5. Royal Tenenbaum (Gene Hackman) - The Royal Tenenbaums
The Royal Tenenbaums tells the story of Royal Tenenbaum (Gene Hackman), a self-made man who sees himself as a proud member of high society. After several years of rejection away from his estranged family, he decides to win them back by faking a terminal illness. Such a sassy and insolent plot would be calling for some laugh-out-loud situation comedy or a gritty, shameless one like the Coen Brothers would direct. Instead, Wes Anderson offers us a dramatic comedy - rhythmed by unconventional characters and his well-known quirky, offbeat humor. Royal Tenenbaum would be a really interesting character to study. He may be old and alone but he feels on top of the world, determined to suck out all the marrow of life. The only thing that motivates him to get closer to his family once again is the thought that he deserves to be loved and respected - even though he is a selfish weasel who would use every trick in the book to get what he wants. By appealing to their good nature, Royal will invade the private lives of his family members. From the very beginning, he even tries to get rid of his wife's new lover ('Lord knows I've had my share of infidelities but she's still my wife') and encourages his two grandsons in some reckless activities. Eventually all his efforts end up useless as his relatives despise him even more for his lies and manipulative behavior. He truly is a despicable character but he manages to win our sympathy by his charm and his eccentric personality. You will even feel sorry for him when he realizes the ugly truth - he is just a lonely old man. Accordingly, the moment when he starts to show genuine care on his way towards redemption is even more uplifting. Gene Hackman's energized performance, both subtle and over-the-top won him a well-deserved Golden Globe for Best Actor. He has created a thoughtful, likable portrait of a two-faced aging crook, who will remain a larger-than-life character to his grave - he dies of a stroke but his epitaph reads that he perished heroically saving his family from a sinking ship€