Rating: 
Summary: Fun Fun Fun Film
Review: The Royal Tennenbaums. Presented as a book to film adaptation, it is so quirkily brilliant, that you may just watch it with your mouth hanging open and alternatively laughing at the sheer brilliance of its stupidity.First of all, this film has some of filmdoms greatest actors in it: Gene Hackman, Angelica Huston, and Gwyneth Paltrow. I'm not a huge fan of Bill Murray, the brothers Wilson, or Ben Stiller, but they are all quite good in this film (Owen Wilson is the writer of this film). The story follows the Tennanbaum family: father: Hackman; mother: Huston; adopted genius playwrite daughter: Paltrow; financial and real estate genius son: Stiller; tennis prodigy son: L. Wilson; famous author neighbor: O. Wilson from the childhood of the kids and then jumps to their disappointing adulthoods. Hackman is a slimy attorney who left the family when the kids were young, having robbed them blind and squandered it. He was charged with a crime at one of his son's bequest and disbarred, eventually becoming destitute. The film basically follows his attempt to ingratiate himself with the family again, when he discovers that his wife, from whom he has been separated for 16 years, may be seeking a divorce to marry the family's accontant (Danny Glover). This film is so detailed and humorous, I don't want to provide more information than necessary. Suffice it to say that it is surely worthy of a close inspection.
Rating: 
Summary: A Great Film, and an Even Better DVD!
Review: The Royal Tenenbaums is the kind of film that you will be talking about long after you've seen it, and trying your hardest to convince literally everyone you know to see it as well. The plot revolves around Royal Tenenbaum, played by Gene Hackman, who split up with his wife, Etheline, while their three genius children were still in their youth. Growing up each with their own special skills, they hit their peak too early on in life, and the family drifted apart. Now, quite some years later, they reunite, and all come together in a humorous, yet somewhat saddening way. Ben Stiller plays the role of Chas Tenenbaum, a genius accountant, who started buying property at the tender age of ten. Chas's two children are well-loved by their father, yet Chas himself is all-together overprotective of them. The lovely Gwyneth Paltrow gives a dazzling performance as Margot Tenenbaum, a prodigy of a playwright, who as a child, was awarded a $50,000.00 grant for one of her plays. She is now married to the fabulous Bill Murray's character, Raleigh St. Claire, who loves his wife, but has doubts as to whether or not she loves him back. Luke Wilson is absolutely stunning as Richie Tenenbaum, a tennis pro, who is only trying to keep the peace within the Tenenbaum family. Eli Cash is played by co-writer of the film, Owen Wilson, and delivers an on-screen performance that rivals his fantastic work in the wonderful Bottle Rocket. Eli is a childhood friend of the Tenenbaums, and currently a writer of incredibly cheesy western novels. He has always wanted to be a Tenenbaum, and his adult life harbors a rather dark secret. Etheline is now set to marry Mr. Sherman, played by Danny Glover, and Royal himself claims to be dying of stomach cancer, therefore bringing the entire Tenenbaum family together once again. The Royal Tenenbaums is one of those rare films which you don't quite want to turn off, even well after the credits are rolling. The sheer pureness of the script, the cast, and the director all come together in something that is genuinely satisfying. Never since Bottle Rocket or Rushmore have I been so spellbound with a movie in my whole life. Altogether, a great film rich in heart and emotional spirit, and delivers laughs that are subtle and genuine. The Criterion Collection Two-Disc DVD loads up on well-deserved special features that include full commentary, interviews, and the great quality picture and sound that DVD owners have come to expect. Altogether, a terrific movie, and yet, an even better DVD.
Rating: 
Summary: Bearer of bad tidings...
Review: Well, everyone wants to talk about the characters... The only character worth his paycheck in the farce of a film is Mr. Pagoda. Literally, the only thing that struck me as humorous about this film was the story about Pagoda stabbing Gene Hackman and then taking him to the hospital to save his life. Then, Pagoda proceeds to stab him again during the film. That, and the fact that Pagoda was the only character with an ounce of wits about him makes him the only character worth caring about in this film. Instead of ranking this movie as a comedy, it should be labeled "Delusional Genius Movie". The only people I know that liked this film are people that "think" they are sooooooo smart and above the run of the mill "dysfunctional family" comedies. If you are looking for a movie that you can laugh at, take a pass on this one.
Rating:
Summary: Make sure your rent this first!
Review: Please dont make the mistake that I made and purchase this DVD before renting it. This movie was aweful! Im a fan of practically all of the actors in the movie, and they all did a good job with the characters they played. But the story line and how the director goes about telling it stinks. The narration was different, and definatly took getting used to. At the beginning of the movie, the narrarator didnt bother me, but thirty minutes into the movie, it got a little hard to handle. The movie was also divided into chapeters like a book. For example, as soon as something different was happening, a sign popped up on the screen saying "Chapter 2" and then going into the next scene. The movie had a few funny moments, but not funny enough to make you laugh out loud. To sum up, its just a little hard to watch without getting bored. My wife went to bed half way thorugh the movie because she thought it was bad. I forced myself to finish, thinking, praying that it would pick up. Sadly, that was not the case. Some people may like this movie, but like I said, before you waste your money buying this DVD, go and rent it.
Rating: 
Summary: One thumb down, one halfway up
Review: My husband couldn't wait to buy this DVD (we hadn't seen it in the theater), but halfway through he asked if we could get our money back! He didn't want to see the rest of it. I rather liked it, so the rating is an average of ours. I thought parts of it were quite amusing, such as the children resembling their adult personae and the younger son's name Uzi(!). Alec Baldwin did a good job as the narrator, and the acting was excellent. I just do not find neuroses particularly funny, and I felt Bill Murray was wasted. I'm not sorry I watched it, but I would not choose to watch it again.
Rating: 
Summary: I film vapidly desperate to prove it's quirkiness
Review: While others found this film to be "clever" and "witty," I found it to be pretentious and pointless. The whole plot is some kind of clever and insightful story about a crude and horrible man who wants his for-too-long-neglected family's money. His family, of course, features the most "comedic" and "quirky" of people: The neglected and emotionless playwrite daughter, the washed-up tennis player, the paranoid maniac who never got over the loss of his wife, and the dorky but loveable ex-wife. *sigh* Gee, how deep and pseudo-clever.
Well, if you want to see "art" at it's worst or how to fool everybody into thinking your are clever, take notes on this movie. Otherwise, see something with REAL substance.
Rating:
Summary: Weird, wonderful stuff
Review: I was expecting big things from the directors and writers of "Rushmore" and "Tenenbaums" met my expectations. When I first saw the film, I wasn't quite sure what to think and I was even a little bit dissapointed by the cinematography and plot, but the whole thing kind of grows on you. The acting is excellent; each character has his or her own subtleties and nuances. Where Rushmore only had three well-developed characters (IMHO; Max, Blume, and Mrs. Cross), Tenenbaums provides a veritable cornucopia of well-developed, wonderfully eccentric characters. The dialogue tends to be somewhat sparse, but each character says exactly what they need to say at any given moment. Finally, there are the nuances that make this film worth watching again and again, from the wall decorations (at the Tenenbaum house and at Cash's house) to the quirky asides and flashbacks. Another nice touch is the vaguely antiquarian nature of the film; although there are many references that the movie takes place in recent years, the whole thing feels more like a relic of a previous generation, a discarded remnant of the 1970s, perhaps.
Buy this movie! See it! Enjoy it!
Rating:
Summary: Just not up to it
Review: It must be my taste in films, but this movie was drudgery to watch. I like the work of Hackman, especially lately with Under Suspicion, The Heist, and Heartbreakers. I like the work Paltrow and Huston have done. Bill Murray and Danny Glover _can_ be great, but the material here is so tediously presented, I thought I was watching a Kevein Smith film.
Eccentric characters are fine, but these people are not just unlikeable and disfunctional, they're vapid, which is inexcusable in a big screen film. Not to mention, this subject has been much better handled in I'm Losing You, which has wonderful humor and emotional power.
In the vernacular, I give it a thumbs down.
Rating:
Summary: JT LEROY SAY BUY THIS DVD!
Review: If ya got any doubt bout the genius of this film and its creators, this DVD shalt vanquish any such foolishly entertained thoughts!
Rating:
Summary: Wow...
Review: Wes Anderson is probably the most talented film director this country has had the honor of having in a long time. All of his films moved me so much, I just have to praise him for it. Anderson has the ability take a script, a cast, and a brilliant story and create something beautiful out of it. Beauty that no one can really put their finger on, beauty that's just there. You can feel it in your bones as you watch his work, a sort of gentle intelligence that has inspired my life so much. It is difficult for me to relate to other 16-year-olds my age, because it is impossible to explain the depths of his type of work to such simple minds as those. You either get it or you don't, and to be able to understand this is one of the greatest gifts I have ever been given. After watching this film, I knew I had to see it again, and again, and again, and again, etc. When I hopefully earn my career as a professional film actor, I hope to one day be able to star in one of his works of art, if he's still making movies at the time. For years, I have watched Rushmore with a sort of mental mindset that this was my favorite film of all time. After just recently seeing Bottle Rocket, I couldn't decide between Rushmore's unrelentless sympathy and Bottle Rocket's sleek style and imagination. Along comes The Royal Tenenbaums. A piece of cinema that is the absolute epiphany of everything that a film both is and should be. You don't just enjoy a movie like this, you respect it. You show the utmost respect for everyone and everything that went into making a masterpiece such as this. If I could, I would take the entire cast and crew into one big room and spend the day with them all, asking questions, having discussions about anything and everything. I love this movie, and I hope that one day, I will be able to work in something as brilliant, something as epic as this, and also work with people on the same level as the group of creative artists that are involved with this film. Definitely Criterion status, and I can only hope to someday meet anyone involved with this movie and say "thank you."
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