| joie de vivre |
Posted
on 16-Jan-02 10:44 AM
Ok, I finally managed to haul my ass off the couch and drag my pathetic self to the theatre. Here’s what I thought of The Royal Tenenbaums.
The Tenenbaums are a family where the patriarch is the black sheep, thrown into chaos by Royal's (Gene Hackman) gross incompetence as a father. Royal steals money from his son, frequently informs his daughter that she’s adopted, plays favorites, and fakes stomach cancer. Quite a character. Royal isn’t necessarily a bad man, but he certainly takes the cake for when it comes to being a bad father and husband. Royal is surrounded by high-achievers (who unfortunately have a self-destructive streak in them). His eldest son (Ben Stiller) is a financial wizard and starts a company at age 12, his daughter (Gwyneth Paltrow) is a playwright, his other son (something Wilson) is a champion tennis pro, and his wife is an archaeologist. I think Royal felt lost among his genius family (he’s the only major character who has published a book!). A long time friend of the family confides, "I always wanted to be a Tenenbaum", to which Royal responds, "So did I". Though this got a laugh out of the audience, I thought it was a rather poignant moment.
Gwyneth Paltrow is brilliant in her portrayal as the heartbreakingly vulnerable daughter.
There’s a lot of truth to be found hidden amongst the bizarre proceedings, and I thought the moral of the movie was that everyone sees their own family as flawed, distasteful, embarrassing and strange (as the Tenenbaums clearly are). For anyone who’s ever felt that his or her family was the worst on the planet, this movie will make you feel a lot better.
Even if bizarre, acerbic comedy isn’t your cup of tea, The Royal Tenenbaums is certainly worth checking out. And the best part is – it’s short!!
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