The Royal Tenenbaums is the third film from writer-director Wes Anderson and co-writer Owen Wilson. Their previous productions were the quirky Bottle Rocket and Rushmore, and this film is just as odd. It tells the story of the very dysfunctional Tenenbaum family. Twenty years ago, the family seemed to be thriving. The patriarch, Royal (Gene Hackman), was a successful litigator. The matriarch, Etheline (Angelica Huston), was devoted to raising their three children. The eldest of the children, Chas (Ben Stiller), was already a thriving businessman. The youngest child, Richie (Owen Wilson), was a tennis prodigy. And the middle child, Margot (Gwyneth Paltrow), was a gifted playwright. But all was not as it seemed. Royal could not talk about Margot without reminding her that she was adopted, and Richie was clearly the favored child over Chas. Eventually things turned so sour that Royal left. Fast-forward to the present, and it is obvious that none of the children ever really moved on from that moment. But when Royal learns that Etheline may remarry, he fakes an illness as an excuse to get reacquainted with his estranged family and perhaps heal some of the wounds inflicted so long ago.

Gene Hackman does an excellent job as Royal, making what seems like a rather despicable character likeable. In fact, his character is the only one that the audience grows to care about, and that is the major problem with the film. The other characters never develop beyond their surface emotions. Plus, the film is so highly stylized that it ends up almost too obsessed with details that don’t really add anything to the story. But viewers who liked Bottle Rocket and Rushmore may have less trouble looking beyond the problems and may give The Royal Tenenbaums a more royal welcome.