The Royal Tenenbaums delivers off-beat comedy

The Royal Tenenbaums tells the story of a classic dysfunctional family with touches of genius, insecurity, skepticism and heartbreak. The movie starts off with a basic introduction of each member of the Tenenbaum family. The eccentric and emotionally unavailable father Royal (Gene Hackman) and his quiet, good-natured wife Etheline (Anjelica Huston) raise three children, Chas, Richie and adopted daughter Margot. Each child is a genius in his/her own right. Chas (Ben Stiller) is a successful businessman, Richie (Luke Wilson) is an talented tennis player and Margot (Gwyneth Paltrow) is a gifted playwright. As the family grows up and the children reach adulthood, each child splits off from the family and seems to develop a psychological complex. Chas is faced with raising his two sons alone after his wife dies in a plane crash. Richie has to admit to himself and others that he is in love with his adopted sister Margot, and Margot's growing contempt for her husband leads her to spend hours chain-smoking and watching daytime television in the bathroom alone while soaking in the tub. Royal, who has been kicked out of his room away from home in the Hotel Lindbergh, comes back on the scene and tries to regain the trust and love of his family by falsely telling his wife and children that he has cancer and only six weeks to live. This odd reunion brings the entire family under one roof, a feat that has not been accomplished in 17 years. Although the movie seems to take a cynical look at the family values present in the Tenenbaum household, The Royal Tenenbaums sends a message of hope to those who may have lost that family closeness over the years. Royal tries to gain the love and respect of his wife and children after years of neglect. His character remains aloof and self-serving throughout the film, but he makes up for his past mistakes in his own way by spending time with his grandsons and letting his wife know that no matter what he did, he still loved her all of those years. The Royal Tenenbaums marks another collaborative effort of director Wes Anderson and writer Owen Wilson who also worked together on Bottle Rocket. The Royal Tenenbaums has the largest cast that Anderson has ever worked with on a film, and he proves successful by creating a moving and comical film about family values and dysfunction. Grade: A