Review of The Royal Tenenbaums (2001) by Jane L — 23 Nov 2014
As a diehard Wes Anderson film, I can safely say that THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS is one of my least favorite of his films. The set designs are typically genius, and the cast and acting is top-notch, but the main problem with this movie lies within it's story.
It's all over the place, and has pacing issues. Worst of all, in my opinion, is how it becomes needlessly dark during the 75 minute mark. Wes Anderson is way out of his depth during this twenty minutes of relentlessly graphic suicide attempts and hospitalizations.
Although I believe he can include such topics in his films and that he has every right to, it simply does not go well with this film's cheerful, lackadaisical aesthetic. This is the same problem I have with THE LIFE AQUATIC; it's pleasant and charming until all of a sudden, it's ridiculously dark and cruel for no reason other than pure pretentiousness.
I love Wes Anderson's films and am one of his biggest fans, but this one does not have high replay value and is not one of my favorites.
This review of The Royal Tenenbaums (2001) was written by Jane L on 23 Nov 2014.
The Royal Tenenbaums has generally received very positive reviews.
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