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By Joanne Hilty
Special to the Rappahannock News
“The Royal Tenenbaums,” an appealingly quirky comedy starring Gene Hackman. Anjelica Huston, Gwyneth Paltrow, Ben Stiller, Luke Wilson, Owen Wilson and Danny Glover, shows at The Theatre on Gay Street in Washington, Va. on1 Friday. Feb. 15 at 8 p.m.
In their youth, the Tbnenbaums. an eccentric New York family, were extraordinary. They were all geniuses. Royal Tenenbaum (Gene Hackman) was a successful litigator. His wife Etheline < Angelica Huston) raised their children to be ambitious, entrepreneurial and creative-then published an acclaimed book about her childrearing techniques.
Adopted daughter Margot (Gwyneth Paltrow) was a gifted playwright. Son Chas (Ben Stiller) was a masterful busi- 1 nessman with a taste for real estate. And the other son, Richie (Luke Wilson), was a natural y tennis champ.
However, when Royal packed up his life and left his wife and his family in a cloud of betrayal, everything fell apart. Twenty years later, the Ihnenbaums are a dejected and alienated bunch, each having found that their early successes did not carry over into adulthood.
When washed-up Royal learns that his distant wife Etheline, who has become an archaeologist, may remarry, he feigns illness as an excuse to reunite with his estranged family.
The acting is a nonstop delight. Hackman excels as a charming rogue who never fully reforms. Huston, the movie’s moral center, again shows herself to be among our most talented actresses.
Paltrow never cracks a hint of a smile as the faux-fur wearing Margot, whose morose demeanor and stubborn secretiveness attract and repel at the same time. Stiller discards most of his deadpan humor in favor of a darkly irrational dramatic character whose pain and anger bubble just under the surface.
Wes Anderson as the director introduces the story via narration by an expressionless Alec Baldwin, who reappears in voiceover every so often throughout the movie after introducing us to the Tbnenbaums. The setup is great as Anderson paints his characters with meticulous originality.
His strength also lies in the details: with scenes shot in parts of New York you’ve never seen, retro decor from a number of eras, grainy colors and a soundtrack with everything from the Beatles to The Ramones, it’s never clear exactly where or when the Tlenenbaums live. The acting and writing talent make this depressing family worth watching.
The film is rated R and runs 108 minutes.
84.5%