The Royal Tenenbaums

The Royal Tenenbaums on DVD is a wonderful watch for many reasons – not least for a fascinating supplementary documentary by Albert Maysles on its director Wes Anderso... more >

The Royal Tenenbaums on DVD is a wonderful watch for many reasons – not least for a fascinating supplementary documentary by Albert Maysles on its director Wes Anderson. Maysles employs the same unobtrusive documentary style that was so effective in the recently released Christo & Jean Claude and reveals the meticulous detail Anderson instils in the film's production and its characters. From the murals on the walls to the hand-drawn family portraits and specially designed carpets and wallpapers, Anderson has painstakingly devised the entire Tenenbaum world and filled it with
marvellous eccentricities.
The film itself is presented in the form of chapters from the biography of The Royal Tenenbaums – a family of former child geniuses and their estranged father Royal - a wretched, pathetic but perfect Gene Hackman. Anderson's direction creates the nostalgia of a family album as the lives of the various Tenenbaums are showcased in glorious retro. Luke Wilson's Björn Borg-esque tennis star has a meltdown in front of the world, removing his shoes and one of his socks at the US Finals and the snogging career of Gwynneth Paltrow's chain-smoking playwright Margot gets a Ramones-scored flashback. In fact, the film is worth watching for the soundtrack alone: Nico, John Lennon and The Velvet Underground compliment the warmth of Owen Wilson and Wes Anderson's writing and add effectively to the affectionate nostalgia of this wonderfully odd comedy. < less

View all 30 of Steve Turner’s reviews

The Royal Tenenbaums on DVD is a wonderful watch for many reasons – not least for a fascinating supplementary documentary by Albert Maysles on its director Wes Anderso... more >

The Royal Tenenbaums on DVD is a wonderful watch for many reasons – not least for a fascinating supplementary documentary by Albert Maysles on its director Wes Anderson. Maysles employs the same unobtrusive documentary style that was so effective in the recently released Christo & Jean Claude and reveals the meticulous detail Anderson instils in the film's production and its characters. From the murals on the walls to the hand-drawn family portraits and specially designed carpets and wallpapers, Anderson has painstakingly devised the entire Tenenbaum world and filled it with
marvellous eccentricities.
The film itself is presented in the form of chapters from the biography of The Royal Tenenbaums – a family of former child geniuses and their estranged father Royal - a wretched, pathetic but perfect Gene Hackman. Anderson's direction creates the nostalgia of a family album as the lives of the various Tenenbaums are showcased in glorious retro. Luke Wilson's Björn Borg-esque tennis star has a meltdown in front of the world, removing his shoes and one of his socks at the US Finals and the snogging career of Gwynneth Paltrow's chain-smoking playwright Margot gets a Ramones-scored flashback. In fact, the film is worth watching for the soundtrack alone: Nico, John Lennon and The Velvet Underground compliment the warmth of Owen Wilson and Wes Anderson's writing and add effectively to the affectionate nostalgia of this wonderfully odd comedy. < less

View all 10 of Howard Schuman’s reviews

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DVD Extras

• Director Commentary
• Making of featurette
• Interviews
• Deleted scenes
• drawings.

Film Details

Cast

Gwyneth Paltrow, Anjelica Huston, Ben Stiller, Gene Hackman, Owen Wilson

Technical Details