Rating- * * * * * (5/5)
In an era when sexual humor and bathroom humor reign supreme in the comedy genre, it’s very surprising that The Royal Tenenbaums is doing so well at the box office. Writer/director Wes Anderson’s (Rushmore) offbeat sense of humor is an acquired taste, to say the least. But as I was watching and laughing (quite often), I began to think about why it seemed so offbeat. Is it because it’s weird and artsy? Or is it simply because it has a shred of maturity and class to it? Not that I completely hate the standard brand of gross, immature comedy; it’s fun and it helps you act like the kid we all wish we still were. However, the art of making an intelligent comedy has been lost on us for the past decade or so, and it’s more than just a little refreshing to see it return. If you’re as cynical as I am about modern big-budgets, an all-star cast usually means all glitter and no gold. This just can’t be said for The Royal Tenenbaums. The film features career-best performances by Gene Hackman, as an aging former-millionaire trying to get his family back; Angelica Huston, as his amazingly stable wife; Gwyneth Paltrow, as the disturbed adopted daughter who has been a playwright since the age of 9; Ben Stiller, as the anal-retentive son who is so ambitious that he made his first million before he could drive; and Owen Wilson, as the neighbor boy that grows up to be a self-destructive novelist. The story is told in short vignettes showing the evolution of the very ingenious and very dysfunctional Tennenbaum family. My favorite scene involves Hackman’s character, Royal, taking Ben Stiller’s two sons, Royal’s grandson’s, out for a day of madness. The discomfort of the clearly sheltered children contrast so sharply to Royal’s uninhibited spirit, it makes you wonder who is really the child. The funniest moments in the film come between Bill Murray’s character and his research subject, a nerdy teenage boy whose strange brain disorder makes him unable to discern shapes or words, and to the boy’s surprise, is colorblind as well. Of all the comedies I’ve seen this year, The Royal Tenenbaums certainly has the most thoughtful and probably the funniest script. It also has a distinctly unique visual style that makes the whole movie look like a 1960’s filmstrip. The Royal Tenenbaums will be a comedy classic for years to come and I hope its quirky, intellectual humor becomes a new trend for comedic filmmaking.