Join Amazon Prime and get unlimited Free First Class Delivery. Already a member? Sign in.

 

or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
   
More Buying Choices
26 used & new from £2.42
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
The Royal Tenenbaums [DVD] [2002]
 
See larger image 
Share your own customer images

The Royal Tenenbaums [DVD] [2002]

DVD ~ Gene Hackman
3.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (40 customer reviews)
RRP: £17.99
Price: £4.98 & eligible for Free UK delivery on orders over £5 with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
You Save: £13.01 (72%)
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
In stock.
Items for dispatch to UK will be sold by Amazon's Preferred Merchant. (Why?) Gift-wrap available.

12 new from £3.88 11 used from £2.42 3 collectible from £3.90
Learn about Lovefilm
Amazon's choice for DVD rental.
With a 14 day FREE trial. Learn more

Frequently Bought Together

The Royal Tenenbaums [DVD] [2002] + The Darjeeling Limited [DVD] [2007] + Rushmore [DVD] [1999]
Total RRP: £52.97
Price For All Three: £13.74

Show availability and shipping details

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

The Royal Tenenbaums [DVD] [2002]
82% buy the item featured on this page:
The Royal Tenenbaums [DVD] [2002] 3.7 out of 5 stars (40)
£4.98
The Darjeeling Limited [DVD] [2007]
6% buy
The Darjeeling Limited [DVD] [2007] 3.3 out of 5 stars (32)
£4.38
Wes Anderson Collection [DVD] [1998]
5% buy
Wes Anderson Collection [DVD] [1998]
£9.38
Bottle Rocket [DVD] [1995]
4% buy
Bottle Rocket [DVD] [1995] 5.0 out of 5 stars (1)
£3.98
Explore similar items

Product details

  • Actors: Gene Hackman, Anjelica Huston, Ben Stiller, Gwyneth Paltrow
  • Directors: Wes Anderson
  • Format: PAL
  • Language English
  • Subtitles: English, French, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Dutch
  • Region: Region 2 (This DVD may not be viewable outside Europe. Read more about DVD formats.)
  • Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1
  • Number of discs: 1
  • Classification: 15
  • Studio: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainm
  • DVD Release Date: 2 Dec 2002
  • Run Time: 108 minutes
  • Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (40 customer reviews)
  • ASIN: B000062V94
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 4,283 in DVD (See Bestsellers in DVD)

    •  Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

Reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review
Wes Anderson's satirical yet tender tragicomedy The Royal Tenenbaums is a defiantly offbeat movie, but its sheer originality makes it a winner. As Philip Larkin famously said, "They fuck you up, your mum and dad". Well, it's Dad, the opulently named Royal Tenenbaum himself (Gene Hackman in twinkly mode), who gets all the blame here. The precocious achievements of the Tenenbaum offspring are amusingly documented: teen tycoon Chas (a perpetually snarly Ben Stiller), tennis star Richie (Luke Wilson, alienation personified in his Björn Borg get-up) and Margot--adopted and never allowed to forget it--a prize-winning playwright by ninth grade (Gwyneth Paltrow lurking under a ton of eyeliner and a sulky pout). Then there's Eli Cash (Owen Wilson), the kid from over the road who always wanted to be a Tenenbaum and nowadays makes his living writing trashy but successful Westerns.

After two decades of going their own way, to unfailingly disastrous effect, the Tenenbaums find themselves reunited in their old house, as idiosyncratic and illogical a place as the family itself, with Etheline Tenenbaum (touchingly played by Anjelica Huston) about to marry her accountant, Henry Sherman (Danny Glover). The action loops forward and backward, with the background detail on each character beautifully rounded out by narrator Alec Baldwin. This, and the device of dividing the film into chapters, gives it the feel of a fairy story, and like the best in the genre, it has a satisfying, if not entirely happy, resolution.

On the DVD: The Royal Tenenbaums comes with extra features that really do add to the enjoyment of the film. These range from the whimsical (a gallery of all the fictitious book and magazine covers that involve the Tenenbaum family and a slide show of behind-the-scenes photos by set-photographer James Hamilton) to the enlightening (a 26-minute film about writer/director Wes Anderson, his ideas behind the movie and an insight into his way of working, which is illuminating particularly for the sheer detail of his vision--if he's a control freak, he comes across as a nice control freak). There are also brief interviews with the main players, excerpts from Anderson's annotated script pages and background details on the artwork that appears in the film by Miguel Calderon and Eric Chase Anderson (brother of Wes). Less than two minutes of deleted scenes is hardly exciting, though the offbeat humour of the "Peter Bradley Show" is a distinct plus. --Harriet Smith

Special Features
Widescreen 2.35:1 Anamorphic
Dolby Digital 5.1
Soundtrack languages: English, French, Italian
Subtitles: French, English, Italian, French, Dutch, Norwegian, Danish, Swedish, Finnish
Outtakes
Theatrical trailers
Audio commentary by director Wes Anderson
"With the Filmmaker" portraits by Albert Maysles
Exclusive interviews and behind-the-scenes footage
"The Peter Bradley Show" featuring interviews with additional cast members
"The Art of the Movie" still photographs, murals and paintings, a book and magazine covers
Collectable insert including Eric Anderson's drawings


See all Reviews

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

The Darjeeling Limited [DVD] [2007]

The Darjeeling Limited [DVD] [2007]

DVD ~ Owen Wilson
3.3 out of 5 stars (32)  £4.38
Rushmore [DVD] [1999]

Rushmore [DVD] [1999]

DVD ~ Jason Schwartzman
4.4 out of 5 stars (25)  £4.38
The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou [DVD]

The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou [DVD]

DVD ~ Bill Murray
3.6 out of 5 stars (48)  £4.98
Bottle Rocket [DVD] [1995]

Bottle Rocket [DVD] [1995]

DVD ~ Luke Wilson
5.0 out of 5 stars (1)  £3.98
The Science Of Sleep [DVD] [2006]

The Science Of Sleep [DVD] [2006]

DVD ~ Miou Miou
3.6 out of 5 stars (16)  £3.98
› Explore similar items

Suggested Tags from Similar Products

 (What's this?)
Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
Check a corresponding box or enter your own tags in the field below
(6)
(2)
(2)
(2)
(1)
(1)
(1)
(1)
(1)
(5)
(2)

Your tags: Add your first tag
 
See most popular tags
 

Customer Reviews

40 Reviews
5 star:
 (22)
4 star:
 (4)
3 star:
 (2)
2 star:
 (3)
1 star:
 (9)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
3.7 out of 5 stars (40 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
27 of 31 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars My favourite film of 2002, 3 Dec 2002
By A Customer
What a wonderful film. Poignant, funny and eccentric, I absolutely loved it. The cast are perfect, delivering finely understated performances without a hint of A-List ego. Gene Hackman is at his finest, but Gwyneth Paltrow and Luke Wilson are also tremendous.

It's also worth mentioning the film's soundtrack, as the song choices contribute heavily to the feel of the film. Songs by Nico, Dylan, the Velvet Underground and Nick Drake lend a dreamy timeless quality while certain characters and episodes benefit hugely from the music - Eli Cash and the Clash for instance, or Elliot Smith's Needle in the Hay playing over one pivotal point in the film.

I would recommend this film wholeheartedly to anyone who likes their films a little off centre - if you enjoyed Amelie, say or American Beauty then I think you would love this..

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Unusual but excellent psychological comedy drama, 13 Mar 2006
By Greg Farefield-Rose (Hertfordshire United Kingdom) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   
Very unusual semi-psychological comedy drama starring Gene Hackman as an ageing lecherous wealthy father who tries to make peace with his long separated wife (Anjelica Huston) and their three damaged and eccentric adult children (Gwyneth Paltrow, Ben Stiller and Luke Wilson).

Royal Tenenbaums is a thought provoking film which deals with deep issues like incest with sensitivity but is still essentially a life-affirming comedy. Like Amelie, its story is told in a “photo comic book” format, which, with the 70s haircuts on show, make it seem strangely both a period piece and a modern film dealing with contemporary issues. An excellent film with some fine performances.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Anderson's best, 30 Jun 2007
I expect many will dismiss Anderson's Magnus Opus as one of two things. `Quirky' or `insubstantial'. They are, in no uncertain terms, wrong. Yes the film is offbeat, innovative and original, quirky even, and yes the production design is near saturated with wondrous stylistic flourishes. But, crucially, this is not a case of style obscuring substance. This is style begetting substance. For every Dalmatian mouse, we get a fantastically realised character, for every kitsch tableau, we get a wonderful moment of human interaction. The Royal Tenenbaums is a movie steeped in acute, ingenious, absurd observation. It's a deceptively complicated fable of human loss, grief and redemption, played out with beguiling subtlety by its all star cast.
The screenplay (written by Anderson with long time collaborator Owen Wilson) somehow manages to give each character of the large ensemble cast immeasurable depth . It's a stunning achievement considering the relatively scant screen time each actor gets. When Royal (played by a twinkling Gene Hackman) confronts his estranged wife Ethel (Angelica Houston) , with the news of his imminent death it's a wonderful moment. With approximately eleven lines of dialogue, we are given an astonishing insight into the two characters. A lesser film would struggle to impart so much in its entire running time. Not only is this sequence informative, it is both moving and laugh out loud funny. It's a combination that the film pulls out of the bag often.
Thematically The Royal Tenenbaums is supercharged. The witty banter, and recognisably comic actors conceal very dark undercurrents. Divorce, suicide, drug abuse, incestuous relationships and death all are brought to the fore, thinly veiled by sparkling delivery and a rose tinted camera lens. Surprisingly amongst Stiller, Hackman, Murray and Glover it is actually Luke Wilson who emerges as the films star. It's perhaps his most impressive performance and suggests that he is capable of depths that his brother couldn't dream of. As tragic ex-tennis player Richie Tenenbaum he shoulders most of the film's heavy lifting. It is he who embodies the film's darker subtexts, yet he does so in a way that is entirely affable, warm and affecting. This approach is synonymous with the film as a whole, and those who accuse Anderson of producing a film altogether too cutesy have clearly just not paid enough attention. His amalgamation of offbeat design and darkly comic tragedy makes for a film that is both sparkling and effectively introspective.
Not only is The Royal Tenenbaums armed with an acute, deceptively profound script, and blessed with fantastic performances, it is graced with a soundtrack so perfect one is tempted to break down and weep. The Rolling Stones and The Beatles rub shoulders with Erik Satie and Elliott Smith, whilst The Ramones and The Clash do battle with Bob Dylan and Nick Drake. Like the film it's an eclectic mix, and its possibly the best soundtrack since Pulp Fiction. With so much going for it, it's hard to see how the haters could be so blind. There's not a character who's not endearing, there's not a line that's wasted. Suffused with delightful styling, impeccable comic timing and sumptuous melancholia, the film is wry, glowing, and finally, in its own very particular way, life affirming. See it, then see it again.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Like marmite, love it or hate it...


Wes Andersen's films all share an atmosphere that is special to his work definable as both bleak and oddly heart-warming. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Nina-Jo Rees

5.0 out of 5 stars Wes Anderson - 20th Century God.
Any hardcore fans of Wes Anderson (Rushmore, Darjeeling Ldt., Life Aquatic) will love this ensemble-rich movie. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Niclas Dahl

1.0 out of 5 stars Luvvie-fest by Royal appointment
This cringeworthy victory-lapping, high-fiving, aren't we all incredibly offbeat and wonderful blah blah-ing of an excuse for a film really riled me when I had the misfortune of... Read more
Published 7 months ago by Man Without a Soul

5.0 out of 5 stars A Moving Painting Motion Picture
I first saw this film as a sixteen year old on a family outing to the cinema not having heard of Anderson or the film itself. Read more
Published 15 months ago by All in Good Taste

1.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing .
As another reviewer has put it " A Marmite Movie " . I didn't like it , and failed to see what all the fuss was about . Read more
Published 16 months ago by Egbert Souse

2.0 out of 5 stars Some love it, but it's not for me
A fantastic cast with a great quirky set up - I was expecting a lot from this Wes Anderson / Owen Wilson film. Read more
Published 18 months ago by DangermouseZilla

5.0 out of 5 stars It's a Marmite movie, I love Marmite
The last Wes Anderson film I saw at the cinema had half the audience in tears with amusment, and half stunned in bewilderment. Read more
Published 22 months ago by G. C. blackwood

1.0 out of 5 stars HATE THIS MOVIE
I HATE THIS MOVIE, IT WAS OFFICIALLY THE WORST TWO HOURS OF MY UNIVERSITY LIFE!
Published 22 months ago by Ms. L. Bower

5.0 out of 5 stars Portait of the average family?
Consider a cartoon depiction of a well-known face; all of the familiar features are there - but simply exaggerated. Read more
Published 22 months ago by still searching

5.0 out of 5 stars Off-kilter and heartwarming
The Royal Tenenbaums was the first Wes Anderson film I saw and it remains one of my favourites; strikingly original it looks to have been highly influential on the look and tone... Read more
Published on 12 Oct 2006 by W. Leitch

Only search this product's reviews


Customer Discussions

 Beta (What's this?)
This product's forum (1 discussion)
  Discussion Replies Latest Post
subtitles 1 February 2009
› See all discussions...  
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
  [Cancel]


Active discussions in related forums
   
Related forums

Listmania!

Create a Listmania! list

Look for similar items by category

Feedback

Health & Beauty at Amazon.co.uk

Elemis Resurface and Renew Skin Care Gift Set of 4 Products
From soap to shavers, massagers to mascara, stock up on your daily essentials or truly pamper yourself.

›Discover Health & Beauty

  

Make A Wish

Get what you want with an Amazon.co.uk Wish List Make sure you always get what you want with an Amazon.co.uk Wish List.

›More info on Wish Lists

  

A Close Shave

Philips Nivea Coolskin HS8060 Moisturizing Rotary Shaving System
For all types of hair removal, stay smooth with Amazon.co.uk.

›Discover Shaving & Hair Removal

  

Treat Someone

Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificates--available in any amount from £5 to £500 With an Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificate, you can get them what they want (even if you don't know what that is).

›Learn more about Gift Certificates

  
Ad

Where's My Stuff?

Delivery and Returns

Need Help?

Your Recent History

  (What's this?)
You have no recently viewed items or searches.

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.

Look to the right column to find helpful suggestions for your shopping session.
Continue Shopping: Top Sellers

amazon.co.uk Amazon Home
International Sites:  United States  |  Germany  |  France  |  Japan  |  Canada  |  China
Business Programs: Sell on Amazon  |  Fulfilment by Amazon  |  Join Associates  |  Join Advantage
Customer Service  |  Help  |  View Basket  |  Your Account
About Amazon.co.uk  |  Careers at Amazon
Conditions of Use & Sale |  Privacy Notice  © 1996-2009, Amazon.com, Inc. and its affiliates