There’s something special about Wes Anderson’s movies. He has such a particular style that nearly every character, every location, lets you know this is a Wes Anderson picture. And The Royal Tenenbaums is no exception.

The three Tenenbaum children—Richie, Margot, and Chas—are all exceptionally talented. However, as adults, all three are in slumps both professionally and personally. Margot (Gwyneth Paltrow) is unhappily married, while Chas (Ben Stiller) has become overprotective of his sons after his wife’s death in a plane crash, and Richie (Luke Wilson) is traveling the world after suffering a breakdown. Meanwhile, their father Royal (Gene Hackman) wants to reconcile with his (separated) wife Etheline (Anjelica Huston) and their children, particularly after learning Etheline’s accountant Henry (Danny Glover) has proposed to her. His solution to people who have no wish to see him? Pretend to have stomach cancer. What follows is an absurdist drama with comedic moments that could only have come from the mind of Wes Anderson.

The Royal Tenenbaums will be shown in a double feature with Wings of Desire, a romantic fantasy film about angels in Berlin.

The Royal Tenenbaums
2001
dir. Wes Anderson
110 min.

Screens Thursday, 9/26, 7:00pm @ Mt. Auburn Cemetery
Outdoor double feature w/ Wings of Desire!
Presented by Coolidge Corner Theatre