What Is The Royal Tenenbaums?

Watching a Wes Anderson film is like walking into a fairy tale with the elaborate costume and design to the carefully thought out unique characters and this film is no different. The Royal Tenenbaums is an American comedy-drama film released on December 28, 2001 directed by Wes Anderson that follows the story of a dysfunctional family living in a fantasy-like New York. The film, written by Wes Anderson himself and Owen Wilson, who also plays a supporting role in the movie, revolves around the drama that begins when Royal Tenenbaum (Gene Hackman) attempts to reunite with his family whom he left long ago. His wife, Etheline (Anjelika Huston) had raised their three children namely Margot (Gwyneth Paltrow), Chas (Ben Stiller) and Richie (Luke Wilson) as child prodigies but now as adults struggle to grasp reality. As a result, there is underlying anger, pain and regret that the family needs to face.

I was thirteen when I first watched The Royal Tenenbaums with my best friend and I liked it only because it was an aesthetically pleasing movie. Every year after that my best friend and I made it a tradition to watch all Wes Anderson’s films when we got together during the summer and every time I re-watched The Royal Tenenbaums there was always something new I discovered in the movie. It was two summers ago when I saw the deeper theme of childhood and letting go of it. The three children in the Tenenbaum family embodied
people who never let go of their childhood in different aspects whether it be not letting go of the anger they had for their father or clinging to achievements in their youth. As a result, they remained unhappy and stuck unable to achieve anything more in their adult lives. That realization came to me ar the perfect time. I was in the midst of becoming an adult and along with this came this realization that I was in this childhood realm where everything was seemingly perfect. The three children in the movie wear the same clothes they wore as children and now as adults. Similarly, I realized that I was desperately clinging to my younger self due to being overwhelmed by the challenges and disappointments in adulthood. Watching the movie that summer made me realize that I had to let go of presumptions I had of the world to move on with life. The Royal Tenenbaums is very special to me because in a way, it was the movie that reminded me of my youth and at the same time helped me let go of it.

At first glance, The Royal Tenenbaums seems like the typical comedy about a dysfunctional family filmed in a creative way but in the small details of understated lines and facial expressions holds real life realizations we all need.
There is no denying the beauty of the film that lies in Anderson’s portrayal of a family drama as a fairy tale with his vibrant and distinct cinematography but much more in addition to that were the subtle windows of emotion in the film that showed even these highly eccentric characters were
human.