Rating: 
Summary: Good Dark Humor
Review: This movie started off as a dark, obscure but funny comedy that kept me interested. Owen and Luke Wilson are just too much, they make me laugh, and if you add in Ben Stiller, you have enough comedy to make many movies work. Some issues with the movie: Although the comedy remained throughout, the suicide attempt and some other dark parts pushed this movie towards just plain out there. Positives: Trying new things, the dialogue between Owen and Luke Wilson was absolutely brilliant. The scene where they are on opposite ends of the room and pretend to say nothing, was absolutely hillarious. Overall, grade of "B"
Rating: 
Summary: stupidest and dumbest movie ever made
Review: does not need a description title says it all
Rating: 
Summary: Flawless
Review: I've seen this DVD 3 times since buying it one week ago, and I'm still not tired of it. It's beautiful, funny, interesting... well, you've heard all the descriptions. The idea of taking a bunch of very exagerrated characters and then writing them as sincerely as possible is a good one, and it works. Gene Hackman especially is amazing as Royal. As for it not being funny, it depends on your sense of humor. I don't like movie snobs, so I'm not going to say "oh, well if you don't like this you must love Jim Carrey", or anything like that. There's nothing wrong with slapstick or unrealistic humor, but I do get irritated when people except that style from a movie just because Ben Stiller and Bill Murray are in it. I agree with the reviewer who said that indie films that try too hard to be indie are annoying. But on the other side, does being "independent" (I put that in quotes because this was a fairly big film) automatically make a movie pretentious? I don't see where the pretentiousness is in The Royal Tenebaums. There's a reason these "hip" directors are trying to make films that veer away from the norm - the norm is usually crap. My only complaint about it is that I wish it were longer - there's a cut scene on the DVD that had me in stiches.
Rating:
Summary: be ready...
Review: "The Royal Tenenbaums" was a dryly humored, slow-paced, anderson/wilson taste of modern-day nearly-nonfiction. i loved it! fans of wes anderson and the wilson brothers' earlier collaborations "Rushmore" and "Bottle Rocket" will immediately feel "Tenenbaums"'s same sarcastic, melodramatic, almost-too-guilty-to-laugh humor that rivals max fischer's entire existence. but this film is not for everyone. if your favorite types of humor are romantic comedy, or farrelly brothers comedy (something about mary), or that teenage "Orange County" brand, then why the [bleeped word] are you even looking at this? go. get out. shoo! this is definitely for those with a dry sense of humor. IMHO, dave foley (newsradio, kids in the hall) wouldn't do too badly in a wes anderson picture. this isn't a trite film full of spiteful witticism and degradation, but the off-beat/off-camera character traits, remniscent of "i am sam" or "magnolia", will definitely have you thinking and understanding that the characters are nearly real people. i found myself saying, "i soooo know that guy!!!" pretty often. so enjoy. and i agree with my predecessor: if you don't like this film...learn more about film!
Rating:
Summary: Love it or Hate it.
Review: I watched the DVD last night before I had read a review. I thought the film was wonderful. Imagine my surprise to read these reviews and find most reviewers give it one star or five stars. Doesn't seem to be much in-between. I can't berate those reviewers who panned the film, the film just didn't work for them as it did for me. I gave it five stars. I did not care for Bottle Rocket or Rushmore from the same director but The Royal Tenenbaums is terrific. The cast is first rate of course, most of the negative reviews commented on the plot and did not pan the cast. The plot? Its about a father (Gene Hackman as Royal Tenenbaum) alienated from his dysfunctional family. Broke and thrown out of the hotel he has lived in for many years, he manipulates his way back into the household only to discover he really does care about these people. The family has problems because he wasn't around and he tries to make things right. That's it. There is a lot going on but that is essentially the story. The circumstances and the dialog rings true. If you do not see yourself in anyone on the screen, check in a few years. There you might be. Everytime I hear the term The Golden Age of Movies I have to ask to which era are you refering? For some people it is the thirties, for some the forties, for some the fifties and the last of the MGM musicals. I love all the old films but for me the Golden Age is now and it is films like The Royal Tenenbaums that confirm it.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic!
Review: I loved Rushmore, yet waited and waited to see (and buy) this movie after reading a few mediocre reviews which I now know were completely misguided. This is an outstanding film - - highly entertaining, with amazing performances, an interesting storyline and fascinating characters. I also greatly enjoyed Wes Anderson's commentary, which helped me to appreciate just how much detail went into the planning of the set dress, music selections, and other aspects of the film.
Rating:
Summary: beautiful!
Review: i won't bother going into detail about the movie, if you're reading this you've probably seen it, and enjoyed it just as i did. i want to talk about the dvd itself. it is a masterpiece of it's own right.
first there's the artwork. the beautiful drawings and watercolors are here, including detailed drawings of the rooms of the tenenbaum home. they're wonderful, as is the packaging, a lovely slipcase hiding the true gem: a watercolor depicting richie and mordecai. elegant is the word.
secondly, the dvd is set up by chapter, just as the movie is split up. this is the way wes anderson intended it to be viewed, and it works well. the transfer is great (the person who claimed "yellow skin tones" in his review obviously bought his from a street vendor. this is widescreen kids, so sit close if you have a smaller television like me. it's worth it....to pan and scan this movie would be a sin. the sound quality is excellent through any modest home theater application.
i also have to talk features. a few deleted scenes are deleted for just that, they do nothing to enhance the movie, but an extra scene at eli's is hilarious. there are tons of interviews, full commentary that i'm still weeding through....hours of additional entertainment. if you liked ths movie, you'll love the dvd.
and now briefly. this movie is not pretentious. anyone can enjoy it, not just art snobs. but you have to have a real sense of humor. by this, i mean, finding more than "american pie" funny. and you don't have to be a film student to realize that this is a beautiful movie to watch. so to those people who gave this film bad reviews--sorry you didn't get it. to those of you unsure...rent before you buy.
Rating:
Summary: For the smart people in the world
Review: From reading the 1 star reviews given for this fine film, I have concluded that those who don't like it are into movies that fit easy categorization, or quite simply "easy" movies. I just know I am going to hear or read at some point, "That movie was to hard for me. Let's watch Ace Ventura." Wes Anderson is one of American cinema's few bright lights, and a true auteur. His films defy categorization. They are smart, witty, incredibly shot and edited. Go out and buy it, you'll like it. I particularly enjoyed the reviewer who kept spelling "subtle" as "suttle."
Rating:
Summary: Malfunctional Family Fun!
Review: Royal Tenenbaums is an erratic, yet smooth, cinematic experience. The erratic presence of the selfish Royal in the upbringing of the three children Chas, Margot, and Richie, leaves an element of worry within the later grown up children. Royal is searching for a way of paying his dues in order to fix his predicaments with his past. The films erratic element, i.e., editing and staging, lends support to the films theme and goal. In the end the whole films sums up with an exposed smoothness that leaves the audience contemplating.
Rating:
Summary: Very funny, ultimately very moving
Review: This movie does something very rare. Throughout the first act, and into the second, it comes across as somewhat detached and disaffected. I was intrigued by the characters and the lives they lead, but felt like an outsider to their world. By the end of the film, I was moved to tears and felt that I really understood these people. How this was accomplished in 110 minutes, I can't say for sure. But I've revisited the film several times as a result. Simply put, this film is so rich in detail it truly rewards repeat viewings. While not always "laugh out loud funny," it never loses its sense of humor. Often absurdist humor, which is one of the things I love about it. Music plays an important role in this movie, as it seems Wes Anderson has a knack for matching the right song for any given scene. I never thought I'd hear the Velvet Underground's "Stephanie Says" used so perfectly (actually, I never expected to hear it in a movie at all). Anderson is right up there with directors like Martin Scorsese and Spike Lee in the ability to complement and enhance a scene with a song. I don't want to get into a laundry list of all the great things about this film; that has been sufficiently covered by many other reviewers. This is a film where all the elements came together just right and lightning struck.
| 
