Common Sense Media Review
By Nell Minow , based on child development research. How do we rate?
age 17+
Quirky extended-family story with dry adult humor.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 17+?
Any Positive Content?
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Sex, Romance & Nudity
a lot
Sexual references, including adultery and technical incest (adopted siblings). A picture of a nude woman is shown. A woman grabs another woman's bare breast in a brief flashback scene showing Margot's past love affairs. Kissing.
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Violence & Scariness
a lot
Graphic and bloody attempted suicide. One character loses a finger. A dog gets hit by a car. One friend stabs another. The death of a spouse/mother in a plane crash is mentioned.
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Drinking, Drugs & Smoking
some
Characters drink and smoke. One character is addicted to drugs and drives recklessly while high, another has been smoking secretly since she was a tween.
See AlsoThe Royal Tenenbaums (2002)The Royal Tenenbaums: How Wes Anderson Masterfully Juxtaposes Mise-En-Scene and Narrative — Cinephile PrincessRoyal Tenenbaums, The | Reelviews Movie Reviews5 things you probably never knew about 'The Royal Tenenbaums,' according to the cast and creatorsDid you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.
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Language
some
"F--k," "s--t," and everything in between.
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Products & Purchases
very little
Fast food takeout, Gypsy Cab Co.
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Positive Messages
very little
A portrait of a very dysfunctional extended family, but it shows they care about each other deeply as well. The three Tenenbaum children are pushed to succeed at an early age and suffer in adulthood because of it.
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Positive Role Models
very little
Royal lies about having a terminal illness in order to see his family. Margot, Richie, and Chas are self-destructive. However, the family is still supportive of one another in their own way.
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Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that this movie has very mature material including a graphic and bloody suicide attempt, sexual references and situations (adultery and a possible romance between adopted siblings), and painful issues of betrayal and deception. There are references to a tragic death. An adopted child is made to feel like an outsider. A character has a serious drug abuse problem. Some people may find the light-hearted treatment of these issues offensive and kids will probably miss the dry humor completely. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails.
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
The Royal Tenenbaums
- Parents say (12)
- Kids say (21)
age 15+
Based on 12 parent reviews
doctora Parent of 8-year-old
August 20, 2024
age 17+
Hackman is the strongest of the bunch
I perhaps am in the minority of my friends that did not love this film. I found the characters to be too unlikable and difficult to care about their lives. Hackman is given a lot of room to act all over the place and that part is interesting to watch. But most of the other characters either feel crowded out or disconnected. But Huston taking up so little space...now that's acting.
Katherine R. Parent of 12, 14, 18+, 18+, 18+ and 5-year-old
July 11, 2024
age 18+
who would like this stupid dumb movie
Rate movie
See all 12 parent reviews
What's the Story?
Royal (Gene Hackman) and Etheline (Anjelica Huston) had three children, all of whom were so prodigiously accomplished while still in grade school that they were the subject of books, including one by their mother. Margot (Gwyneth Paltrow) was a playwright, Richie (Luke Wilson) was a tennis champion, and Chas (Ben Stiller) was a financial wizard. But as adults, they have reverted to childhood, and either can't or won't perform anymore. One by one, they return home, moving into their old bedrooms. And then Royal, long estranged from the family, tells Etheline that he, too, wants to come home, to make his peace with the family before he dies of cancer.
Is It Any Good?
Our review:
Parents say (12):
Kids say (21):
Just about everything is a little off-kilter in this quirky story about a wildly dysfunctional family. THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS takes place in a whacked-out fantasy version of Baltimore, where hotels employ uniformed elevator operators, decrepit taxis literally labeled "Gypsy Cab" show up whenever someone needs to go somewhere and there is a YMCA on "375th Street." The production design is brilliant, especially the house (the children's bedrooms are magnificent) and the hotel.
Director Wes Anderson and actor Owen Wilson (who plays the Tenenbaum's neighbor, Eli) wrote the screenplay, and like their previous collaborations, Bottle Rocket and Rushmore, this movie defies categorization, combining elements of satire, fantasy, comedy, tragedy, farce, and drama. That's a combination that will make some audiences uncomfortable, but will seem to others to be the best possible way -- maybe the only way -- to truly convey a story of family conflict. The result is messy, even outrageous, but reflecting a singularity of vision that is welcome in a mainstream studio film starring three Oscar-winners.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about whether this wild exaggeration of family communication problems can be of help to families who are struggling to connect to each other. How can parents stimulate and support gifted children without making them feel isolated from friends and family?
Eli says to Royal "I always wanted to be a Tenenbaum," and Royal responds, "So did I." What does that mean?
Why did such accomplished children become such fragile adults?
Why did Chas react to his wife's death by becoming obsessed with safety?
Movie Details
- In theaters: December 21, 2001
- On DVD or streaming: July 9, 2002
- Cast: Anjelica Huston, Ben Stiller, Gene Hackman
- Director: Wes Anderson
- Inclusion Information: Female actors
- Studio: Walt Disney Pictures
- Genre: Comedy
- Run time: 109 minutes
- MPAA rating: R
- MPAA explanation: language, sexual references, and mature themes
- Last updated: May 9, 2024
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The Royal Tenenbaums
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