The eccentric members of a dysfunctional family reluctantly gather under the same roof for various reasons.The eccentric members of a dysfunctional family reluctantly gather under the same roof for various reasons.The eccentric members of a dysfunctional family reluctantly gather under the same roof for various reasons.
- Nominated for 1 Oscar
- 11 wins & 46 nominations total
Alec Baldwin
- Narrator
- (voice)
Irina Gorovaia
- Young Margot Tenenbaum
- (as Irene Gorovaia)
Arianna Turturro
- Young Richie Tenenbaum
- (as Amedeo Turturro)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Wes Anderson Films as Ranked by IMDb Rating
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe hand that is seen with the BB lodged between its knuckles is not Ben Stiller's, but Andrew Wilson's, brother of Owen Wilson and Luke Wilson. When they were children, Owen fired a BB gun at Andrew's hand and the BB has been there ever since.
- GoofsArtist Elliott Puckette's name is badly misspelled in the credits (her paintings appear in the film).
- Crazy creditsThe film title first appears on a library book being checked out, then several of the books are seen, and finally the book cover becomes a title card.
- Alternate versionsThe version shown at the New York Film Festival and some other pre-release screenings used the original Beatles version of "Hey Jude" for the opening introduction. The final version used a new instrumental recording of the song arranged by Mark Mothersbaugh and performed by his Mutato Muzika Orchestra.
- ConnectionsFeatured in The 59th Annual Golden Globe Awards (2002)
- SoundtracksHey Jude
Written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney
Published by Sony/ATV Tunes LLC
Produced by Mark Mothersbaugh
Performed by The Mutato Muzika Orchestra
Featured review
I loved this film.
The Tenenbaum's dysfunction (while amplified for the screen) is quite an accurate portrayal of family life. Families are, essentially, groups of people living in each other's pockets, and, invariably, those people who love you and hate you the most.
Don't get me wrong, Royal and his (thermo)nuclear family of brilliant buffoons do not represent my family (or any other in the world I think!) but the family united against a miscreant father is a motif a lot of people can understand. It is this common humanity that really appeals to me as a film watcher, and what, ultimately made this film so very memorable to me.
The ensemble cast is astonishingly proficient. They all lend a perfect quirkiness to the roles. Anjelica Houston is the perfect former Mrs Royal Tenenbaum, down to the smallest nuance, Ben Stiller and Luke Wilson turn in wonderful performances, and this is the only role I've seen Gwenyth Paltrow in where I actually thought she was someone other than Gwenyth Paltrow (this is not an insult, it's just that people don't always do it for everyone, you know...?). Bill Murray, Gene Hackman, Owen Wilson, all excellent, all the time.
The black comedy counterbalanced with the drama of the issues raised in this film left me feeling like I'd witnessed a film event, rather than just another film. I loved every frame of it, from the Baldwin narrated opening, to the final tying up of ends. It never dwelled on melodrama, or the more potentially unsavoury elements, and it didn't sink into the schmaltzy "We all love each other" end it could well have. It began perfectly, and it ended perfectly.
I can't recommend this movie more highly. It's a must see for anyone who loves quirky and emotive storytelling, great characters and beautiful dialogue.
10/10
The Tenenbaum's dysfunction (while amplified for the screen) is quite an accurate portrayal of family life. Families are, essentially, groups of people living in each other's pockets, and, invariably, those people who love you and hate you the most.
Don't get me wrong, Royal and his (thermo)nuclear family of brilliant buffoons do not represent my family (or any other in the world I think!) but the family united against a miscreant father is a motif a lot of people can understand. It is this common humanity that really appeals to me as a film watcher, and what, ultimately made this film so very memorable to me.
The ensemble cast is astonishingly proficient. They all lend a perfect quirkiness to the roles. Anjelica Houston is the perfect former Mrs Royal Tenenbaum, down to the smallest nuance, Ben Stiller and Luke Wilson turn in wonderful performances, and this is the only role I've seen Gwenyth Paltrow in where I actually thought she was someone other than Gwenyth Paltrow (this is not an insult, it's just that people don't always do it for everyone, you know...?). Bill Murray, Gene Hackman, Owen Wilson, all excellent, all the time.
The black comedy counterbalanced with the drama of the issues raised in this film left me feeling like I'd witnessed a film event, rather than just another film. I loved every frame of it, from the Baldwin narrated opening, to the final tying up of ends. It never dwelled on melodrama, or the more potentially unsavoury elements, and it didn't sink into the schmaltzy "We all love each other" end it could well have. It began perfectly, and it ended perfectly.
I can't recommend this movie more highly. It's a must see for anyone who loves quirky and emotive storytelling, great characters and beautiful dialogue.
10/10
- mneilson-2
- Nov 8, 2004
- Permalink
24 Frames From Wes Anderson Films
24 Frames From Wes Anderson Films
Explore the memorable career of Wes Anderson through 24 stills from his movies.
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official site
- Languages
- Also known as
- Los excéntricos Tenenbaums
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $21,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $52,364,010
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $276,981
- Dec 16, 2001
- Gross worldwide
- $71,442,210
- Runtime1 hour 50 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.39 : 1
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