The Royal Tenenbaums

Writer-director Wes Anderson’s third feature film, The Royal Tenenbaums, is set in New York. That is, the enchanting New York of post-World War II, of glamorous old hotels, of The New Yorker in its prime. Gene Hackman plays Royal Tenenbaum, an absentee father who attempts to reinsert himself into his family by faking terminal illness. The siblings, all former child prodigies who have since self-destructed, have made their way back to their childhood home and under the care of their archeologist mother Etheline (Angelica Huston). Each child—struggling playwright Margot (Gwyneth Paltrow), washed-up tennis pro Richie (Luke Wilson), and tortured widower Chas (Ben Stiller)—must deal with Royal’s return in their own way, while coming to grips with their own disintegrating lives. As with his previous works Bottle Rocket and Rushmore, Anderson blends humor and pathos with just the right touch of sentimentality. Ex-Devo member Mark Mothersbaugh has composed an eclectic soundtrack that includes his own interludes, as well as gems from Nick Drake, Nico, and Elliot Smith. The DVD extras are pretty standard: behind the scenes footage, outtakes, interviews, and the like. But this is one you pick up for the feature, not the bells and whistles.