[[quoteright:350:http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/royal_tenenbaums.jpg]]

Probably the first Wes Anderson film to really hit the mainstream. It also got Luke Wilson and Owen Wilson nominated for [[AcademyAward the Oscar for best original screenplay]].

''The Royal Tenenbaums'' is about the Tenenbaum family.
* Royal Tenenbaum (Gene Hackman): former lawyer. The patriarch, distant and boozing, treats his kids very inequally. Is separated from...
* Etheline Tenenbaum (Anjelica Huston): archeologist. Spent most of her early life schooling her three genius children...
** Chas Tenenbaums (Ben Stiller): Financial wizard. Went into business for himself at an early age selling Dalmatian mice. Had his father disbarred for stealing bonds out of his safety deposit box.
** Margot Tenenbaum (Gwyneth Paltrow): Playwright. Known for her secrecy (isn't that an oxymoron?). Hasn't written a play in years. Spends most of her time smoking in the bathroom.
** Richie Tenenbaum (Luke Wilson): Famous tennis player, known as The Baumer. Secretly in love with his adopted sister Margot. Very hairy and very sad.

Other important characters include:
* Eli Cash (Owen Wilson): Richie's childhood friend. Now a famous author.
* Raleigh St. Clair (Bill Murray): Margot's psychologist husband.
* Henry Sherman (Danny Glover): The new object of Etheline's affection, also an accountant.
* Pagoda (Kumar Pallana): The Tenenbaums' servant. He both saved and endangered Royal Tenenbaum's life.

The movie depicts Royal's attempts at getting closer to his family during a battle with stomach cancer. Like most Wes Anderson films, it is marked with quirky sets and costumes, as well as much deadpan humor.
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!!Provides examples of:
* BigScrewedUpFamily
* BlackComedy
* BraidsBeadsAndBuckskins: Eli Cash.
* CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming: Near the beginning, when Margot gets off the bus to meet Richie, and {{Nico}}'s [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_z_UEuEMAo ''These Days'']] starts playing...
* FourFingeredHands: Margot, after an accident.
** With the consequential [[FingerlessGloves alteration of her gloves]].
* GeneHunting: Margot attempts this at 14. It doesn't end well [[spoiler:(see above)]].
* GuessWhoImMarrying: Only it's the ex-husband who has a problem with this more than the kids.
** Chas is less than stoked, at first.
* HeyItsThatGuy: Kumar Pallana is in every Wes Anderson movie. Bill Murray and the Wilson brothers (natch) are also repeat offenders.
* IncestIsRelative
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Royal treads the line between this and full blown {{Jerkass}}.
* LimitedWardrobe: One of the few live action examples. Every Tenenbaums child has a uniform that doesn't really change throughout the film/their entire lives.
** Chas then retires his (and his sons') when [[spoiler: Royal dies.]]
* LoveDodecahedron: Margot is desired by no fewer than three men in the movie itself, and we see flashbacks to several other failed relationships.
* OverprotectiveDad: Chas, since his wife died.
* PresentDayPast: Although the characters age approximately twenty years between the prologue and the "present day" of the movie, it's still kinda the seventies...with some current music and technology.
* PrettyInMink: Margot. She always seemed to have a mink coat she would wear whenever she felt like it, even as a girl.
* RedemptionEqualsDeath: Though it takes a while for [[spoiler: Royal]] to find out.
* SceneryPorn: Every set is adorable and quirky. YMMV.
* TeenGenius: All three Tenenbaum children are subversions/deconstructions.
* TheUnfavorite: Margot, who is never allowed to forget that she's adopted, and that she's not a "real" member of the family.
* UnfunnyAneurysmMoment: [[spoiler:Richie's]] suicide attempt becomes painful to watch after [[spoiler:Owen Wilson's]] own suicide attempt years later (even though it was [[spoiler: his brother's]] character that did it)
** And to make it doubly painful, the song playing through the scene ("Needle in the Hay") was written and preformed by Elliott Smith, who later died of an apparent suicide.
* WalkingTheEarth: Or sailing the Earth, which Richie did after he learned Margot was married.
* [[YoureNotMyFather You're Not My Father]]: Royal pulls a variant on Margot, and gets it thrown back in his face.
-->Royal: (''talking about Henry'') He's not your father.
-->Margot: Neither are you.
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