'Royal' is a DVD treat

The Royal Tenenbaums -- R
Starring: Gene Hackman, Anjelica Huston, Owen and Luke Wilson
Directed by: Wes Anderson The Royal Tenenbaums" was one of the finest movies of last year, and the Criterion Collection two-disc DVD set does incredible justice to this unique film. The response I have seen to "The Royal Tenenbaums" is the same as with all of Wes Anderson's work: you either love it or you hate it. Fortunately, I found the movie to be one of the funniest films I have ever seen with an emotional edge that gives it more resonance than most comedies. The Tenenbaum family consists of Royal (Gene Hackman), his wife Etheline (Anjelica Huston) and their three children: Chas (Ben Stiller), Margot (Gwenyth Paltrow) and Ritchie (Luke Wilson). All three of the children were geniuses in their childhoods, but are now burnt out. This may have been the fault of Royal, who left his wife and children 20 years prior. When he learns his wife wants to marry again, he fakes cancer in an effort to thrust himself back into the lives of his separated wife (they never got a divorce) and children. The rest of the film chronicles his attempts to correct the past. The heart and soul of the film is Gene Hackman's portrayal of Royal. You cannot help but be gravitated toward this charismatic jerk. The other actors portray their seemingly unreal characters with such conviction that even the strangest Tenenbaum seems totally believable. The relationships between the characters are the strongest facet of the film, so much so that the "sickness" plot seems wholly irrelevant. The director's choices in scenery, music and editing piece this film together perfectly. The Criterion Collection name insures tons of extra material. The best feature is the commentary by Anderson, who delves into every part of the filmmaking process. There are also short interviews with the cast members which are pretty standard fare. The documentary "With the Filmmaker" gives a closer look into the work of Anderson. The oddest and funniest extra is "The Peter Bradley Show." In this comedic documentary, several people who have had bit parts in Anderson's film get interviewed. These features are rounded out by trailers, a still gallery and a handful of deleted scenes. If you haven't seen any of Anderson's other films, I suggest you rent this first. But with the Oscar worthy work of Gene Hackman driving this amazing film, you'll probably end up buying it anyway.