In the wake of Halloween, it’s time to begin the slow transition from fall into winter. Don’t worry, we still have Thanksgiving to look forward to before the peppermint and freezing temperatures truly sink in—but we’re starting that inevitable shift away from spooky season.
And what better way to kick that off than with one of my favorite sad fall films, Wes Anderson’s masterclass in melancholia—”The Royal Tenenbaums.”
It’s fair to say that all of Anderson’s films have a certain autumnal quality about them. Perhaps it’s the rich color schemes, and the way reds and yellows and oranges seem to recur throughout his filmography. Maybe it’s the way he constantly gravitates towards irreverent stories about relationships, familial or otherwise—a trait that I think we, as humans, associate with fall and winter because of the encroaching holiday season.
“The Royal Tenenbaums” was one of Anderson’s first truly big successes as a director and exhibits a star-studded cast—as is usual for Anderson. Among others, Gwenyth Paltrow, Gene Hackman, Ben Stiller and brothers Luke and Owen Wilson are chiefly responsible for putting together the titular family, and they do so with incredible skill.
In my opinion, this movie represents some of Anderson’s best writing. It’s undoubtedly one of his best films overall, but the script in particular is especially compelling. This is quite possibly the film in which Anderson manages to walk the tightrope between comedy and drama with the most ease, making room for moments that make the audience cry, and then including a joke or gag that is so effortless that it somehow cures that ache.
But a good script isn’t enough to make a masterpiece. Luckily, with a cast containing the names listed above, a cinematographer with an eye for color like Robert Yeoman—Anderson’s longtime cinematographer, also listed on films like “The Grand Budapest Hotel” and “Moonrise Kingdom”— and a visionary director like Anderson, with his iconic love for symmetry and mise-en-scene, it suddenly becomes difficult for this film in particular to fail.
And, finally, it’s no different from Anderson’s other films in terms of how beautifully structured every scene is. Every set is meticulously detailed, and the composition of nearly every shot is incredibly complex. Anderson’s iconic structural style is present in every frame, no matter how brief. Each character is distinctly dressed and costumed, and it’s no surprise that the Tenebaum children have become a recurring group costume for Halloween since the film’s release in 2001.
“The Royal Tenenbaums” is a masterclass in everything that makes movies great. From its casting to its direction to its set dressing, nearly every individual element of this movie is a roaring success. On top of that, it’s an incredibly compelling watch! Anderson drives the plot with his classic whimsical air, and even though there are some hard-hitting moments, the film is truly a triumph—not to mention perfect for the strange period of limbo that yawns between Halloween and winter break.
