bammer sez go see this movie. Your Madness May Vary from my own, but at least you will have had the opportunity to judge whether The Royal Tenenbaums is Bloody Brilliant, or Bloody Awful, for yourself. back to top And that's the way I see it. Rose "Bams" Cooper 3BlackChicks Review™ Copyright Rose Cooper, 2002 EMAIL: bams@3blackchicks.com    ICQ: 7760005 http://www.3blackchicks.com/