Another Royal Family

‘ONE of the biggest hit movies of the year did not come from a big-name director like Spielberg or Cameron or Scott, but from a little-known geek called Wes Anderson.

At a video shop near you

His last film, Rushmore, about an overachieving high-school nerd with an obsessive crush on his teacher was something of a cult hit and single-handedly resurrected Bill Murray’s career.

Murray is just one of the big names in The Royal Tenenbaums, Anderson’s brilliant take on dysfunctional families, new out on video. Gene Hackman plays Royal Tenenbaum, family patriarch and pariah.

Having abandoned his wife (Angelica Huston) and three precocious children years ago, he’s now trying to worm his way back into their affections by pretending he’s dying of cancer. Unsurprisingly, when his ruse is rumbled, his family is not best pleased.

The film may be a comedy, but it’s not the kind filled with punchlines (although there are plenty of droll one-liners) – the humour is all in the characterisation.

The Tenenbaums are a family of eccentrics, especially in adulthood: Ben Stiller’s safety obsessive, Gwyneth Paltrow’s depressed playwright and Luke Wilson’s failed tennis pro, still sporting his Bjorn Borg hair and sweatbands.

It’s a great antidote to your standard Hollywood blockbuster, and far funnier than anything new on Blockbuster’s shelves right now.

‘

Posted: 28th, August 2002 | In: Celebrities Comment | TrackBack | Permalink