Grays Almanac

Home/Episodes/The Royal Tenenbaums

‘The Royal Tenenbaums’ With Chris Ryan and Andy Greenwald

January 12, 2021 · The Royal Tenenbaums (2001) · Comedy · Drama · 1:38:08 · ▶ Listen on Spotify

IMDb ↗Letterboxd ↗

Categories

Most Rewatchable Scene

Andy Greenwald▶ 46:01The opening montage with Alec Baldwin narration set to Hey Jude
Chris Ryan▶ 47:10Multiple scenes: the montage of Royal and grandkids playing, the Richie suicide scene, Margo and Richie in the tent, and ultimately settles on the Margot background file montage

Apex Mountain

Andy Greenwald▶ 51:04Owen Wilson — The Wilson brothers (Owen and Luke) - calls it 'Mount Wilson' and argues they've never been this good again because of their vulnerability and connection in this film
Chris Ryan▶ 54:02Owen Wilson — Agrees with the Wilson brothers assessment - says 'Mount Wilson' is a great way of putting it and they won't even have to do separate Apex Mountain discussion

What's Aged the Best

Andy Greenwald▶ 56:36The 'decision to invest in Wes' — Touchstone/producer Barry Mendel trusting Anderson to make exactly this movie (after touting the Wilson brothers/Anderson alchemy and the underrated physical comedy like Danny Glover's fall at the dig site)
Chris Ryan▶ 56:32The soundtrack — 'I'm going to go with the soundtrack... it has really aged wonderfully' (also cited: the Eli Cash NYT Magazine cover, and Henry and Etheline's tender, human relationship)

What's Aged the Worst

Andy Greenwald▶ 59:47Royal's not-so-casual racism toward Henry ('calling a black man Coltrane is not cute and complicated') — even contextualized as Anderson channeling 70s Gene Hackman/Popeye Doyle, it bumped him out of the rewatch
Chris Ryan▶ 1:01:17The ending — the slapstick/screwball collision of all the plot lines at the wedding, with multiple codas after the emotional climax in Richie's tent, feels less emotionally satisfying (he also lists the prescient Charlie Rose-figure groping thread)

Probably Unanswerable Questions

Chris Ryan▶ 1:03:55Chaz is more or less underwriting the family economically - he's keeping them liquid financially

Casting What-Ifs

Andy Greenwald▶ 1:06:35Acknowledges no casting what-ifs are available because Wes Anderson is secretive and controlling, though mentions drawings sent to actors contained uncast actors whose identities are unknown since Gene Hackman discarded the originals

Dion Waiters Award

Andy Greenwald▶ 1:12:02Kumar Pallana — Kumar Palana (who plays Pagoda)
Chris Ryan▶ 1:11:39Bill Murray — Bill Murray and Stephen Lee Shepard (who plays Dudley)

Joey Pants Award

Chris Ryan▶ 1:12:36Seymour Cassel — Seymour Cassell as Dusty

Half-Assed Internet Research

Andy Greenwald▶ 1:20:59Responded to and discussed the research facts provided by another host, particularly commenting on Bill Murray confronting Gene Hackman and Murray's working relationship with Wes Anderson
Chris Ryan▶ 1:19:29111 Archer is a real place in Harlem off 144th Street; Royal's hotel is the Waldorf Astoria; movie influenced by French New Wave directors and Orson Welles' The Magnificent Ambersons; Danny Glover, Luke Wilson, and Owen Wilson turned down Ocean's Eleven to appear in this; Gene Hackman was combative on set and Bill Murray had to confront him

Picking Nits

Andy Greenwald▶ 1:26:48Why Richie says he's going to kill himself tomorrow (but then chastised himself for this complaint, realizing it works within the character development)
Chris Ryan▶ 1:29:24Questions whether the Raleigh St. Clair/Oliver Sacks character subplot is necessary, but ultimately accepts it as part of the movie's tapestry

Best Quote

Andy Greenwald▶ 1:32:24Eli Cash's 'Well, everyone knows Custer died at Little Bighorn, but this book presupposes is maybe he didn't' - calls it his all-time favorite quote from the movie
Chris Ryan▶ 1:29:53Multiple favorites including the Chaz/Richie suicide note exchange, Royal's morbid humor lines like 'anybody interested in grabbing a couple of burgers in the cemetery?' and 'Your mother was a terribly attractive woman', plus Eli's phone call about not being a genius

Who Won the Movie

Andy Greenwald▶ 1:36:17Gene Hackman
Chris Ryan▶ 1:36:35Luke Wilson — Luke Wilson as the beating heart of the movie and his relationship with Marco

Movies Referenced (41)

Rushmore (1998)

7 mentions · Andy Greenwald, Chris Ryan▶ 3:42IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Bottle Rocket (1996)

6 mentions · Andy Greenwald, Chris Ryan▶ 3:42IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Magnolia (1999)

5 mentions · Andy Greenwald, Chris Ryan▶ 22:12IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Pulp Fiction (1994)

4 mentions · Chris Ryan, Andy Greenwald▶ 8:18IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Moonrise Kingdom (2012)

3 mentions · Andy Greenwald, Chris Ryan▶ 19:05IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Battleship (2012)

2 mentions · Andy Greenwald▶ 1:33:35IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Shakespeare in Love (1998)

2 mentions · Chris Ryan▶ 1:18:07IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)

2 mentions · Andy Greenwald▶ 10:54IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Batman (1989)

1 mentions · Andy Greenwald▶ 1:06:05IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Behind Enemy Lines (2001)

1 mentions · Chris Ryan▶ 1:15:06IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Black Panther (2018)

1 mentions · Chris Ryan▶ 32:49IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Boogie Nights (1997)

1 mentions · Chris Ryan▶ 25:00IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Directors Referenced (5)

Wes Anderson

39 mentions · Andy Greenwald, Chris Ryan · Known for Fantastic Mr. Fox, The Royal Tenenbaums, Isle of Dogs▶ 2:14IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Quentin Tarantino

4 mentions · Andy Greenwald, Chris Ryan · Known for Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, From Dusk Till Dawn▶ 10:31IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Paul Thomas Anderson

2 mentions · Andy Greenwald · Known for Punch-Drunk Love, Licorice Pizza, There Will Be Blood▶ 22:01IMDb ↗Lb ↗

François Truffaut

1 mentions · Chris Ryan · Known for Day for Night, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, The 400 Blows▶ 1:20:03IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Louis Malle

1 mentions · Chris Ryan · Known for Elevator to the Gallows▶ 1:20:00IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Actors Referenced (45)

Gene Hackman

46 mentions · Andy Greenwald, Chris Ryan · Known for The French Connection, The Royal Tenenbaums, Unforgiven▶ 1:52IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Gwyneth Paltrow

15 mentions · Andy Greenwald, Chris Ryan · Known for Shakespeare in Love, Sliding Doors▶ 1:52IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Ben Stiller

11 mentions · Andy Greenwald, Chris Ryan · Known for Tropic Thunder, Zoolander▶ 1:52IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Luke Wilson

11 mentions · Andy Greenwald, Chris Ryan · Known for Old School, The Royal Tenenbaums▶ 1:52IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Owen Wilson

10 mentions · Andy Greenwald, Chris Ryan · Known for The Royal Tenenbaums, Bottle Rocket, Wedding Crashers▶ 1:52IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Danny Glover

8 mentions · Andy Greenwald, Chris Ryan · Known for Lethal Weapon, Lethal Weapon 4▶ 1:57IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Bill Murray

7 mentions · Andy Greenwald, Chris Ryan · Known for Lost in Translation, Rushmore, Moonrise Kingdom▶ 1:57IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Jason Schwartzman

4 mentions · Chris Ryan · Known for Rushmore, The Darjeeling Limited, Moonrise Kingdom▶ 40:13IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Michael Caine

4 mentions · Andy Greenwald, Chris Ryan · Known for The Dark Knight, The Cider House Rules▶ 1:05:57IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Robert Downey Jr.

4 mentions · Andy Greenwald, Chris Ryan · Known for Iron Man, Iron Man 3, Avengers: Endgame▶ 1:19:01IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Al Pacino

3 mentions · Chris Ryan · Known for Dog Day Afternoon, The Godfather▶ 1:13:07IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Barry Mendel

3 mentions · Andy Greenwald · Known for The Sixth Sense, The Big Sick, Munich▶ 54:54IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Writers Referenced (8)

Cormac McCarthy

2 mentions · Chris Ryan, Andy Greenwald · Known for The Road, No Country for Old Men, The Counselor▶ 40:46IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Bam Margera

1 mentions · Chris Ryan · Known for Jackass: The Movie▶ 53:22IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Colin Trevorrow

1 mentions · Andy Greenwald · Known for Safety Not Guaranteed, Jurassic World, Deep Cover▶ 32:40IMDb ↗Lb ↗

George Lucas

1 mentions · Andy Greenwald · Known for Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope, THX 1138, American Graffiti▶ 10:54IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Oliver Sacks

1 mentions · Chris Ryan▶ 1:29:30IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Roger Ebert

1 mentions · Chris Ryan▶ 30:27IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Ryan Coogler

1 mentions · Chris Ryan · Known for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Black Panther, Creed▶ 32:49IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Thomas McGuane

1 mentions · Chris Ryan · Known for The Missouri Breaks▶ 40:41IMDb ↗Lb ↗