The Royal Tenenbaums

Review by By Clint Morris

With humour as dark as a chocolate royale, and a pattern as unsullied as hour-old scones, The Royal Tenenbaums might be professed as a silver-plattered laugh-bonanza, heralded by the greatest talent on earth.

But while it may have an A-list cast, Tenenbaums is merely the poorer cousin of a more regal comedy; the estranged nephew of Tour-De-Force, the neighbour to a new Ben Stiller comedy - suffice to say, it's pretty plain-clothed. More a gatecrasher through Buckingham's gates.

What The Royal Tenebaums disoccludes in memorable satire, it makes up for in pleasurable, yet eccentric characters, even if you'll have forgotten their purpose by the time you arise from the theatre chair. The latest from writer/director Wes Anderson (Bottle Rocket, Rushmore), it tells the tale of a dysfunctional family, as if they were dipped in Royal Glue and certified into the majestic antechamber of class.

Disbarred lawyer Royal Tenenbaum (Gene Hackman) abandons his archaeologist wife, Etheline (Angelica Huston), and his three young prodigies, only to yearn for them years later. An empty wallet will do that.

Gwyneth Paltrow is the dejected adopted daughter, continuously in the shadow of her father's biological offspring. Dolefully alluring with her black-rimmed eyes and taste for fur coats, she's secretly in love with her former tennis-champ brother, played by Luke Wilson. He shares the infatuation, so when she enigmatically marries a dull scientist (Bill Murray), the brother despairs and ruins a match.

Older brother Ben Stiller plays a pessimistic financial whiz, who hasn't gotten over his dad shooting him as a child with a BB gun. A widower, he's left with two glum boys and, like his adopted sister, he is going round the twist, and so joins his sibling and sons, on a return trip home.

Deciding he wants to gain his role as the family patriarch, Royal - now broke - engineers a scheme to win his family back and a bed back home. He will tell them all he has 6 weeks to live. Surely they will never find out…

Director and co-writer Wes Anderson is trying a little too hard to be off-the-wall here. And whilst the characters are oddballs in the premier sense, there's a divergent lack of character development. He seems more intrigued with upping the eccentric oddity aspect than having the audience form any kind of connection to the inane group.

Yet despite Anderson's inconsistencies with the film, the cast do a stellar job. In particular Gene Hackman. He is endearingly hilarious as the ageing Royal Tenenbaum. There are a couple of choice scenes where he teaches his two grandchildren all the irresponsible things they can do in the course of an afternoon. Watching an old man thieve from a store has never been funnier.

And whilst Stiller, Paltrow and Murray are passable, the Wilson boys - Luke and Owen - seem much more at ease with the material and their characters.

The Royal Tenenbaums is like a half empty chest of gold coins. A full to the brim box would have been a dream come true, but sadly only half the interior is brimming with goodness. Like the impressively talented Cameron Crowe - who hit rock bottom with the abysmally egotistical Vanilla Sky - Wes Anderson seems to be on a similar joyride here, plucking out big stars for his film - cos he can - but neglecting the material on screen as a result.

Visit this family on discount Tuesday.

3 out of 5

The Royal Tenenbaums
Australian release: Commences Thursday 14th March across Australia
Cast: Gene Hackman, Angelica Huston, Ben Stiller, Gwyneth Paltrow, Luke Wilson, Owen Wilson, Danny Glover.
Director: Wes Anderson.
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