Wes Anderson 5 Reasons The Royal Tenenbaums Is His Best Film (& 5 Alternatives)

Wes Anderson: 5 Reasons The Royal Tenenbaums Is His Best Film (& 5 Alternatives)

Wes Anderson is famed for his unique style, but is Royal Tennenbaums his best movie, or could one of these others take the top spot?

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Director Wes Anderson is one of the most distinct filmmakers working today. His debut film, Bottle Rocket, was released back in 1996, and since then he’s amassed an impressive filmography of 9 features, plus a handful of shorts. His first two films, Bottle Rocket and Rushmore, were both well-received by critics and audiences alike, but his third movie, 2001’s The Royal Tenenbaums, was when he truly hit his stride.

It’s widely considered to be his most impressive and important film, but there are numerous others for which a strong case could be made in this respect.

10 The Royal Tenenbaums Is The Best: Production Design

Nowadays, a Wes Anderson film is defined by its elaborate art direction and production design. Even though Bottle Rocket and Rushmore are great films that established Anderson’s quirky dialogue and bittersweet comedy, it wasn’t until The Royal Tenenbaums that Anderson’s now-signature design elements were first established.

Some critics argue that Anderson has essentially been remaking The Royal Tenenbaums for the past 20 years – on a boat (The Life Aquatic), on a train (The Darjeeling Limited), at a hotel (The Grand Budapest Hotel), etc. This is because once Anderson established his trademark visual style with The Royal Tenenbaums, he never looked back.

9 Alternative: Bottle Rocket

Director Martin Scorsese considers Bottle Rocket one of the top 10 films of the 1990’s. Anderson was just 26 years old when the film was released, and it remains one of the best directorial debuts of the past 30 years. It’s the comic story of two lifelong friends, played by brothers Owen and Luke Wilson, who pursue a life of crime, despite having no idea what such a life entails.

Despite being a crime caper, there’s a disarming innocence at the heart of Bottle Rocket that makes it truly unique within its genre.

8 The Royal Tenenbaums Is The Best: Gene Hackman

Gene Hackman has exactly 100 credits to his name as an actor according to IMDb. His performance as the patriarch of the family, Royal Tenenbaum, is one of his career best, and one of his last – he would retire from acting three years later.

He has reputation for playing hardened tough guys, and so Anderson cast him somewhat against type in the title role. Royal is a flamboyant, charming, oddball of a character who, despite his severe and innumerable flaws, is undeniably lovable. His endearing and enigmatic performance is the heart and soul of the film.

7 Alternative: Rushmore

The famous novel The Catcher in the Rye has never been adapted for the screen, because author J.D. Salinger refused to release the rights. The closest thing to a Cather in the Rye screen adaptation is Wes Anderson’s sophomore effort, Rushmore.

It’s a coming of age story about a prep school teenager who falls in love with the new first-grade teacher, and competes for her affection against his friend, a successful businessman played by Wes Anderson regular Bill Murray. After Bottle Rocket’s indie success, Rushmore put Wes Anderson on the map as an established auteur.

6 The Royal Tenenbaums Is The Best: The Romance

There’s no traditional romance story in The Royal Tenenbaums, but then again, there’s nothing “conventional” about the movie at all. Royal’s hopeless attempt to win back the affections of his estranged wife, Etheline, is sure to put a smile on the face of even the most cynical of viewers.

The single-take walk-and-talk scene in Central Park where Royal sneakily probes into his ex-wife’s love life is one of the best in the film. It explores the film’s themes of regret, loss, and redemption, all in an irresistibly charming fashion.

5 Alternative: Fantastic Mr. Fox

When news broke that Anderson was going to adapt Roald Dahl’s children’s book Fantastic Mr. Fox for the big screen using stop motion animation, it seems as though this would be a great stylistic departure for him. As it turns out, though, Fantastic Mr. Fox is no less a quintessential Wes Anderson movie than any other.

His quirky dialogue, meticulous production design, and subtle humor are all accounted for in this brilliant page-to-screen adaptation that stands to this day as one of Anderson’s most beloved films.

4 The Royal Tenenbaums Is The Best: The Comedy

All of Wes Anderson’s movies are comedies of a sort, but The Royal Tenenbaums is his funniest film by far. The premise of the film – an aging patriarch feigns a terminal illness in order to reconnect with his estranged family – is a devious, dark joke all by itself.

Royal’s attempts to maintain this ruse are rife with sly humor, as are his prodigious children’s responses to his not-so-subtle ploy. As a bonus, Owen Wilson is fantastic as an eccentric author who’s regarded by critics as being “not a genius.”

3 Alternative: Moonrise Kingdom

2012’s Moonrise Kingdom is perhaps Wes Anderson’s most personal film to date. It’s the story of Sam, an orphan boy scout who falls in love with his pen pal, and the two of them run away from their pastoral, secluded island community.

Taking place in 1965, the film is clearly a metaphor for intergenerational rebellion, which defined the time period in which the movie takes place. The audience can’t help but get the impression that Anderson sees himself in Sam, the film’s hopeless romantic anarchist hero.

2 The Royal Tenenbaums Is The Best: The Tragedy

As funny as The Royal Tenenbaums is, it’s equally drenched in melancholy, and even tragedy. Ben Stiller’s Chas is crippled with grief over his wife, who died in a plane crash. Richie Tenenbaum’s loneliness leads him to a suicide attempt, which is graphically depicted in the film’s most upsetting scene. In the end, of course, Royal himself meets his maker, and the final scene takes place at his funeral.

These elements of sadness are what make the film so thematically rich and rewarding. None of Anderson’s other films more effectively combine the three elements of love, loss, and humor.

1 Alternative: The Grand Budapest Hotel

In terms of box office and awards consideration, 2014’s The Grand Budapest Hotel is Anderson’s most successful film to date. It grossed a hugely impressive $172 million worldwide, and garnered 9 Academy Award nominations.

It’s a murder mystery caper set in the fictitious Eastern European country of Zubrowka, at the title Grand Budapest Hotel. The hotel’s concierge, Gustave H., played by a terrific Ralph Fiennes, is the strongest leading man of any Anderson film – except for Royal Tenenbaum, of course.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/wes-anderson-best-film-royal-tenenbaums-alternatives/

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