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Not only directing, Anderson co-wrote the script with Owen Wilson, who also plays the part of Eli Cash, a longtime family friend and successful author. Wilson, who wrote with Anderson two times previously, shows surprisingly more depth as a writer than as an actor. With the dryness of the jokes, I was happy to find some delicious dark humor as well. Never have I seen a film that has a somber suicide scene followed up so quickly by a punch-line. However, like most comedies with such a large talented cast, one wonders how much credit is due to the writers, since improvisation is such a big factor. But with well-thought out characters and detailed scenes, it is clear that Wilson and Anderson deserved their Oscar nomination for 2002 Best Original Screenplay (Gosford Park won). The film received no other nominations and was not present at many award shows that season. But with the take it or leave it nature of Anderson’s films, it was not surprising. At the same time, Tenenbaums was his biggest overall award nomination grabber.

Critics generally liked the film, giving it a high 79% score on Rotten Tomatoes, though a tad lower among Top Critics. The haters gave the movie heat over the constant narration, giving the movie a more calculated banging-you-over-your-head directness, tail-spinning into odd side stories. For me, though, the film never loses its overall focus and the brief sideshows give the film character to make it stand out in a sea of independent, quirky comedies all trying to make a dent with the public (Pieces of April, any film released by Sony Pictures Classics). One thing all critics agreed on was the fact Hackman was on the top of his game.

Anderson is underappreciated for the fact that he understood and gave each character equal time and depth; a colossal flaw in today’s star-driven ensembles for not having (ie. The Expendables, Valentine’s Day). Yet Hackman is one of the most memorable parts of the movie. In a role that can easily be despised, Hackman’s wonderful performance, assisted by strong writing, has you feeling equally sorry for the excommunicated patriarch. Royal is socially clueless, always whole-heartedly concocting but half-assedly executing ways to be brought back in to the family circle. This two time Oscar winner is a welcome addition to any character, always managing to camouflage into a performance despite his distinctive look. This was a part of Hackman’s career relevance resurgence as he tried to appeal to a new generation, starring in younger skewing films like the Will Smith actioner Enemy of the State, Keanu Reeves' football comedy The Replacements, and the Jennifer Love Hewitt-Sigourney Weaver gold-digging romcom Heartbreakers (my guilty pleasure). It is unclear exactly why Hackman took the part after he swore off making art movies since his sour experience on Scarecrow (he thought this film was his finest performance but was upset that audiences would not see these types of films), resulting in him turning down lead parts in One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest and Network. Unfortunately, Hackman only made three more films after Tenenbaums, retiring from acting and focusing on his career as a novelist. Hopefully he will make one last hurrah to the big screen to cap off his successful career, because who wants Welcome to Mooseport to be their last movie?

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