The eccentric members of a dysfunctional family reluctantly gather under the same roof for various reasons.
Many of the characters in the film were directly or indirectly based on members of the Karnas family, Director of Photography Robert D. Yeoman's brother-in-law's family.
Narrator:
Royal Tenenbaum bought the house on Archer Avenue in the winter of his 35th year. Over the next decade, he and his wife had three children, and then they separated.
After Royal has Etheline sign papers, the notary is supposed to stamp them, but it is visibly obvious that the notary is just lifting his stamp up to the papers but not actually pressing down or stamping anything.
The film title first appears on a library book being checked out, then several of the books are seen, and finally the book cover becomes a title card.
A short segment involving Eli's family (a wife and children) was cut. It would have been where Richie goes to visit for the first time. The segment can be seen in the Criterion Collection DVD and read in the Screenplay.
English, Italian
$276,981 (USA) (16 December 2001)
$52,364,010 (USA)