As I mentioned in Bottle Rocket, watching a Wes Anderson film is an acquired taste and The Royal Tenenbaums definitely falls into that category. Being such a huge fan of Rushmore, I was very pumped to see what Anderson could come up with next and looked forward to seeing The Royal Tenenbaums when it finally hit the theaters. To say that I was a bit let down is an understatement.

The art direction that was hinted at in Bottle Rocket and perfected in Rushmore is actually a distraction in The Royal Tenebaums. It's actually the main thing you focus on, more so than the story that is taking place. As for the story, it's basically about a dysfunctional family times 100. The family is so odd that there really isn't anyone in particular to root for. The only one that I even liked in this was Gene Hackman, who was awesome. Ben Stiller had some good moments, but that was really his reactions toward his father played by Hackman. Everyone else was just a non-issue. The movie isn't entirely bad. There were some good things that I liked, but overall, this movie is still a disappointment for me because I had such high hopes after the masterpiece that is Rushmore.

If you don't like any of his previous films, you absolutely will NOT like this one. I give this 3 Stars at best and normally would say it's a Rent. But even for me, this movie pushes my patience. This is a Skip.