Review of The Royal Tenenbaums (2001) by Kaustav — 06 Apr 2018

The Royal Tennenbaum, The Man and The Tennenbaums, his family. The moment I realized that I would get to see Gene Hackman, the baddest badass of the 80s and 90s, in a Wes Anderson probably with all its silly and odd quirks and ridiculous storyline to back that up, I was all in for it. As a pleasant surprise, this movie didn't disappoint. In fact, I would go so far as to disagree with general ratings and it is a 9+ sorta film and it is a probably a top 3 amongst Wes Anderson films.

Ben Stiller is perhaps the most underwhelming of the cast since he didn't much to do beyond wearing the red jumpsuit. Danny Glover (unrelated to Donald of the same namesake and Atlanta Fame) is a subdued presence whose flying off the handle during an rude and hysterical altercation with Royal is the moment of the whole movie. Wilson brothers are delightful but Owen definitely is the better performer, his speech a perfect setup for his line to resonate on your funny-bones. Honestly though, no one could possibly be as hilarious as Angelica Huston who always seem like she is about to crack into a grin but keeps going on with straight non-hilarious things. She is only next to Ralph Fiennes (The Grand Budapest Hotel) and Bruce Willis (Moonlight Paradise) in terms of hilarious factors. And as a Gwyneth Paltrow is the perfect fit as the adopted daughter with upmteen secrets. Definitely the best Wes Anderson movie cast ever and even if the story goes soft at times, the same can't be said of the presentation by the actors. Do watch it before you die, or you will regret not having streaming services in The Afterlife (if it exist, that is).