The Royal Tenenbaums
Updated: 12/10/2025, 5:25:30 PM Wikipedia source
The Royal Tenenbaums is a 2001 American comedy-drama film directed by Wes Anderson and co-written with Owen Wilson. It stars Danny Glover, Gene Hackman, Anjelica Huston, Bill Murray, Gwyneth Paltrow, Ben Stiller, Luke Wilson, and Owen Wilson. Ostensibly based on a nonexistent novel, and told with a narrative influenced by the writing of J. D. Salinger, it follows the lives of three gifted siblings who experience great success in youth, and even greater disappointment and failure in adulthood. The children's eccentric father, Royal Tenenbaum (Hackman), leaves them in their adolescent years and returns to them after they have grown, claiming he has a terminal illness. He works on reconciling with his children and wife (Huston), from whom he has been separated, but not divorced. With a variety of influences, including Louis Malle's 1963 film The Fire Within and Orson Welles' 1942 film The Magnificent Ambersons, the story involves themes of the dysfunctional family, lost greatness, and redemption. An absurdist and ironic sense of humor pervades the film, which features a soundtrack subsequently released in two albums. The Royal Tenenbaums was shot in and around New York City, including a house in Harlem used for the Tenenbaum residence. The filmmakers went to efforts to distinguish the film's backgrounds from a recognizable New York, with fashions and sets combining the appearances of different time periods. After debuting at the New York Film Festival, The Royal Tenenbaums received positive reviews from critics and was Anderson's most financially successful film until 2014's The Grand Budapest Hotel. Hackman won a Golden Globe for Best Actor - Musical or Comedy for his performance at the 59th Golden Globe Awards, and Anderson and Wilson were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay at the 74th Academy Awards. In 2016, it was included in BBC's 100 Greatest Films of the 21st Century.
Infobox
Tables
| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref(s) |
| Academy Awards | March 24, 2002 | Best Original Screenplay | Wes Anderson and Owen Wilson | Nominated | |
| American Cinema Editors | February 24, 2002 | Best Edited Feature Film – Comedy or Musical | Dylan Tichenor | Nominated | |
| American Film Institute | January 5, 2002 | Featured Actor of the Year – Male – Movies | Gene Hackman | Won | |
| Art Directors Guild | February 23, 2002 | Excellence in Production | David Wasco, Carl Sprague, Adam Scher and Doug Huszti | Nominated | |
| British Academy Film Awards | February 24, 2002 | Best Original Screenplay | Wes Anderson and Owen Wilson | Nominated | |
| Broadcast Film Critics Association | January 11, 2002 | Best Acting Ensemble | Nominated | ||
| Chicago Film Critics Association | February 25, 2002 | Best Screenplay | Wes Anderson and Owen Wilson | Nominated | |
| Best Actor | Gene Hackman | Won | |||
| Costume Designers Guild | March 16, 2002 | Excellence in Contemporary Film | Karen Patch | Won | |
| Golden Globes | January 20, 2002 | Best Actor – Musical or Comedy | Gene Hackman | Won | |
| Guldbagge Awards | February 3, 2003 | Best Foreign Film | Wes Anderson | Nominated | |
| National Society of Film Critics | January 4, 2002 | Best Actor | Gene Hackman | Won | |
| New York Film Critics Circle | December 13, 2001 | Best Screenplay | Wes Anderson and Owen Wilson | Runner-up | |
| Satellite Awards | January 19, 2002 | Best Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical | Wes Anderson | Nominated | |
| Best Actor, Comedy or Musical | Gene Hackman | Nominated | |||
| Best Supporting Actress, Comedy or Musical | Anjelica Huston | Nominated | |||
| Gwyneth Paltrow | Nominated | ||||
| Best Supporting Actor, Comedy or Musical | Ben Stiller | Nominated | |||
| Owen Wilson | Nominated | ||||
| Toronto Film Critics Association | December 20, 2001 | Best Screenplay | Wes Anderson and Owen Wilson | Runner-up | |
| Best Supporting Actress | Gwyneth Paltrow | Runner-up | |||
| Writers Guild of America | March 2, 2002 | Best Original Screenplay | Wes Anderson and Owen Wilson | Nominated | |
| Young Artist Awards | April 7, 2002 | Best Supporting Young Actress | Irene Gorovaia | Nominated | |
| Best Young Actor Age Ten or Under | Jonah Meyerson | Nominated | |||
| Grant Rosenmeyer | Nominated | ||||
References
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- Formerly listed as a 20th Century Studios film on Disney+ via Hulu.
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