We debated back and forth whether or not to include The Royal Tenenbaums in this month's selections. In my mind, it is easily the second-funniest movie in the world (that's not intended to disparage it. Second-funniest is pretty darned funny. THE funniest is coming next week...wait for it). But more important than its hilarity is the sheer beauty, tragedy, failure and redemption that is played out in its 110 minutes.
It is hilarious, and as the second-funniest movie in the world, it won it's well-deserved place in our comedy-themed May. But I think The Royal Tenenbaums is an important film and deserves a place among all the other great masterpieces of cinema. I never come away from it (now after seeing it countless times) without feeling better and more optimistic about our human family. Okay, enough homage. Now down to business.
Wes Anderson--genius, genius Wes Anderson--leaves his unmistakable mark on every film he's ever made. His sense of style, timing, setup, music, irony all play together to create a movie experience more akin to absurdist theatre than blockbuster cinema. They're all brilliant (we particularly recommend Fantastic Mr. Fox which has all his classic thing-ness but is also family friendly. Our babies love it.) but this one is my ultimate favorite.
The story centers around the Tenenbaum family: Royal and Etheline and their brilliant children: Chaz, Margot and Richie. But then Royal and Etheline separate and over the years the children each experience their own personal tragedies until virtually all memory of the brilliance of the young Tenenbaums is erased by two decades of betrayal, failure, and disaster. The bulk of the movie follows the reunion of the fractured family and its damaged members and is a beautifully quirky and brilliantly understated reminder that relationships don't just heal themselves. Repentance, forgiveness, understanding and finally redemption come through a painfully brutal and ultimately cleansing and renewing process of love and patience.
The cast could not be better. Gene Hackman and Anjelica Huston lead the family with Ben Stiller, Gwyneth Paltrow and Luke Wilson as their children. Owen Wilson, Bill Murray and Danny Glover support as a husband, a fiance, a best friend and a bridge partner.
One last thing I am bound to say: for the sake of full disclosure, this is rated R for language, some nudity and adult themes. If you just want to take my word that it's a good movie I totally get that. For those of you who do watch it, I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.Up next week: well, I really didn't want to spoil the surprise, but just so you have time to get your hands on it, Cold Comfort Farm.
So, are you way excited for Moonrise Kingdom? You should go to the website (if you haven't) and watch the little video in the behind the scenes section. I think you will like it.
ReplyDeleteyes!!! i get a big goofy smile everytime i see the preview. thanks for the tip, we'll check it out.
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