History Film / TheRoyalTenenbaums

A kind of sister movie to Creator/WesAnderson's later project ''TheLifeAquaticWithSteveZissou'', which has nearly identical cast and a similar (though much more dream-like) atmosphere.

* Etheline Tenenbaum (Anjelica Huston): archeologist. Spent most of her early life schooling her three genius children...

** 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.

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

* Royal Tenenbaum (Gene Hackman): former lawyer. The patriarch, distant and boozing, treats his kids very inequally. Is separated from...

* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler: Royal manages patch things up with his family, even when it comes to light he doesn't actually have cancer. Chas starts to bond with him, Margot starts writing again, and Richie finally acts on his romantic love for his adopted sister. (He only say as such to get his family to talk to him). However he later dies of a heart attack.]]

* BrotherSisterIncest: Subverted; [[spoiler: ADOPTED sister.]]

* GuessWhoImMarrying: Only it's the ex-husband who has a problem with this more than the kids.
** Chas is less than stoked, at first.

** Chas is the inversion of this for most of the movie as an OverprotectiveDad; he becomes this for a few minutes [[spoiler: after chasing down Eli for running down his dog]].

* TheOner

* ParentalFavoritism: Richie is easily the favorite of the family. Royal told everyone he met Margot was adopted, and would introduce her as, "My adopted daughter." Chaz had money stolen from him by Royal several times, usually by way of Royal have contorl over his businesses while he was still a minor, and seems to harbor the most resentment to his father in adulthood. Richie got along well with Royal, who took him to (admittedly seedy) places around the city. When Royal comes back, Richie is the only one who hits it off with him right away, although Royal is a bit disappointed Richie lost his famous match (due to having placed a large bet that he'd win).

* ShoutOut: A brother and sister living in a museum (hiding inside, at night) is more-or-less the plot of E.L. Konigsburg's ''From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler''. Minus the {{Squick}}, as it was a children's novel. Another literary reference: a character in J.D. Salinger's ''Franny and Zooey'' is endlessly in the bathtub, smoking. Wrong gender, though, to be like Margot. However, given the prominence in Salinger's fiction of [[ChildProdigy child prodigies]]--and Manhattan as a setting--it seems unlikely to be coincidental.

* TeenGenius: All three Tenenbaum children are subversions/deconstructions.

** FridgeBrilliance: She lost her left ring finger (the one traditionally used for wedding rings). Considering her many failed marriges and relationships, [[IncrediblyLamePun it seems she just can't keep a ring on her finger.]]

* BigScrewedUpFamily
* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler: Royal manages patch things up with his family, even when it comes to light he doesn't actually have cancer. (He only say as such to get his family to talk to him). However he later dies of a heart attack.]]

Probably the first Wes Anderson film to really hit the mainstream, it was nominated for [[AcademyAward the Oscar for best original screenplay]].

* NotBloodSiblings: Richie and Margot.

* RealLifeRelative: Richie and Eli [[spoiler: who desperately wanted to be a Tenanbaum]] are, of course, real-life brothers.

** Although it makes sense in the emotional sense of the scene, not only did Margot cheat on him, he never even found out that his wife of several years is a smoker, basically showing that he didn't know her at all.
*** Discovering his ignorance of this fact might particularly sting, considering that to observe behavior is mostly what Raleigh does for a living.
*** The fact that ''no one'' knows that she smokes is also something of a RunningGag.

* 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.]]
** Chas's retirement of his wardrobe is a sign of character growth: WordOfGod says that he dressed himself and his sons in bright red track suits at all times so that if there was an emergency in a crowded place, they could spot one another easily. [[spoiler: By retiring this, it shows he's going to stop being so overprotective of his kids.]]

** You could argue Royal invoked this Trope to get his family to forgive him, by way of faking a terminal illness.

* IncestIsRelative

* [[spoiler: BrotherSisterIncest]]: Averted; [[spoiler: ADOPTED sister.]]

* [[spoiler:BungledSuicide: Richie]]

* Henry Sherman (Danny Glover): The new object of Etheline's affection, also an accountant.

''The Royal Tenenbaums'' is a 2001 [[BlackComedy dark comedy]] directed by WesAnderson and written by Anderson and Owen Wilson.

A kind of sister movie to WesAnderson's later project ''TheLifeAquaticWithSteveZissou'', which has nearly identical cast and a similar (though much more dream-like) atmosphere.

* Raleigh St. Clair (BillMurray): Margot's neurologist husband.

* SpiritualSequel: TheLifeAquaticWithSteveZissou.

* ImportantHaircut: Subverted when Richie cuts his hair/shaves [[spoiler: just before a suicide attempt]]

* FootFocus: A barefoot Margot uses her toes to turn a doorknob.

** Chas Tenenbaum (BenStiller): 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.

* TwoDecadesBehind: One can be forgiven for assuming the film takes place in the late '70s or early '80s, until the year "2001" is shown on [spoiler: Royal's tombstone].